This watch was a Christmas gift 100 years ago!

Do you know when clocks and watches were invented?

This pocket-watch was a Christmas gift exactly 100 years ago, in 1920. It was given to a friend by Paul Karshner, the son of Warner Karshner, who founded this museum in his memory.

The first clocks were sundials, which used the position of the sun to give a rough idea of how much time was passing between events. Mechanical clocks were invented in Europe in the 14th century, although they were quite inaccurate until the invention of the pendulum clock in 1656. Pocket-watches were invented around the same time as pendulum clocks. For more fascinating history, see the links below!

For more information, visit:

• This artifact in the Karshner Digital Collections
• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• The Development of Clocks and Watches Over Time
• History of Pocket Watches
• History of Timekeeping Devices