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Probably the greatest driving force behind the invention of the mechanical clock was the need to keep accurate time on ships. Besides, sundials only work when and where the sun is shining, so they're useless in bad weather, at night, or indoors.

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Shipping's needs improved clocks, but did not lead to their invention per se.

Mechanical clocks go back to about the 14C, and were used in monasteries to ring bells announcing the various daily services. The oldest known in working order though not entirely all-original parts, is in Salisbury Cathedral (S. England). These early clocks were not very accurate at all - the sundial had to be used to calibrate them regularly - as they used a purely inertial escapement called a "verge and foliot", because the harmonic principle of the pendulum had not yet been discovered. Quote from the cathedral's own web-site:

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  • Europe's oldest working clock (AD1386), now situated in the north nave aisle, used to be located in the Bell Tower (demolished in 1789). It has "ticked" more than 5 million times since it was first built

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Some sources consider the it world's oldest surviving mechancial clock. It never had a dial but signalled church services by bell. It is still ticking!

The marine chronometer was an 18C invention by Harrison, specifically for accurate time-keeping for navigation.

Sundials are also "useless" unless designed for their latitudes, too: the gnomon angle is quite critical if you want any sort of accuracy from it. There are modern versions that will work indoors, using a suitable window. One type uses a special pattern etched onto the glass itself.

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