[lazyant]

The origins of precise clocks is because ships needed to calculate how far they had travelled in terms of longitude (eastwast/westward. How far you've travel north/south is easy to calculate by how high the sun goes).

The British crown established an award for whoever could come up with a precise clock of this reason, it's a fascinating story, I recommend the book "Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time" by Dava Sobel.

[Fuzzwah]

Also if you're interested in inventors from the late 17th Century, I highly recommend: "The Man Who Knew Too Much: The inventive life of Robert Hooke"