The invention of the pendulum clock by Christiaan Huygens in 1656 was revolutionary. Before that, most mechanical clock models could only keep time within about 15 minutes of accuracy each day. With a pendulum’s steady swing, time accuracy improved dramatically—down to seconds per day.
Pendulum clocks also paved the way for specialized tall clock designs like the grandfather clock, sometimes called a longcase or even a tall clock. These devices not only demonstrated skilled craftsmanship in their ornate cases but also offered more accurate clocks than previous generations of timepieces.
- https://www.hourlytime.com/blog/fun-facts-about-clocks
