Ship Wheel Clock 12"

Each of these marine clocks is elegantly crafted with the legendary ship wheel design, an innovation in sailing that occurred after centuries of mechanical evolution. From the earliest steering oars, through the use of a common windlass, a cylindrical hand crank, the wheel we recognize on these ship clocks was a development necessitated by the growth of ships, particularly during the Age of Exploration. In 17^th and 18^th centuries, with European powers expanding across the oceans on increasingly longer voyages, ships grew larger and a more efficient method of steering was necessary. These marine clocks demonstrate the culmination of those developments. Instead of horizontal tillers the ship wheel utilized rotational motion, run through ropes and pulleys, to maneuver the rudder. This ship wheel clock is a fabulous recreation of a device that revolutionized sailing, the wheel still a standard aboard ships and a tool that has been adopted by the automotive industry; our car steering wheels. With a legacy in sailing that has lasted centuries, the symbol of the ship wheel has been placed on these marine clocks as a reminder of the ingenuity and dedication of sailors, craftsmen, and artisans from long ago.