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European expeditions by ship mark the start of the Modern Age. In order to navigate across the oceans using the stars, sailors not only needed a sextant but also a precise timepiece. How did European sailors know the exact time? Dr. Sibylle Gluch examines the history of precision timepieces and pays particular attention to the geographic region of Saxony. It was here, in Dresden, that the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments offered a service supplying the palace and later also the city hall and railway station with the exact time. However, the large pendulum clocks customarily used then were not suitable for use on board a ship. There was a great need for more mobile solutions. But how did the specialists manage to miniaturize the complex structure of precision timepieces?