Home›Open Questions›Does Su Song's 1092 water-driven astronomical clock tower count as the first mechanical clock, or does that title belong to the weight-driven verge-escapement clocks first attested in Europe in the 1280s?Open QuestionsDoes Su Song's 1092 water-driven astronomical clock tower count as the first mechanical clock, or does that title belong to the weight-driven verge-escapement clocks first attested in Europe in the 1280s?Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextTechnology and Engineering Atlas. "Does Su Song's 1092 water-driven astronomical clock tower count as the first mechanical clock, or does that title belong to the weight-driven verge-escapement clocks first attested in Europe in the 1280s?." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://technology.interactiveatlas.org/open-questions-index/does-su-songs-1092-clock-tower-count-as-a-mechanical-clock.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextTechnology and Engineering Atlas. (n.d.). Does Su Song's 1092 water-driven astronomical clock tower count as the first mechanical clock, or does that title belong to the weight-driven verge-escapement clocks first attested in Europe in the 1280s?. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://technology.interactiveatlas.org/open-questions-index/does-su-songs-1092-clock-tower-count-as-a-mechanical-clockCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{technologyandengineeringatlas-does-su-song-s-1092-water-driven-astrono, author = {Technology and Engineering Atlas}, title = {Does Su Song's 1092 water-driven astronomical clock tower count as the first mechanical clock, or does that title belong to the weight-driven verge-escapement clocks first attested in Europe in the 1280s?}, year = {2026}, url = {https://technology.interactiveatlas.org/open-questions-index/does-su-songs-1092-clock-tower-count-as-a-mechanical-clock}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXOpen QuestionCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)Open QuestionThe two traditions used different power sources, a water clock feeding an escapement-like linkwork versus a purely weight-and-spring drive train, so the answer turns on which feature defines "mechanical clock," not on a missing fact.What would resolve this A settled scholarly definition of "mechanical clock" that either includes or excludes an escapement-regulated but water-powered drive train would resolve which tradition holds priority.OpenHistory of technologyWikipedia contributors, History of Timekeeping Devices (Wikipedia)Cross-Tradition ConnectionsQuestion OnThe Mechanical Clock, Inventions Well-attested Source History of Timekeeping Devices (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributorstier 2SourcesHistory of Timekeeping Devices (Wikipedia)tier 2Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationView the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year