The term originated with mechanical timepieces, whose clockwork movements are made of many moving parts.

With their colleague, George Whaley, they still rewind the entirely mechanical timepiece once a week.

Another proposed solution was to use a mechanical timepiece, to be carried on a ship, that would maintain the correct time at a reference location.

That trend has reversed itself as tastes shift to elegant mechanical timepieces that tell much more than the time of day.

After all, sundials do not work on cloudy days, and mechanical timepieces were expensive in the 18th century.

In the world of mechanical timepieces, accuracy is paramount.

In the times before electronics, mechanical timepieces called marine chronometers were developed to a very high degree of accuracy and used for maritime navigation.

In order to run at a regular rate a mechanical timepiece needs to have at least 30 per cent of its mainspring wound.

A balance spring, or hairspring, is a part used in mechanical timepieces.

Hobbes checked the mechanical timepiece on her wrist.