Nowadays, pocket watches aren't anything to write home about... but this wasn't always the case. Learn how locksmiths like Peter Henlein miniaturized the dubious clocks of the day to create portable timepieces in this episode of Stuff of Genius. Stuff of Genius tells the story behind everyday inventions. From the bikini to super wheat and everything in between. Viewers will learn the stories of unsung inventor heroes and their trials, tribulations and successes. -- Behold, the portable timepiece, also known as the watch. But where did it come from? Meet Peter Henlein, born around Nuremberg sometime in the 1500’s. Nowadays, not much is known about Henlein, other than that he was most likely a locksmith. In the 16th century, a locksmith was considered qualified to work on all sorts of mechanical devices, including the clocks of the time, which were notoriously unreliable. Most towns relied on the sun or church bells to keep track of time. As a result time could vary greatly from one village to the next. That is, until Henlein sprung his invention on the world: portable timepieces with balance-springs. Historians generally agree that, while Henlein may not have invented the pocket watch, he was almost certainly the first person to regularly manufacture and sell portable watches. These drum-shaped time-pieces could run for forty hours without rewinding, and were small enough to be worn on a chain around the neck or carried within a purse. Though the watches had only one hand, and appear crude by modern standards, they immeasurably changed Western society, and ultimately the world.

• published: 02 Nov 2014
• views: 499