horological

Horological is an adjective relating to horology, the discipline that studies timekeeping and the devices that measure time. It encompasses the analysis, design, manufacture, maintenance, and regulation of clocks, watches, and other timing instruments, as well as the systems and standards used to keep time accurately. The term derives from horology, itself from Greek hora ("hour") and logos ("study" or "science").

Tasks within horology include the study of mechanisms such as escapements, gears, mainsprings, pendulums, and balances in mechanical timepieces; the development of electronic timekeeping, quartz resonators, and atomic principles; and the pursuit of ever more precise time standards, including atomic clocks and time dissemination methods used in navigation and telecommunications. Horology also covers conservation and restoration of historical clocks and watches, as well as the craft of watchmaking and clockmaking.

Historically, horology has been central to scientific progress and daily life, enabling navigation, astronomy, and scheduling. In modern contexts, it spans luxury watchmaking, industrial timekeeping, and research into synchronization networks such as global time standards and the internet’s time protocols.

Related terms include horology, clockmaking, watchmaking, timekeeping, and time standardization.