sundial,
the earliest type of timekeeping device, which indicates the time of
day by the position of the shadow of some object exposed to the sun’s
rays. As the day progresses, the sun moves across the sky, causing the
shadow of the object to move and indicating the passage of time.
sundial
sundial
Animation
of a sundial. Before clocks were invented, people generally relied on
the passage of the sun through the sky to tell time. One of the most
important early devices for telling time was the sundial. Click on the
arrow in the illustration to see an animation of how the sun's position
in the sky was used to mark the daylight hours.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The
first device for indicating the time of day was probably the gnomon,
dating from about 3500 BCE. It consisted of a vertical stick or pillar,
and the length of the shadow it cast gave an indication of the time of
day. By the 8th century BCE more-precise devices were in use. The
earliest known sundial still preserved is an Egyptian shadow clock of
green schist dating at least from this period. The shadow clock consists
of a straight base with a raised crosspiece at one end. The base, on
which is inscribed a scale of six time divisions, is placed in an
east-west direction with the crosspiece at the east end in the morning
and at the west end in the afternoon. The shadow of the crosspiece on
this base indicates the time. Clocks of this kind were still in use in
modern times in parts of Egypt.
Roman numerals of the hours on sundial (ancient clock; timepiece; sun dial; shadow clock)
The fascinating history and evolution of the wristwatch
For
many of us, a wristwatch is part of our daily wardrobe. Waking up and
strapping on our watches has become second nature, yet this fascinating
piece of tech should never be taken for granted.
Wristwatches
have an intriguing beginning and have undergone a range of practical
and stylish evolutions over the years. To understand its origin is to
appreciate the beauty of the wristwatch even more.
When were watches invented?
The
concept of measuring time stretches way back to the Egyptians, over
5,000 years ago. The civilisation relied on the sun for these early
clocks, using sundials to determine the time.
While
today’s time tellers are much more advanced, the circular design of the
Egyptian sundials has helped shape the appearance of modern watches.
The
first watches to work without the help of the sun were known as water
clocks. Later came the hourglass and the wheel clock, in the 14th
century.
While
large clocks were visible to the ordinary population on church towers
and in marketplaces, it wasn’t until the 15th century that the
watchmaking profession really started ticking along thanks to the
introduction of the spiral spring.
Balance,
and the discovery of the spiral spring, made the construction of more
precise watches possible. The coil spring replaced the large pendulum
used in the past, paving the way for smaller, more compact watches.
In
1673, Christiaan Huygens created a watch that utilised the spiral
spring and balance, which was both small in size and portable.
When were wristwatches invented?
The
first wristwatch is thought to have been invented in 1812 by
Abraham-Louis Breguet, who produced a wristwatch for Napoleon’s sister,
Queen Caroline Murat. A small timepiece was attached to the wrist with a
strap.
Prior
to this, most men carried their watches on a chain attached to their
back pocket, while women often wore it around their necks.
After
Breguet’s creation – and thanks to the Queen’s popularisation –
wristwatches slowly became a part of everyday society. By the end of the
19th century, wristwatches were a part of many women’s accessories
collections.
To feminise them further, some had taken to attaching them to chains or ribbons, making them look like jewels.
When did wristwatches become popular?
Detail closeup of black wristwatch with compass
It wasn’t until the 20th century that both men and women began wearing wristwatches.
Up
until this point, most men still preferred pocket watches – they had
dramatically advanced over the years and had improved in accuracy.
The
practicality of the pocket watch came into question alongside the
advancement of other technologies. In 1904, Louis Cartier developed the
first men’s wristwatch. His friend, flying legend Alberto Santos Dumont,
had expressed a desire to continue flying his plane with both hands
while also keeping an eye on the time, something he was unable to do
with a pocket watch. Cartier created the Cartier Santos for him, still a
central part of the series today.
Shortly
after, the outbreak of the First World War further highlighted
instances where hands-free tasks and timekeeping were vital. Even today,
many watch series is clearly derived from a military perspective,
equipped with things like navigation tools, readability in low light
conditions, or scratch-resistance glass.
However,
wristwatches were by no means reserved for military use, and quickly
became admired by and popular among the civilian population.
In
the 1920s, the first automatic, self-winding watch was developed. The
success of the wristwatch was catapulted further by Rolex in 1926 when
it released its waterproof Oyster case. To prove its waterproof
capabilities, Rolex equipped swimmer Mercedes Gleitze with a Rolex as
she tried to cross the English Channel. While the record attempt failed,
the watch survived without damage.
The rise of quartz watches
Shortly after in the 1930s, the first electric-powered watches using quartz technology were developed.
However,
they were expensive, bulky, and often only produced for scientific use.
That all changed with the breakthrough of semiconductor technology.
Manufacturers
including Seiko, Patek Philippe, and Junghans introduced their
battery-powered table clocks. Later, the development of integrated
circuits for divider stages allowed this to propel further – Japan
especially developed a range of electric-powered watches that were much
more accessible for the masses.
These
electric powered wristwatches also excelled mechanical watches in terms
of accuracy and affordability. In 1969, the Seiko Astron was the first
electric-powered wristwatch that was available for sale in stores.
Quartz
watches meant fewer parts, which meant they were less expensive for
both manufacturers and buyers and could be produced in larger
quantities.
Traditional mechanical companies, including Rolex, suffered greatly against the quartz boom, with many filing for bankruptcy.
The comeback of the mechanical watch
Skeleton
wrist watch with black clock face, macro photo. It is a mechanical
watch type in which all of the moving parts are visible
Thankfully, the mechanical watch market recovered in the 1980s.
Mechanical watches were easier to understand and actually appealed to certain clientele by sitting at the higher price segment.
‘Swiss
made’ regained its relevance as quality assurance, and largely
dominated the watch market. When it came to mechanical watches,
craftmanship became respected once again.
Modern wristwatches
Nowadays, the best wristwatches are seen across multiple price segments and contain varying functionalities.
Luxury
watches, renowned for their quality craftsmanship and use of exclusive
materials, often withstand several generations and are a great
investment. They also come with a distinct emotional value and, with
appropriate treatment, only increase in value.
Saying
this, there are also exceptional wristwatches in the lower price
segments that offer practical functions and durability. Many people
often collect an array of watches from multiple brands, diversifying
their collection depending on personal needs and style.
Excellence
and quality are the two major attributes when it comes to wristwatches
at Robert Gatward Jewellers. Our impressive collection of men’s and
women’s watches brings together some of the best-known watch brands in
the world, combined with famed design houses.
Steampunk
Original illustration of Jules Verne's Nautilus engine room
black and white drawing of small house of complex design raised above the surrounding buildings on a turntable
"Maison
tournante aérienne" (aerial rotating house) by Albert Robida for his
book Le Vingtième Siècle, a 19th-century conception of life in the 20th
century
Steampunk is a
subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology
and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered
machinery.[1][2][3] Steampunk works are often set in an alternative
history of the Victorian era or the American "Wild West", where steam
power remains in mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly
employs steam power.
Steampunk
most recognizably features anachronistic technologies or
retrofuturistic inventions as people in the 19th century might have
envisioned them — distinguishing it from Neo-Victorianism[4] — and is
likewise rooted in the era's perspective on fashion, culture,
architectural style, and art.[5] Such technologies may include fictional
machines like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules
Verne.[6] Other examples of steampunk contain alternative-history-style
presentations of such technology as steam cannons, lighter-than-air
airships, analog computers, or such digital mechanical computers as
Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine.[7][8]
Steampunk
may also incorporate additional elements from the genres of fantasy,
horror, historical fiction, alternate history, or other branches of
speculative fiction, making it often a hybrid genre.[9] As a form of
speculative fiction, it explores alternative futures or pasts but can
also address real-world social issues.[10] The first known appearance of
the term steampunk was in 1987, though it now retroactively refers to
many works of fiction created as far back as the 1950s or earlier[11] A
popular subgenre is Japanese steampunk, consisting of steampunk-themed
manga and anime,[12] with steampunk elements having appeared in
mainstream manga since the 1940s.[13]
Steampunk
also refers to any of the artistic styles, clothing fashions, or
subcultures that have developed from the aesthetics of steampunk
fiction, Victorian-era fiction, art nouveau design, and films from the
mid-20th century.[14] Various modern utilitarian objects have been
modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical
"steampunk" style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been
described as steampunk.[15]
History
Precursors
Print (c. 1902) by Albert Robida showing a futuristic view of air travel over Paris in the year 2000 as people leave the opera
Steampunk
is influenced by and often adopts the style of the 19th-century
scientific romances of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Mary Shelley, and
Edward S. Ellis's The Steam Man of the Prairies.[16] Several more modern
works of art and fiction significant to the development of the genre
were produced before the genre had a name. Titus Alone (1959), by Mervyn
Peake, is widely regarded by scholars as the first novel in the genre
proper,[17][18][19] while others point to Michael Moorcock's 1971 novel
The Warlord of the Air,[20][21][22] which was heavily influenced by
Peake's work. The film Brazil (1985) was an early cinematic influence,
although it can also be considered a precursor to the steampunk offshoot
dieselpunk.[23] The Adventures of Luther Arkwright was an early (1970s)
comic version of the Moorcock-style mover between timestreams.[24][25]
In
fine art, Remedios Varo's paintings combine elements of Victorian
dress, fantasy, and technofantasy imagery.[26][page needed] In
television, one of the earliest manifestations of the steampunk ethos in
the mainstream media was the CBS television series The Wild Wild West
(1965–69), which inspired the later film.[16][8]
Origin of the term
Although
many works now considered seminal to the genre were published in the
1960s and 1970s, the term steampunk originated largely in the 1980s[27]
as a tongue-in-cheek variant of cyberpunk. It was coined by science
fiction author K. W. Jeter,[28] who was trying to find a general term
for works by Tim Powers (The Anubis Gates, 1983), James Blaylock
(Homunculus, 1986), and himself (Morlock Night, 1979, and Infernal
Devices, 1987) — all of which took place in a 19th-century (usually
Victorian) setting and imitated conventions of such actual Victorian
speculative fiction as H. G. Wells' The Time Machine. In a letter to
science fiction magazine Locus,[27] printed in the April 1987 issue,
Jeter wrote:
Dear Locus,
Enclosed
is a copy of my 1979 novel Morlock Night; I'd appreciate your being so
good as to route it to Faren Miller, as it's a prime piece of evidence
in the great debate as to who in "the Powers/Blaylock/Jeter fantasy
triumvirate" was writing in the "gonzo-historical manner" first. Though
of course, I did find her review in the March Locus to be quite
flattering.
Personally,
I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long
as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock
and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era;
like "steam-punks," perhaps....
— K.W. Jeter[29][30]
Modern steampunk
This
section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by
verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements
consisting only of original research should be removed. (November 2020)
(Learn how and when to remove this template message)
While
Jeter's Morlock Night and Infernal Devices, Powers' The Anubis Gates,
and Blaylock's Lord Kelvin's Machine were the first novels to which
Jeter's neologism would be applied, the three authors gave the term
little thought at the time.[7]: 48 They were far from the first modern
science fiction writers to speculate on the development of steam-based
technology or alternative histories. Keith Laumer's Worlds of the
Imperium (1962) and Ronald W. Clark's Queen Victoria's Bomb (1967) apply
modern speculation to past-age technology and society.[31][page needed]
Michael Moorcock's Warlord of the Air (1971)[22] is another early
example. Harry Harrison's novel A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah! (1973)
portrays Britain in an alternative 1973, full of atomic locomotives,
coal-powered flying boats, ornate submarines, and Victorian dialogue.
The Adventures of Luther Arkwright (mid-1970s) was one of the first
steampunk comics.[citation needed] In February 1980, Richard A. Lupoff
and Steve Stiles published the first "chapter" of their 10-part comic
strip The Adventures of Professor Thintwhistle and His Incredible Aether
Flyer.[32] In 2004, one anonymous author described steampunk as
"Colonizing the Past so we can dream the future."[33]
The
first use of the word "steampunk" in a title was in Paul Di Filippo's
1995 Steampunk Trilogy,[22] consisting of three short novels:
"Victoria", "Hottentots", and "Walt and Emily", which, respectively,
imagine the replacement of Queen Victoria by a human/newt clone, an
invasion of Massachusetts by Lovecraftian monsters, and a love affair
between Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson.
Japanese steampunk
See also: Japanese cyberpunk
Japanese
steampunk consists of steampunk manga comics and anime productions from
Japan.[12] Steampunk elements have consistently appeared in mainstream
manga since the 1940s, dating back to Osamu Tezuka's epic
science-fiction trilogy consisting of Lost World (1948), Metropolis
(1949) and Nextworld (1951). The steampunk elements found in manga
eventually made their way into mainstream anime productions starting in
the 1970s, including television shows such as Leiji Matsumoto's Space
Battleship Yamato (1974) and the 1979 anime adaptation of Riyoko Ikeda's
manga Rose of Versailles (1972). Influenced by 19th-century European
authors such as Jules Verne, steampunk anime and manga arose from a
Japanese fascination with an imaginary fantastical version of old
Industrial Europe, linked to a phenomenon called akogare no Pari ("the
Paris of our dreams"), comparable to the West's fascination with an
"exotic" East.[13]
The
most influential steampunk animator was Hayao Miyazaki, who was
creating steampunk anime since the 1970s, starting with the television
show Future Boy Conan (1978).[13] His manga Nausicaä of the Valley of
the Wind (1982) and its 1984 anime film adaptation also contained
steampunk elements. Miyazaki's most influential steampunk production was
the Studio Ghibli anime film Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986), which
became a major milestone in the genre and has been described by The
Steampunk Bible as "one of the first modern steampunk classics."[34]
Archetypal steampunk elements in Laputa include airships, air pirates,
steam-powered robots, and a view of steam power as a limitless but
potentially dangerous source of power.[13]
The
success of Laputa inspired Hideaki Anno and Studio Gainax to create
their first hit production, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990), a
steampunk anime show which loosely adapts elements from Verne's Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, with Captain Nemo making an
appearance.[13] Based on a concept by Miyazaki, Nadia was influential on
later steampunk anime such as Katsuhiro Otomo's anime film Steamboy
(2004).[35] Disney's animated steampunk film Atlantis: The Lost Empire
(2001)[16] was influenced by anime, particularly Miyazaki's works and
possibly Nadia.[36][37] Other popular Japanese steampunk works include
Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli anime films Porco Rosso (1992)[12] and Howl's
Moving Castle (2004),[13] Sega's video game and anime franchise Sakura
Wars (1996) which is set in a steampunk version of Meiji/Taishō era
Japan,[13] and Square Enix's manga and anime franchise Fullmetal
Alchemist (2001).[12]
Relationships to retrofuturism, DIY craft and making
Truth Coffee, a steampunk café in Cape Town
Steampunk
used to be confused with retrofuturism.[38] Indeed, both sensibilities
recall "the older but still modern eras in which technological change
seemed to anticipate a better world, one remembered as relatively
innocent of industrial decline." For some scholars, retrofuturism is
considered a strand of steampunk, one that looks at alternatives to
historical imagination and usually created with the same kinds of social
protagonists and written for the same type of audiences.[39]
One
of steampunk's most significant contributions is the way in which it
mixes digital media with traditional handmade art forms. As scholars
Rachel Bowser and Brian Croxall put it, "the tinkering and tinker-able
technologies within steampunk invite us to roll up our sleeves and get
to work re-shaping our contemporary world."[40] In this respect,
steampunk bears more in common with DIY craft and making.[41]
Art, entertainment, and media
See also: List of steampunk works
This
section appears to contain trivial, minor, or unrelated references to
popular culture. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject's
impact on popular culture, providing citations to reliable, secondary
sources, rather than simply listing appearances. Unsourced material may
be challenged and removed. (March 2017)
Art and design
Aura Crystall Instrument – 1987 – by Marc van den Broek
Many
of the visualisations of steampunk have their origins with, among
others, Walt Disney's film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954),[42]
including the design of the story's submarine the Nautilus, its
interiors, and the crew's underwater gear; and George Pal's film The
Time Machine (1960), especially the design of the time machine itself.
This theme is also carried over to Six Flags Magic Mountain and Disney
parks, in the themed area the "Screampunk District" at Six Flags Magic
Mountain and in the designs of The Mysterious Island section of Tokyo
DisneySea theme park and Disneyland Paris' Discoveryland area.[citation
needed]
Aspects
of steampunk design emphasise a balance between form and function.[43]
In this it is like the Arts and Crafts Movement. But John Ruskin,
William Morris, and the other reformers in the late nineteenth century
rejected machines and industrial production. On the other hand,
steampunk enthusiasts present a "non-luddite critique of
technology".[44]
Various
modern utilitarian objects have been modified by enthusiasts into a
pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style.[25][45] Examples include
computer keyboards and electric guitars.[46] The goal of such redesigns
is to employ appropriate materials (such as polished brass, iron, wood,
and leather) with design elements and craftsmanship consistent with the
Victorian era,[22][47] rejecting the aesthetic of industrial design.[43]
Paris metro station "Arts et Métiers", designed in 1994 to honor the works of Jules Verne
In
1994, the Paris Metro station at Arts et Métiers was redesigned by
Belgian artist Francois Schuiten in steampunk style, to honor the works
of Jules Verne. The station is reminiscent of a submarine, sheathed in
brass with giant cogs in the ceiling and portholes that look out onto
fanciful scenes.[48][49]
The
artist group Kinetic Steam Works[50] brought a working steam engine to
the Burning Man festival in 2006 and 2007.[51] The group's founding
member, Sean Orlando, created a Steampunk Tree House (in association
with a group of people who would later form the Five Ton Crane Arts
Group[52]) that has been displayed at a number of festivals.[53][54] The
Steampunk Tree House is now permanently installed at the Dogfish Head
Brewery in Milton, Delaware.[55]
The
Neverwas Haul is a three-story, self-propelled mobile art vehicle built
to resemble a Victorian house on wheels. Designed by Shannon O’Hare, it
was built by volunteers in 2006 and presented at the Burning Man
festival from 2006 through 2015.[56] When fully built, the Haul
propelled itself at a top speed of 5 miles per hour and required a crew
of ten people to operate safely. Currently, the Neverwas Haul makes her
home at Obtainium Works, an "art car factory" in Vallejo, CA, owned by
O’Hare and home to several other self-styled "contraptionists".[57]
In
May–June 2008, multimedia artist and sculptor Paul St George exhibited
outdoor interactive video installations linking London and Brooklyn, New
York, in a Victorian era-styled telectroscope.[58][59] Utilizing this
device, New York promoter Evelyn Kriete organised a transatlantic wave
between steampunk enthusiasts from both cities,[60] prior to White
Mischief's Around the World in 80 Days steampunk-themed event.[61]
Tim Wetherell's Clockwork Universe sculpture at Questacon, Canberra, Australia (September 24, 2009)
In
2009, for Questacon, artist Tim Wetherell created a large wall piece
that represented the concept of the clockwork universe. This steel
artwork contains moving gears, a working clock, and a movie of the
moon's terminator in action. The 3D moon movie was created by Antony
Williams.[62]
Steampunk
became a common descriptor for homemade objects sold on the craft
network Etsy between 2009 and 2011,[63] though many of the objects and
fashions bear little resemblance to earlier established descriptions of
steampunk. Thus the craft network may not strike observers as
"sufficiently steampunk" to warrant its use of the term. Comedian April
Winchell, author of the book Regretsy: Where DIY meets WTF, cataloged
some of the most egregious and humorous examples on her website
"Regretsy".[64] The blog was popular among steampunks and even inspired a
music video that went viral in the community and was acclaimed by
steampunk "notables".[65]
From
October 2009 through February 2010, the Museum of the History of
Science, Oxford, hosted the first major exhibition of steampunk art
objects, curated and developed by New York artist and designer Art
Donovan,[66] who also exhibited his own "electro-futuristic" lighting
sculptures, and presented by Dr. Jim Bennett, museum director.[67] From
redesigned practical items to fantastical contraptions, this exhibition
showcased the work of eighteen steampunk artists from across the globe.
The exhibition proved to be the most successful and highly attended in
the museum's history and attracted more than eighty thousand visitors.
The event was detailed in the official artist's journal The Art of
Steampunk, by curator Donovan.[68]
In
November 2010, The Libratory Steampunk Art Gallery was opened by Damien
McNamara in Oamaru, New Zealand. Created from papier-mâché to resemble a
large cave and filled with industrial equipment from yesteryear,
rayguns, and general steampunk quirks, its purpose is to provide a place
for steampunkers in the region to display artwork for sale all year
long. A year later, a more permanent gallery, Steampunk HQ, was opened
in the former Meeks Grain Elevator Building across the road from The
Woolstore, and has since become a notable tourist attraction for
Oamaru.[69]
In
2012, the Mobilis in Mobili: An Exhibition of Steampunk Art and
Appliance made its debut. Originally located at New York City's Wooster
Street Social Club (itself the subject of the television series NY Ink),
the exhibit featured working steampunk tattoo systems designed by Bruce
Rosenbaum, of ModVic and owner of the Steampunk House,[70] Joey "Dr.
Grymm" Marsocci,[46] and Christopher Conte.[71] with different
approaches.[42] "[B]icycles, cell phones, guitars, timepieces and
entertainment systems"[71] rounded out the display.[46] The opening
night exhibition featured a live performance by steampunk band Frenchy
and the Punk.[72]
The Nautilus steampunk-style still at The Oxford Artisan Distillery
The
stills at The Oxford Artisan Distillery are nicknamed "Nautilus" and
"Nemo", named after the submarine and its captain in the Jules Verne
1870 science fiction novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. They
were built in copper by South Devon Railway Engineering using a
steampunk style.[73]
Fashion
Main article: Steampunk fashion
Text document with red question mark.svg
Some
of this section's listed sources may not be reliable. Please help this
article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable
citations may be challenged or deleted. (November 2020) (Learn how and
when to remove this template message)
Author
G. D. Falksen, wearing a steampunk-styled arm prosthesis (created by
Thomas Willeford), exemplifying one take on steampunk fashion
Steampunk
fashion has no set guidelines but tends to synthesize modern styles
with influences from the Victorian era. Such influences may include
bustles, corsets, gowns, and petticoats; suits with waistcoats, coats,
top hats[74] and bowler hats (themselves originating in 1850 England),
tailcoats and spats; or military-inspired garments. Steampunk-influenced
outfits are usually accented with several technological and "period"
accessories: timepieces, parasols, flying/driving goggles,[75] and ray
guns. Modern accessories like cell phones or music players can be found
in steampunk outfits, after being modified to give them the appearance
of Victorian-era objects. Post-apocalyptic elements, such as gas masks,
ragged clothing, and tribal motifs, can also be included. Aspects of
steampunk fashion have been anticipated by mainstream high fashion, the
Lolita and aristocrat styles, neo-Victorianism, and the romantic goth
subculture.[24][76][77]
In
2005, Kate Lambert, known as "Kato", founded the first steampunk
clothing company, "Steampunk Couture",[78] mixing Victorian and
post-apocalyptic influences. In 2013, IBM predicted, based on an
analysis of more than a half million public posts on message boards,
blogs, social media sites, and news sources, "that 'steampunk,' a
subgenre inspired by the clothing, technology and social mores of
Victorian society, will be a major trend to bubble up and take hold of
the retail industry".[79][80] Indeed, high fashion lines such as
Prada,[81] Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Chanel,[82] and Christian
Dior[80] had already been introducing steampunk styles on the fashion
runways.
In
episode 7 of Lifetime's Under the Gunn reality series, contestants were
challenged to create avant-garde "steampunk chic" looks.[83] America's
Next Top Model tackled steampunk fashion in a 2012 episode where models
competed in a steampunk themed photo shoot, posing in front of a steam
train while holding a live owl.[84][unreliable source]
Literature
The
educational book Elementary BASIC – Learning to Program Your Computer
in BASIC with Sherlock Holmes (1981), by Henry Singer and Andrew Ledgar,
may have been the first fictional work to depict the use of Charles
Babbage's Analytical Engine in an adventure story. The instructional
book, aimed at young programming students, depicts Holmes using the
engine as an aid in his investigations, and lists programs that perform
simple data processing tasks required to solve the fictional cases. The
book even describes a device that allows the engine to be used remotely,
over telegraph lines, as a possible enhancement to Babbage's machine.
Companion volumes—Elementary Pascal – Learning to Program Your Computer
in Pascal with Sherlock Holmes and From Baker Street to Binary – An
Introduction to Computers and Computer Programming with Sherlock
Holmes—were also written.
The August 1927 issue of Amazing Stories featuring work by H. G. Wells
In
1988, the first version of the science fiction tabletop role-playing
game Space: 1889 was published. The game is set in an alternative
history in which certain now discredited Victorian scientific theories
were probable and led to new technologies. Contributing authors included
Frank Chadwick, Loren Wiseman, and Marcus Rowland.[85]
William
Gibson and Bruce Sterling's novel The Difference Engine (1990) is often
credited with bringing about widespread awareness of steampunk.[8][86]
This novel applies the principles of Gibson and Sterling's cyberpunk
writings to an alternative Victorian era where Ada Lovelace and Charles
Babbage's proposed steam-powered mechanical computer, which Babbage
called a difference engine (a later, more general-purpose version was
known as an Analytical Engine), was actually built, and led to the dawn
of the information age more than a century "ahead of schedule". This
setting was different from most steampunk settings in that it takes a
dim and dark view of this future, rather than the more prevalent utopian
versions.
Nick
Gevers's original anthology Extraordinary Engines (2008) features newer
steampunk stories by some of the genre's writers, as well as other
science fiction and fantasy writers experimenting with neo-Victorian
conventions. A retrospective reprint anthology of steampunk fiction was
released, also in 2008, by Tachyon Publications. Edited by Ann and Jeff
VanderMeer and appropriately entitled Steampunk, it is a collection of
stories by James Blaylock, whose "Narbondo" trilogy is typically
considered steampunk; Jay Lake, author of the novel Mainspring,
sometimes labeled "clockpunk";[87] the aforementioned Michael Moorcock;
as well as Jess Nevins, known for his annotations to The League of
Extraordinary Gentlemen (first published in 1999).
Younger
readers have also been targeted by steampunk themes, by authors such as
Philip Reeve and Scott Westerfeld.[88] Reeve's quartet Mortal Engines
is set far in Earth's future where giant moving cities consume each
other in a battle for resources, a concept Reeve coined as Municipal
Darwinism. Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy is set during an alternate
First World War fought between the "clankers" (Central Powers), who use
steam technology, and "darwinists" (Allied Powers), who use genetically
engineered creatures instead of machines.[89]
"Mash-ups"
are also becoming increasingly popular in books aimed at younger
readers, mixing steampunk with other genres. Suzanne Lazear's Aether
Chronicles series mixes steampunk with faeries, and The Unnaturalists,
by Tiffany Trent, combines steampunk with mythological creatures and
alternate history.[90]
While
most of the original steampunk works had a historical setting,[citation
needed] later works often place steampunk elements in a fantasy world
with little relation to any specific historic era. Historical steampunk
tends to be science fiction that presents an alternate history; it also
contains real locales and persons from history with alternative fantasy
technology. "Fantasy-world steampunk", such as China Miéville's Perdido
Street Station, Alan Campbell's Scar Night, and Stephen Hunt's Jackelian
novels, on the other hand, presents steampunk in a completely imaginary
fantasy realm, often populated by legendary creatures coexisting with
steam-era and other anachronistic technologies. However, the works of
China Miéville and similar authors are sometimes referred to as
belonging to the "New Weird" rather than steampunk.[citation needed]
Self-described
author of "far-fetched fiction" Robert Rankin has incorporated elements
of steampunk into narrative worlds that are both Victorian and
re-imagined contemporary. In 2009, he was made a Fellow of the Victorian
Steampunk Society.[91]
The
comic book series Hellboy, created by Mike Mignola, and the two Hellboy
films featuring Ron Perlman and directed by Guillermo del Toro, all
have steampunk elements.[92] In the comic book and the first (2004)
film, Karl Ruprecht Kroenen is a Nazi SS scientist who has an addiction
to having himself surgically altered, and who has many mechanical
prostheses, including a clockwork heart. The character Johann Krauss is
featured in the comic and in the second film, Hellboy II: The Golden
Army (2008), as an ectoplasmic medium (a gaseous form in a partly
mechanical suit). This second film also features the Golden Army itself,
which is a collection of 4,900 mechanical steampunk warriors.
Steampunk settings
Alternative world
Steampunk-style composite apparatus
Since
the 1990s, the application of the steampunk label has expanded beyond
works set in recognisable historical periods, to works set in fantasy
worlds that rely heavily on steam- or spring-powered technology.[8] One
of the earliest short stories relying on steam-powered flying machines
is "The Aerial Burglar" of 1844.[93] An example from juvenile fiction is
The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell.
Fantasy
steampunk settings abound in tabletop and computer role-playing games.
Notable examples include Skies of Arcadia,[94] Rise of Nations: Rise of
Legends,[95] and Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura.[16]
One
of the first steampunk novels set in a Middle-earth-like world was the
Forest of Boland Light Railway by BB, about gnomes who build a steam
locomotive. 50 years later, Terry Pratchett wrote the Discworld novel
Raising Steam, about the ongoing industrial revolution and railway mania
in Ankh-Morpork.
The
gnomes and goblins in World of Warcraft also have technological
societies that could be described as steampunk,[96] as they are vastly
ahead of the technologies of men, but still run on steam and mechanical
power.
The
Dwarves of the Elder Scrolls series, described therein as a race of
Elves called the Dwemer, also use steam-powered machinery, with gigantic
brass-like gears, throughout their underground cities. However, magical
means are used to keep ancient devices in motion despite the Dwemer's
ancient disappearance.[97]
The
1998 game Thief: The Dark Project, as well as the other sequels
including its 2014 reboot, feature heavy steampunk-inspired
architecture, setting, and technology.
Amidst
the historical and fantasy subgenres of steampunk is a type that takes
place in a hypothetical future or a fantasy equivalent of our future
involving the domination of steampunk-style technology and aesthetics.
Examples include Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro's The City of Lost
Children (1995), Turn A Gundam (1999–2000), Trigun,[98] and Disney's
film Treasure Planet (2002). In 2011, musician Thomas Dolby heralded his
return to music after a 20-year hiatus with an online steampunk
alternate fantasy world called the Floating City, to promote his album A
Map of the Floating City.[16]
American West
Another
setting is "Western" steampunk, which overlaps with both the Weird West
and Science fiction Western subgenres. One of the earliest steampunk
books set in America was The Steam Man of the Prairies by Edward S.
Ellis. Recent examples include the TV show and the movie adaption Wild
Wild West, the Italian comics about Magico Vento,[99] Devon Monk's Dead
Iron,[100] and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disneyland-style
Disney Parks around the world.[citation needed]
Fantasy and horror
See also: Cyberpunk derivatives
Kaja
Foglio introduced the term "Gaslight Romance",[7]: 78 gaslamp fantasy,
which John Clute and John Grant define as "steampunk stories ... most
commonly set in a romanticised, smoky, 19th-century London, as are
Gaslight Romances. But the latter category focuses nostalgically on
icons from the late years of that century and the early years of the
20th century—on Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Jack the Ripper, Sherlock
Holmes and even Tarzan—and can normally be understood as combining
supernatural fiction and recursive fantasy, though some gaslight
romances can be read as fantasies of history."[9] Author/artist James
Richardson-Brown[101] coined the term steamgoth to refer to steampunk
expressions of fantasy and horror with a "darker" bent.
Post-apocalyptic
Mary
Shelley's The Last Man, set near the end of the 21st century after a
plague had brought down civilization, was probably the ancestor of
post-apocalyptic steampunk literature. Post-apocalyptic steampunk is set
in a world where some cataclysm has precipitated the fall of
civilization and steam power is once again ascendant, such as in Hayao
Miyazaki's post-apocalyptic anime Future Boy Conan (1978, loosely based
on Alexander Key's The Incredible Tide (1970)),[98] where a war fought
with superweapons has devastated the planet. Robert Brown's novel, The
Wrath of Fate (as well as much of Abney Park's music) is set in a
Victorianesque world where an apocalypse was set into motion by a
time-traveling mishap. Cherie Priest's Boneshaker series is set in a
world where a zombie apocalypse happened during the Civil War era. The
Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling is set in a post-apocalyptic future in
which a meteor shower in 1878 caused the collapse of Industrialized
civilization. The movie 9 (which might be better classified as
"stitchpunk" but was largely influenced by steampunk)[102] is also set
in a post-apocalyptic world after a self-aware war machine ran amok.
Steampunk Magazine even published a book called A Steampunk's Guide to
the Apocalypse, about how steampunks could survive should such a thing
actually happen.
Victorian
The Nautilus as imagined by Jules Verne
In
general, this category includes any recent science fiction that takes
place in a recognizable historical period (sometimes an alternate
history version of an actual historical period) in which the Industrial
Revolution has already begun, but electricity is not yet widespread,
"usually Britain of the early to mid-nineteenth century or the
fantasized Wild West-era United States",[103] with an emphasis on steam-
or spring-propelled gadgets. The most common historical steampunk
settings are the Victorian and Edwardian eras, though some in this
"Victorian steampunk" category are set as early as the beginning of the
Industrial Revolution and as late as the end of World War I.
Some
examples of this type include the novel The Difference Engine,[104] the
comic book series League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the Disney
animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire,[16] Scott Westerfeld's
Leviathan trilogy,[105] and the roleplaying game Space: 1889.[16] The
anime film Steamboy (2004) is another example of Victorian steampunk,
taking place in an alternate 1866 where steam technology is far more
advanced than reality.[106] Some, such as the comic series Girl
Genius,[16] have their own unique times and places despite partaking
heavily of the flavor of historic settings. Other comic series are set
in a more familiar London, as in the Victorian Undead, which has
Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Watson, and others taking on zombies, Doctor
Jekyll and Mister Hyde, and Count Dracula, with advanced weapons and
devices. Another example of this genre is the Tunnels novels by Roderick
Gordon and Brian Williams. These are set in the modern day but with an
underground Victorian world that is working to overthrow the world
above. Detective graphic novel series Lady Mechanika is set in an
alternative Victorian-like world.
Karel
Zeman's film The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1958) is a very early
example of cinematic steampunk. Based on Jules Verne novels, Zeman's
film imagines a past that never was, based on those novels.[107] Other
early examples of historical steampunk in cinema include Hayao
Miyazaki's anime films such as Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) and
Howl's Moving Castle (2004), which contain many archetypal anachronisms
characteristic of the steampunk genre.[108][109]
"Historical"
steampunk usually leans more towards science fiction than fantasy, but a
number of historical steampunk stories have incorporated magical
elements as well. For example, Morlock Night, written by K. W. Jeter,
revolves around an attempt by the wizard Merlin to raise King Arthur to
save the Britain of 1892 from an invasion of Morlocks from the
future.[8]
Paul
Guinan's Boilerplate, a "biography" of a robot in the late 19th
century, began as a website that garnered international press coverage
when people began believing that Photoshop images of the robot with
historic personages were real.[110] The site was adapted into the
illustrated hardbound book Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel,
which was published by Abrams in October 2009.[111] Because the story
was not set in an alternative history, and in fact contained accurate
information about the Victorian era,[112] some[specify] booksellers
referred to the tome as "historical steampunk".
Asian (silkpunk)
Fictional
settings inspired by Asian rather than Western history have been called
"silkpunk". The term appears to originate with the author Ken Liu, who
defined it as "a blend of science fiction and fantasy [that] draws
inspiration from classical East Asian antiquity", with a "technology
vocabulary (...) based on organic materials historically important to
East Asia (bamboo, paper, silk) and seafaring cultures of the Pacific
(coconut, feathers, coral)", rather than the brass and leather
associated with steampunk. Liu used the term to describe his Dandelion
Dynasty series, which began in 2015.[113] Other works described as
silkpunk include Neon Yang's Tensorate series of novellas, which began
in 2017.[114] Lyndsie Manusos of Book Riot has argued that the genre
does "not fit in a direct analogy with steampunk. Silkpunk is technology
and poetics. It is engineering and language."[115]
Music
Robert Brown and Finn Von Claret from Abney Park
Steampunk
music is very broadly defined. Abney Park's lead singer Robert Brown
defined it as "mixing Victorian elements and modern elements". There is a
broad range of musical influences that make up the Steampunk sound,
from industrial dance and world music[77] to folk rock, dark cabaret to
straightforward punk,[116] Carnatic[117] to industrial, hip-hop to opera
(and even industrial hip-hop opera),[118][119] darkwave to progressive
rock, barbershop to big band.
Joshua
Pfeiffer (of Vernian Process) is quoted as saying, "As for Paul Roland,
if anyone deserves credit for spearheading Steampunk music, it is him.
He was one of the inspirations I had in starting my project. He was
writing songs about the first attempt at manned flight, and an Edwardian
airship raid in the mid-80s long before almost anyone else ..."[120]
Thomas Dolby is also considered one of the early pioneers of
retro-futurist (i.e., Steampunk and Dieselpunk) music.[121][122] Amanda
Palmer was once quoted as saying, "Thomas Dolby is to Steampunk what
Iggy Pop was to Punk!"[123]
Steampunk
has also appeared in the work of musicians who do not specifically
identify as Steampunk. For example, the music video of "Turn Me On", by
David Guetta and featuring Nicki Minaj, takes place in a Steampunk
universe where Guetta creates human droids. Another music video is "The
Ballad of Mona Lisa", by Panic! at the Disco, which has a distinct
Victorian Steampunk theme. A continuation of this theme has in fact been
used throughout the 2011 album Vices & Virtues, in the music
videos, album art, and tour set and costumes. In addition, the album
Clockwork Angels (2012) and its supporting tour by progressive rock band
Rush contain lyrics, themes, and imagery based around Steampunk.
Similarly, Abney Park headlined the first "Steamstock" outdoor steampunk
music festival in Richmond, California, which also featured Thomas
Dolby, Frenchy and the Punk, Lee Presson and the Nails, Vernian Process,
and others.[122]
The music video for the Lindsey Stirling song "Roundtable Rival", has a Western Steampunk setting.
Television and films
This
section needs additional citations for verification. Please help
improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed. (September 2016) (Learn how and
when to remove this template message)
"20,000
Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage" ride at Walt Disney World
(1971–1994). This ride is based on the 1954 film 20,000 Leagues Under
the Sea.
Arliss Loveless character in steampunk wheelchair costume from the 1999 film Wild Wild West
The
Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1958) and The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
(1962), both directed by Karel Zeman, have steampunk elements. The 1965
television series The Wild Wild West, as well as the 1999 film of the
same name, features many elements of advanced steam-powered technology
set in the Wild West time period of the United States. Two Years'
Vacation (or The Stolen Airship) (1967) directed by Karel Zeman contains
steampunk elements.
The
BBC series Doctor Who also incorporates steampunk elements. During
season 14 of the show (in 1976), the formerly futuristic looking
interior set was replaced with a Victorian-styled wood-panel and brass
affair.[124] In the 1996 American co-production, the TARDIS interior was
re-designed to resemble an almost Victorian library with the central
control console made up of an eclectic array of anachronistic objects.
Modified and streamlined for the 2005 revival of the series, the TARDIS
console continued to incorporate steampunk elements, including a
Victorian typewriter and gramophone. Several storylines can be classed
as steampunk, for example: The Evil of the Daleks (1966), wherein
Victorian scientists invent a time travel device.[125] Dinner for Adele
(1977) directed by Oldřich Lipský involves steampunk contraptions. The
1979 film Time After Time has Herbert George "H.G." Wells following a
surgeon named John Leslie Stevenson into the future, as John is
suspected of being Jack the Ripper. Both separately use Wells's time
machine to travel.
The
Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (1981) directed by Oldřich Lipský
contains steampunk elements.[126] The 1982 American TV series Q.E.D. is
set in Edwardian England, stars Sam Waterston as Professor Quentin
Everett Deverill (from whose initials, by which he is primarily known,
the series title is derived, initials which also stand for the Latin
phrase quod erat demonstrandum, which translates as "which was to be
demonstrated"). The Professor is an inventor and scientific detective,
in the mold of Sherlock Holmes. The plot of the Soviet film Kin-dza-dza!
(1986) centers on a desert planet, depleted of its resources, where an
impoverished dog-eat-dog society uses steam-punk machines, the movements
and functions of which defy earthly logic.
In
making his 1986 Japanese film Castle in the Sky, Hayao Miyazaki was
heavily influenced by steampunk culture, the film featuring various air
ships and steam-powered contraptions as well as a mysterious island that
floats through the sky, accomplished not through magic as in most
stories, but instead by harnessing the physical properties of a rare
crystal—analogous to the lodestone used in the Laputa of Swift's
Gulliver's Travels—augmented by massive propellers, as befitting the
Victorian motif.[127] The first "Wallace & Gromit" animation "A
Grand Day Out" (1989) features a space rocket in the steampunk
style.[citation needed]
Second half of Back to the Future III (1990) gradually evolves into steampunk.
The
Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., a 1993 Fox Network TV science
fiction-western set in the 1890s, features elements of steampunk as
represented by the character Professor Wickwire, whose inventions were
described as "the coming thing".[128] The short-lived 1995 TV show
Legend, on UPN, set in 1876 Arizona, features such classic inventions as
a steam-driven "quadrovelocipede", trigoggle and night-vision goggles
(à la teslapunk), and stars John de Lancie as a thinly disguised Nikola
Tesla.[citation needed]
Alan
Moore's and Kevin O'Neill's 1999 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
graphic novel series (and the subsequent 2003 film adaption) greatly
popularised the steampunk genre.[76]
Steamboy
(2004) is a Japanese animated action film directed and co-written by
Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira). It is a retro science-fiction epic set in a
Steampunk Victorian England. It features steamboats, trains, airships
and inventors. The 2004 film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate
Events contains Steampunk-esque themes, such as the costumery and
vehicle interiors. The 2007 Syfy miniseries Tin Man incorporates a
considerable number of steampunk-inspired themes into a re-imagining of
L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Despite leaning more towards
gothic influences, the "parallel reality" of Meanwhile, City, within
the 2009 film Franklyn, contains many steampunk themes, such as
costumery, architecture, minimal use of electricity (with a preference
for gaslight), and absence of modern technology (such as there being no
motorised vehicles or advanced weaponry, and the manual management of
information with no use of computers).
The
2009–2014 Syfy television series Warehouse 13 features many
steampunk-inspired objects and artifacts, including computer designs
created by steampunk artisan Richard Nagy, a.k.a. "Datamancer".[129] The
2010 episode of the TV series Castle entitled "Punked" (which first
aired on October 11, 2010) prominently features the steampunk subculture
and uses Los Angeles-area steampunks (such as the League of STEAM) as
extras.[130] The 2011 film The Three Musketeers has many steampunk
elements, including gadgets and airships.
The
Legend of Korra, a 2012–2014 Nickelodeon animated series, incorporates
steampunk elements in an industrialized world with East Asian themes.
The Penny Dreadful (2014) television series is a Gothic Victorian
fantasy series with steampunk props and costumes.
The
2015 GSN reality television game show Steampunk'd features a
competition to create steampunk-inspired art and designs which are
judged by notable Steampunks Thomas Willeford, Kato, and Matthew Yang
King (as Matt King).[131] Based on the work of cartoonist Jacques Tardi,
April and the Extraordinary World (2015) is an animated movie set in a
steampunk Paris. It features airships, trains, submarines, and various
other steam-powered contraptions. Tim Burton's 2016 film Alice Through
the Looking Glass features steampunk costumes, props, and vehicles.
Japanese anime Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (2016) features a steampunk zombie apocalypse.
The
American fantasy animated sitcom, Disenchantment, created by Matt
Groening for Netflix, features a steampunk country named Steamland, led
by an odd industrialist named Alva Gunderson voiced by Richard Ayoade,
first appears in the season 1 episode, "The Electric
Princess."[132][133][a] The country is portrayed as driven by logic and
is egalitarian, governed by science, rather than magic, as is the case
for Dreamland, where the protagonist, Princess Bean, is from.[134] The
country has cars, automatic lights, submarines, and other modern
technologies, all of which are steam-powered, and references to
Groening's other series, Futurama.[135][136] Steamland appears in three
episodes of the show's second season,[b] showing an explorers club as
part of the country's high society, flying zeppelins, and robots with
light bulbs for their heads which chase the protagonists through the
streets.[137][138] Some even argued that Steamland is "dieselpunk
inspired."[139]
Video games
A variety of styles of video games have used steampunk settings.
Steel
Empire (1992), a shoot 'em up game originally released as Koutetsu
Teikoku on the Sega Mega Drive console in Japan, is considered to be the
first steampunk video game. Designed by Yoshinori Satake and inspired
by Hayao Miyazaki's anime film Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986), Steel
Empire is set in an alternate timeline dominated by steam-powered
technology. The commercial success of Steel Empire, both in Japan and
the West, helped propel steampunk into the video game market, and had a
significant influence on later steampunk games. The most notable
steampunk game it influenced is Final Fantasy VI (1994), a Japanese
role-playing game developed by Squaresoft and designed by Hiroyuki Ito
for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Final Fantasy VI was both
critically and commercially successful, and had a considerable influence
on later steampunk video games.[35]
The
Chaos Engine (1993) is a run and gun video game inspired by the
Gibson/Sterling novel The Difference Engine (1990), set in a Victorian
steampunk age. Developed by the Bitmap Brothers, it was first released
on the Amiga in 1993; a sequel was released in 1996.[140] The graphic
adventure puzzle video games Myst (1993), Riven (1997), Myst III: Exile
(2001), and Myst IV: Revelation (all produced by or under the
supervision of Cyan Worlds) take place in an alternate steampunk
universe, where elaborate infrastructures have been built to run on
steam power. The Elder Scrolls (since 1994, last release in 2014) is an
action role-playing game where one can find an ancient extinct race
called dwemers or dwarves, whose steampunk technology is based on
steam-powered levers and gears made of copper–bronze material, which are
maintained by magical techniques that have kept them in working order
over the centuries.
Sakura
Wars (1996), a visual novel and tactical role-playing game developed by
Sega for the Saturn console, is set in a steampunk version of Japan
during the Meiji and Taishō periods, and features steam-powered mecha
robots.[12] Thief: The Dark Project (1998), its sequels, Thief II
(2000), Thief: Deadly Shadows (2004) and it's reboot Thief (2014) are
set in a steampunk metropolis. The 2001 computer role-playing game
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura mixed fantasy tropes with
steampunk.
The
Professor Layton series of games (2007 debut) has several entries
showcasing steampunk machinery and vehicles. Notably Professor Layton
and the Unwound Future features a quasi-steampunk future setting.
Solatorobo (2010) is a role-playing video game developed by
CyberConnect2 set in a floating island archipelago populated by
anthropomorphic cats and dogs, who pilot steampunk airships and engage
in combat with robots. Resonance of Fate (2010) is a role-playing video
game developed by tri-Ace and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360. It is set in a steampunk environment with combat involving
guns.
Impossible
Creatures (2003) real-time strategy game inspired by the works of H. G.
Welles, especially "The Island of Doctor Moreau". Developed by Relic
Entertainment, it sees an adventurer building an army of genetically
spliced animals to battle against a mad scientist who has abducted his
father. The player's headquarters is a steam-powered "Hovertrain"
locomotive, which functions as both a science lab and mobile command
center. Coal is a key resource in the game, and must be burned to
provide power to the players many base buildings.
The
SteamWorld series of games (2010 debut) has the player controlling
steam-powered robots. Minecraft (2011) has a steampunk-themed texture
pack. Terraria (2011) is a video game developed by Re-Logic. It is a 2D
open world platform game in which the player controls a single character
in a generated world. It has a Steampunker non-player character in the
game who sells items referencing Steampunk. LittleBigPlanet 2 (2011) has
the world Victoria's Laboratory, run by Victoria von Bathysphere, this
world mixes steampunk themes with confections. Guns of Icarus Online
(2012) is multiplayer game with steampunk thematic. Dishonored (2012)
and Dishonored 2 (2016) are set within a fictional world with heavy
steampunk influences, wherein whale oil, as opposed to coal, served as
catalyst of their industrial revolution.
Dishonored
is a series (2012 debut) of stealth games with role playing elements
developed by Arkane Studios and widely considered to be a spiritual
successor of the original Thief trilogy. Set in the Empire of the Isles,
a steampunk Victorian metropolis where technology and supernatural
magic co-exist. Steam-powered robots and mechanical combat suits are
present as enemies, as well as the presence of magic. The major
locations in the Isles include Dunwall, the Empire's capital city which
uses the burning of whale oil as the city's main fuel source,[141] and
Karnaca, which is powered by wind turbines fed by currents generated by a
cleft mountain along the city's borders.[142]
BioShock
Infinite (2013) is a first-person shooter game set in 1912, in a
fictional city called Columbia, which uses technology to float in the
sky and has many historical and religious scenes.[143]
Code:
Realize − Guardian of Rebirth (2014), a Japanese otome game for the PS
Vita is set in a steampunk Victorian London, and features a cast with
several historical figures with steampunk aesthetics. Code Name
S.T.E.A.M. (2015), a Japanese tactical RPG game for the 3DS sets in a
steampunk fantasy version of London and where you are conscript in the
strike force S.T.E.A.M. (short for Strike Team Eliminating the Alien
Menace). They Are Billions (2017), is a steampunk strategy game in a
post-apocalyptic setting. Players build a colony and attempt to ward off
waves of zombies. Frostpunk (2018) is a city-building game set in 1888,
but where the Earth is in the midst of a great ice age. Players must
construct a city around a large steampunk heat generator with many
steampunk aesthetics and mechanics, such as a "Steam Core."
Toys
[icon]
This section needs expansion with: more steampunk-themed toys. You can help by adding to it. (August 2020)
Mattel's Monster High dolls Robecca Steam and Hexiciah Steam.
The Pullip Dolls by Japanese manufacturer Dal have a steampunk range.
Hornby's world of Bassett-Lowke steampunk models
Culture and community
Cover of Steampunk Magazine
Because
of the popularity of steampunk, there is a growing movement of adults
that want to establish steampunk as a culture and lifestyle.[144] Some
fans of the genre adopt a steampunk aesthetic through fashion,[145] home
decor, music, and film. While Steampunk is considered the amalgamation
of Victorian aesthetic principles with modern sensibilities and
technologies,[24] it can be more broadly categorised as
neo-Victorianism, described by scholar Marie-Luise Kohlke as "the
afterlife of the nineteenth century in the cultural imaginary".[146] The
subculture has its own magazine, blogs, and online shops.[147]
In
September 2012, a panel, chaired by steampunk entertainer Veronique
Chevalier and with panelists including magician Pop Hadyn and members of
the steampunk performance group the League of STEAM, was held at Stan
Lee's Comikaze Expo. The panel suggested that because steampunk was
inclusive of and incorporated ideas from various other subcultures such
as goth, neo-Victorian, and cyberpunk, as well as a growing number of
fandoms, it was fast becoming a super-culture rather than a mere
subculture.[148] Other steampunk notables such as Professor Elemental
have expressed similar views about steampunk's inclusive diversity.[149]
Some
have proposed a steampunk philosophy that incorporates punk-inspired
anti-establishment sentiments typically bolstered by optimism about
human potential.[150] A 2004 Steampunk Manifesto, later republished in
SteamPunk Magazine, lamented that most "so-called" steampunk was nothing
more than dressed-up recreationary nostalgia and proposed that
"authentic" steampunk would "take the levers of technology from the
[technocrats] and powerful."[151] American activist and performer Miriam
Rosenberg Rocek impersonated anarcha-feminist Emma Goldman to inspire
discussions around gender, society and politics.[4] SteamPunk Magazine
was edited and published by anarchists. Its founder, Margaret Killjoy,
argued "there have always been radical politics at the core of
steampunk."[152] Diana M. Pho, a science-fiction editor and author of
the multicultural steampunk blog Beyond Victoriana, similarly argued
steampunk's "progressive roots" can be traced to its literary
inspirations, including Verne's Captain Nemo.[153] Steampunk authors
Phenderson Djèlí Clark,[154] Jaymee Goh,[155] Dru Pagliassotti,[156] and
Charlie Stross[157] consider their work political.
These
views are not universally shared.[76] Killjoy lamented that even some
diehard enthusiasts believe steampunk "has nothing to offer but designer
clothes."[152] Pho argued many steampunk fans "don't like to
acknowledge that their attitudes could be considered ideological."[153]
The largest online steampunk community, Brass Goggles, which is
dedicated to what it calls the "lighter side" of steampunk, banned
discussion about politics. Cory Gross, who was one of the first to write
about the history and theory of steampunk, argued that the "sepia-toned
yesteryear more appropriate for Disney and grandparents than a vibrant
and viable philosophy or culture" denounced in the Steampunk
Manifesto[151] was in fact representative of the genre.[158] Author
Catherynne M. Valente called the punk in steampunk "nearly
meaningless."[159] Kate Franklin and James Schafer, who at the time
managed one of the largest steampunk groups on Facebook, admitted in
2011 that steampunk hadn't created the "revolutionary, or even a
particularly progressive" community they wanted.[160] Blogger and
podcaster Eric Renderking Fisk announced in 2017 that steampunk was no
longer punk, since it had "lost the anti-authoritarian,
anti-establishment aspects."[161]
Others
argued explicitly against turning steampunk into a political
movement,[162] preferring to see steampunk as "escapism"[163] or a
"fandom".[164] In 2018, Nick Ottens, editor of the online
alternate-history magazine Never Was, declared that the "lighter side"
of steampunk had won out.[165] To the extent that steampunk is
politicized, it appears to be an American and British phenomenon.
Continental Europeans[166] and Latin Americans[167] are more likely to
consider steampunk a hobby than a cause.
Social events
June
19, 2005 marked the grand opening of the world's first steampunk club
night, "Malediction Society", in Los Angeles.[168][169] The event ran
for nearly 12 years at The Monte Cristo nightclub, interrupted by a
single year residency at Argyle Hollywood, until both the club night and
The Monte Cristo closed in April 2017.[169] Though the steampunk
aesthetic eventually gave way to a more generic goth and industrial
aesthetic, Malediction Society celebrated its roots every year with "The
Steampunk Ball".[170]
2006
saw the first "SalonCon", a neo-Victorian/steampunk convention. It ran
for three consecutive years and featured artists, musicians (Voltaire
and Abney Park), authors (Catherynne M. Valente, Ekaterina Sedia, and G.
D. Falksen), salons led by people prominent in their respective fields,
workshops and panels on steampunk—as well as a seance, ballroom dance
instruction, and the Chrononauts' Parade. The event was covered by
MTV[171] and The New York Times.[24] Since then, a number of popular
steampunk conventions have sprung up the world over, with names like
Steamcon (Seattle), the Steampunk World's Fair (Piscataway, New Jersey),
Up in the Aether: The Steampunk Convention (Dearborn, Michigan),[172]
Steampunk NZ (Oamaru, New Zealand), Steampunk Unlimited (Strasburg
Railroad, Lancaster, PA).[173] Each year, on Mother's Day weekend, the
city of Waltham, MA, turns over its city center and surrounding areas to
host the Watch City Steampunk Festival, a US outdoor steampunk
festival. In Kennebunk, ME the Brick Store Museum hosts the Southern
Maine Steampunk Fair annually.[174][175] During the first weekend of
May, the Australian town of Nimmitabel celebrates Steampunk @ Altitude
with some 2,000 attendance.[176]
A steampunk couple at Carnevale 2012 in Boise, Idaho
In
recent years, steampunk has also become a regular feature at San Diego
Comic-Con International, with the Saturday of the four-day event being
generally known among steampunks as "Steampunk Day", and culminating
with a photo-shoot for the local press.[177][178] In 2010, this was
recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest
steampunk photo shoot.[179] In 2013, Comic-Con announced four official
2013 T-shirts, one of them featuring the official Rick Geary Comic-Con
toucan mascot in steampunk attire.[180] The Saturday steampunk
"after-party" has also become a major event on the steampunk social
calendar: in 2010, the headliners included The Slow Poisoner,
Unextraordinary Gentlemen, and Voltaire, with Veronique Chevalier as
Mistress of Ceremonies and special appearance by the League of
STEAM;[181][182] in 2011, UXG returned with Abney Park.[183]
Steampunk
has also sprung up recently at Renaissance Festivals and Renaissance
Faires, in the US. Some festivals have organised events or a "Steampunk
Day", while others simply support an open environment for donning
steampunk attire. The Bristol Renaissance Faire in Kenosha, Wisconsin,
on the Wisconsin/Illinois border, featured a Steampunk costume contest
during the 2012 season, the previous two seasons having seen increasing
participation in the phenomenon.[184]
Steampunk
also has a growing following in the UK and Europe. The largest European
event is "Weekend at the Asylum", held at The Lawn, Lincoln, every
September since 2009. Organised as a not-for-profit event by the
Victorian Steampunk Society, the Asylum is a dedicated steampunk event
which takes over much of the historical quarter of Lincoln, England,
along with Lincoln Castle. In 2011, there were over 1000 steampunks in
attendance. The event features the Empire Ball, Majors Review, Bazaar
Eclectica, and the international Tea Duelling final.[185] [186] The
Surrey Steampunk Convivial was originally held in New Malden, but since
2019 has been held in Stoneleigh in southwestern London, within walking
distance of H. G. Wells's home.[187] The Surrey Steampunk Convivial
started as an annual event in 2012, and now takes place thrice a year,
and has spanned three boroughs and five venues.[188] Attendees have been
interviewed by BBC Radio 4 for Phill Jupitus[189] and filmed by the BBC
World Service.[190] The West Yorkshire village of Haworth has held an
annual Steampunk weekend since 2013,[191] on each occasion as a charity
event raising funds for Sue Ryder's "Manorlands" hospice in Oxenhope. In
September 2021, Finland's first steampunk festival was held at the
Väinö Linna Square and the Werstas Workers' House in Tampere, Pirkanmaa,
Finland.[192][193]
Other
A
2018 physics Ph.D. dissertation used the phrase "Quantum Steampunk" to
describe the author's synthesis of some 19th century and current
ideas.[194][195] The term has not been widely adopted.
A
2012 conference paper on human factors in computing systems examines
the use of steampunk as a design fiction for human-computer interaction
(HCI). It concludes that "the practices of DIY and appropriation that
are evident in Steampunk design provide a useful set of design
strategies and implications for HCI".[196]
Steampunk
HQ, a museum and arts centre dedicated to steampunk in Oamaru, New
Zealand, along with its associated art gallery (The Libratory), was the
world's first steampunk museum. The town of Oamaru and the English city
of Lincoln have both claimed the title of "Steampunk Capital of the
World".[197][198][199]
See also
icon Speculative fiction portal
Air pirate – Common stock character in steampunk
Alternate history – Genre of speculative fiction, where one or more historical events occur differently
Cyberpunk – Postmodern science fiction genre in a futuristic dystopian setting
Cyberpunk derivatives – Subgenres of this speculative fiction genre
Dark academia
Dieselpunk – Science fiction genre
Retrofuturism – Creative arts movement inspired by historic depictions of the future
Retrotronics – The making of electric circuits or appliances using older electric components
Tik-Tok (Oz) – Fictional character from L. Frank Baum's Oz series
Notes
The
country is alluded to in the show's first episode when an object
looking like a blimp is briefly shown in the background when the
protagonist and her friends flee into the forest.
Specifically the episodes "Steamland Confidential," "Freak Out!," and "Last Splash"
References
"Definition of steampunk". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
Latham, Rob (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Science Fiction. p. 439. ISBN 9780199838844.
"What
Is Steampunk All About? | Gear Gadgets and Gizmos".
www.geargadgetsandgizmos.com/. 25 September 2017. Retrieved Feb 23,
2020.
Nally, Claire (Nov
7, 2016). "EXPERT COMMENT: Steampunk, Neo-Victorianism, and the
Fantastic" (Press release). Northumbria University, Newcastle's
Newsroom.
STEAMPUNK. Lulu.com. 2014.
Campbell, Heather M. (Dec 1, 2010). "Steampunk: Full Steam Ahead". School Library Journal. 56 (12): 52–57. ISSN 0362-8930.
VanderMeer,
Jeff; Chambers, S. J. (2011). The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide
to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad
Scientists, and Strange Literature. New York: Abrams Image. ISBN
978-0810989580.
Grossman,
Lev (December 14, 2009). "Steampunk: Reclaiming Tech for the Masses".
Time. Archived from the original on December 9, 2009. Retrieved Dec 10,
2009. Steampunk has been around for at least 30 years, with roots going
back further. An early example is K. W. Jeter's 1979 novel Morlock
Night, a sequel to H.G. Wells' The Time Machine in which the Morlocks
travel back in time to invade 1890s London. Steampunk — Jeter coined the
name — was already an established subgenre by 1990, when William Gibson
and Bruce Sterling introduced a wider audience to it in The Difference
Engine, a novel set in a Victorian England running Babbage's hardware
and ruled by Lord Byron, who had escaped death in Greece. ...
Clute,
John; Grant, John; Ashley, Mike; Hartwell, David G.; Westfahl, Gary
(1999). The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1st ed.). New York: St. Martin's
Griffin. pp. 895–896. ISBN 9780312198695. STEAMPUNK A term applied more
to science fiction than to fantasy, though some tales described as
steampunk do cross genres. ... Steampunk, on the other hand, can be best
described as technofantasy that is based, sometimes quite remotely,
upon technological anachronism.
Taddeo,
Julie Anne; Miller, Cynthia J. (2013). Steaming Into a Victorian
Future: A Steampunk Anthology. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 5. ISBN
978-0-8108-8586-8.
"What Is Steampunk – Steam Punk Explained". steam-punk.co.uk. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
Sterling, Bruce (22 March 2013). "Japanese steampunk". Wired. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
Cavallaro,
Dani (2015). "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (Fushigi no Umi no
Nadia)". The Art of Studio Gainax: Experimentation, Style and Innovation
at the Leading Edge of Anime. McFarland & Company. pp. 40–53
(40-1). ISBN 978-1-4766-0070-3.
"Steampunk
artists meld Victorian era, science fiction". Duluth News Tribune.
January 1, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012. It’s the stuff Jules Verne
used to write about, looking at it from the hindsight of the 21st
century,
"Steampunk's subculture revealed". SFGate. Retrieved Aug 12, 2017.
Strickland, Jonathan (Feb 15, 2008). "Famous Steampunk Works". HowStuffWorks. Retrieved May 18, 2008.
Oliveira, Camilla (Nov 2, 2015). "Steampunk: The Movement and the Art". Wall Street International – Culture Section.
Peake, Mervyn (2011). The Illustrated Gormenghast Trilogy (New ed.). London: Vintage. p. 753. ISBN 978-0099528548.
Daniel,
Lucy (2007). Defining Moments In Books: The Greatest Books, Writers,
Characters, Passages And Events That Shook The Literary World. New York:
Cassell illustrated. p. 439. ISBN 978-1844036059.
Bluestocking
(21 June 2017). "Steampunk Dollhouse: Islands in the Time Streams or
How a Privileged White Edwardian Man Had His Eyes Opened Rather
Forcefully".
Kunzru, Hari (4 February 2011). "When Hari Kunzru Met Michael Moorcock". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
Bebergal,
Peter (August 26, 2007). "The Age of Steampunk". The Boston Globe.
Archived from the original on April 14, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
Kremper,
Ella (November 2009). "Beneath an Amber Moon; Brazil" (PDF). Gatehouse
Gazette. No. 6. pp. 12–13. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
La Ferla, Ruth (May 8, 2008). "Steampunk Moves Between 2 Worlds". The New York Times. Retrieved Nov 21, 2010.
Braiker,
Brian (October 31, 2007). "Steampunking Technology: A subculture
hand-tools today's gadgets with Victorian style". Newsweek. Retrieved
Nov 21, 2010.
Kaplan, Janet A. (2000). Remedios Varo: Unexpected Journeys (1st ed.). New York: Abbeville Press. ISBN 978-0789206275.
Duggan,
Anne; Haase, Donald; Callow, Helen J. (2016). Folktales and Fairy
Tales: Traditions and Texts from around the World, 2nd Edition [4
volumes]: Traditions and Texts from around the World. Santa Barbara, CA:
ABC-CLIO. p. 835. ISBN 978-1-61069-253-3.
"What The Hell Is Steampunk?". HuffPost UK. Oct 17, 2011. Retrieved Aug 12, 2017.
Sheidlower,
Jesse (March 9, 2005). "Science Fiction Citations". Archived from the
original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
Jeter, K.W. (April 1987). "Letter – essay from K. W. Jeter". Locus. Vol. 20, no. 4. Locus Publications.
Nevins,
Jess (2003). Heroes & Monsters: The Unofficial Companion to the
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Austin, Texas: MonkeyBrain, Inc. ISBN
978-1932265040.
Lupoff,
Richard; Stiles, Steve (February 1980). "The Adventures of Professor
Thintwhistle and His Incredible Aether Flyer". Heavy Metal. pp. 27–32 et
seq.
Calamity, Prof. "Steampunk Manifesto". prof-calamity.livejournal.com. Retrieved Aug 18, 2020.
VanderMeer,
Jeff; Chambers, S. J. (2012). The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide
to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad
Scientists, and Strange Literature. Abrams Books. p. 184. ISBN
9781613121665.
Nevins,
Jess (2019). "Steampunk". In McFarlane, Anna; Schmeink, Lars; Murphy,
Graham (eds.). The Routledge Companion to Cyberpunk Culture. Routledge.
p. 107. ISBN 978-1-351-13986-1.
Zion,
Lee (May 15, 2001). "Probing the Atlantis Mystery". Anime News Network.
Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
Yasuhiro,
Takeda (March 25, 2019). "The Notenki Memoirs: Studio Gainax And The
Men Who Created Evangelion". Gwern. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
Druce, Nikki (2016). Making Steampunk Jewellery. The Crowood Press. ISBN 978-1-78500-215-1.
Whitson,
Roger (2017). Steampunk and Nineteenth-Century Digital Humanities:
Literary Retrofuturisms, Media Archaeologies, Alternate Histories. New
York, NY: Taylor & Francis. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-317-50911-0.
Bowser,
Rachel A.; Croxall, Brian (2010). "Industrial Evolution" (PDF).
Neo-Victorian Studies (3:1): 23. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
Guffey,
Elizabeth (2014). "Crafting Yesterday's Tomorrows: Retro-Futurism,
Steampunk, and the Problem of Making in the Twenty-First Century". The
Journal of Modern Craft. 7 (3): 250.
doi:10.2752/174967714X14111311182767. S2CID 191495500.
Collazo,
Stephanie Amy (December 6, 2011). "YRB Interview: Dr. Grymm". YRB
Magazine. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved
March 6, 2012. a dangerous tattoo machine, fusing a tattoo machine and
an arm. Using a hand massager, projector parts, tube radios, a paint
sprayer and miscellaneous parts (such as a glass vial of squid ink),
Marsocci created an interesting piece that looks like something you’d
find in Mary Shelley’s home.
Casey,
Eileen (August 1, 2008). "Steampunk Art And Design Exhibits In The
Hamptons". Hamptons Online. Retrieved March 6, 2012. Steampunk is not
considered 'Outsider Art,' but rather a tightly focused art movement
whose practitioners faithfully borrow design elements from the grand
schools of architecture, science and design and employ a strict
philosophy where the physical form must be as equally impressive as the
function.
Catastrophone
Orchestra and Arts Collective, "What, Then, is Steampunk? Colonizing the
Past So We Can Dream the Future," SteamPunk Magazine 1 (2006), p 4.
Steel,
Sharon (May 19, 2008). "Steam dream: Steampunk bursts through its
subculture roots to challenge our musical, fashion, design, and even
political sensibilities". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved September 27,
2008.
Hart, Hugh (December 1, 2011). "Steampunk Contraptions Take Over Tattoo Studio". Wired. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
Farivar,
Cyrus (February 6, 2008). "Steampunk Brings Victorian Flair to the 21st
Century". National Public Radio. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
Jackie
(October 17, 2013). "Paris Metro Travel: Full Steam(punk) Ahead at Arts
et Métiers". Rail Europe. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014.
Dodsworth, Lucy (November 7, 2011). "In pictures: Paris' steampunk Arts et Métiers Metro station". On The Luce.
Hartwell,
Lane (September 8, 2007). "Best of Burning Man: Fire Dancers, Steampunk
Tree House and More". Wired. Retrieved January 5, 2011. Kinetic Steam
Works' Case traction engine Hortense glows on the playa. The art vehicle
was named in honor of the artist and mother of Cal Tinkham, the steam
enthusiast and railroad engineer who originally restored the engine.
Savatier, Tristan "Loupiote" (2007). "Kinetic Steam Works' Case traction engine Hortense".
"Five Ton Crane". Fivetoncrane.org. 2010. Retrieved Aug 6, 2014.
Jardin, Xeni (24 January 2008). "Steampunk Tree House". Boing Boing TV. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010.
Orlando, Sean (2007–2008). "Steampunk Tree House". Retrieved May 10, 2008.
"Steampunk
Treehouse Finds Home At Dogfish". Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. 21 June
2010. Archived from the original on 25 June 2010.
"Maker
Faire: The Neverwas Haul". Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics,
Crafts and Ideas for Makers. Retrieved Nov 19, 2015.
"Crew". Obtainium Works. Retrieved Nov 19, 2015.
Ryzik, Melena (May 21, 2008). "Telescope Takes a Long View, to London". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
Sullivan,
Caroline (October 17, 2008). "Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1899".
The Guardian. London. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
PH, Julie (June 5, 2008). "Testing the Telectroscope". Londonist. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
"Telectroscope Merged Topic Threads". Brass Goggles. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
Wetherell, Tim. "Clockwork Universe". Tim Wetherell. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
Taddeo,
Julie Anne; Miller, Cynthia J. (2013). Steaming into a Victorian future
: a steampunk anthology. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press. ISBN
9780810885868.
"Not Remotely Steampunk". Regretsy. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved Aug 26, 2011.
Pikedevant
(Nov 29, 2011). "Just Glue Some Gears On It (And Call It Steampunk)".
Youtube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved December 4,
2011. From the video's comments: 'This is Datamancer, the steampunk
keyboard guy, and I approve of this video wholeheartedly. In fact, we
make this joke at the workshop almost daily. "I can't figure out how to
finish off this edge". "Just glue some gears to it and call it done"
haha. Well-made song and video.' – Datamancer. 'Glad to see a new
contender for the chap-hop crown, and such a relevant message. I love
it!' – Unwoman. 'Professor Elemental here, Just wanted to give this my
most hearty applause. A fine, fine song by a true gentleman.'
"The Steampunk movement in Oxford". BBC News. Oct 26, 2009. Retrieved Apr 12, 2016.
"Steampunk". Museum of the History of Science, Oxford. Imagine the technology of today with the aesthetic of Victorian science.
Ward, Mark (November 30, 2009). "Tech Know: Fast forward to the past". BBC News. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
"Lonely
Planet launches latest New Zealand guide (2012, Steampunk HQ one of
author's top 12 recommendations)". New Zealand Government official
tourism website. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012.
Retrieved Mar 21, 2014.
"ModVic
| Steampunk Museum Art & Residential and Commercial DesignModvic".
Jun 20, 2015. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved Apr
12, 2016.
Stiffler, Scott (January 19, 2012). "Steampunk: The Victorian future is now". the Villager. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
"Mobilis in Mobili Art Exhibit Gives Steampunks Some New Ink to Spill". Tor.com. Dec 2, 2011. Retrieved Aug 6, 2014.
"Exhibitor: The Oxford Artisan Distillery". Whisky Show. London: The Whisky Exchange. October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
Campbell,
Jean (2009). Steampunk Style Jewelry: A Maker's Collection of
Victorian, Fantasy, and Mechanical Designs. Minneapolis, Minnesota:
Creative Publishing International. p. 58. ISBN 9781589234758.
"Steampunk
Sunglasses – All you need to know!". The Urban Crew. Archived from the
original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved Jul 19, 2017.
Damon Poeter (July 6, 2008). "Steampunk's subculture revealed". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
Rowe,
Andrew Ross (September 29, 2008). "What Is Steampunk? A Subculture
Infiltrating Films, Music, Fashion, More". MTV. Retrieved October 14,
2008.
"Company Spotlight: Steampunk Couture". Steampunk Journal. Feb 20, 2014. Retrieved Apr 11, 2014.
Dahncke,
Pasha Ray. "IBM Social Sentiment Index Predicts New Retail Trend in the
Making" (Press release). IBM. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
Skarda, Erin (Jan 17, 2013). "Will Steampunk Really Be the Next Big Fashion Trend?". Time. Retrieved Feb 18, 2013.
Stubby
the Rocket (June 25, 2012). "Sci-Fi Actors Wearing Steampunk Clothes
Designed by Prada". Archived from the original on December 11, 2013.
Retrieved Mar 28, 2014.
Cicatrix13 (Mar 6, 2013). "Steampunk Couture Hot on the Runway (and We're Not Talking Airships)". Steampunk Workshop.
"Under the Gunn, Episode 7: "Steampunk Chic"". Threads Magazine. Mar 6, 2014.
"America's Next Top Model goes STEAMPUNK". LacedAndWaisted. September 30, 2012.
"Heliograph's Space 1889 Resource Site". Heliograph, Inc. Jun 30, 2010. Retrieved Nov 29, 2010.
Csicsery-Ronay,
Istvan (March 1997). "Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Jr. | The Critic". Science
Fiction Studies. DePauw University, Greencastle Indiana: SF-TH Inc.
(#71, Volume 24, Part 1). Retrieved Nov 29, 2010.
Doctorow, Cory (July 8, 2007). "Jay Lake's "Mainspring:" Clockpunk adventure". Retrieved May 10, 2008.
Gosling, Sharon (February 28, 2013). "Sharon Gosling's top 10 children's steampunk books". The Guardian.
Czyrnyj,
Alasdair (November 2009). "Adventures at Armageddon; Review; Leviathan"
(PDF). Gatehouse Gazette. No. 9. pp. 10–11. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Corbett, Sue (Sep 28, 2012). "What's New in YA? Mashups". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved Apr 12, 2016.
"Meet the Victorian Steampunk Society". SFX News. November 27, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
Misra, Ria (May 19, 2014). "That Time Hellboy Got "Steampunk" Added To The Dictionary". Gizmodo. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Barger,
Andrew (2013). Mesaerion: The Best Science Fiction Short Stories
1800–1849. Bottletree Books Llc. p. 31. ISBN 9781933747491.
"Skies of Arcadia review on RPGnet". RPG.net. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
"Rise
of legends as steampunk video game". Dailygame.net. Archived from the
original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
Xerin
(March 9, 2010). "WoW: Loremaster's Corner #5: A Steampunk Paradise".
Ten Ton Hammer. Retrieved May 30, 2010. World of Warcraft is almost a
steampunk paradise if you look at the various technological advancements
the gnomes have made. Most engines are powered by steam and there are
giant airships floating around everywhere.
"Lore:Dwemer Animunculi – The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages". UESP. Apr 24, 2017. Retrieved Jun 5, 2017.
"Unprecedented
level of game service operation' from Steampunk MMORPG Neo Steam". June
29, 2008. Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved
January 24, 2014.
Davia, Lorenzo (January 2011). "Magico Vento" (PDF). Gatehouse Gazette. No. 16. p. 17. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Kinkade, Scott (August 10, 2013). "Dead Iron – Book Review". Gatehouse Gazette. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Richardson-Brown, James (2008). "Steampunk – What's That All About". The Chronicles. Vol. 2, no. 9. p. 10.
McCarthy,
Todd (August 18, 2009). "9 Review". Variety. Archived from the original
on August 23, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
Latham,
Rob; Guffey, Elizabeth; Lemay, Kate C. (Nov 1, 2014). "Retrofuturism
and Steampunk". The Oxford Handbook of Science Fiction.
doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199838844.013.0034. ISBN 9780199838844.
Hudson, Patrick. "(Review of) The Difference Engine". The Zone. Pigasus Press. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
School Library Journal,Laviathan. Simon Pulse. Oct 6, 2009. ISBN 9781416971733. Retrieved Aug 19, 2011.
Bertschy, Zac (July 21, 2004). "Steamboy". Anime News Network.
Waldrop,
Howard; Person, Lawrence (October 13, 2004). "The Fabulous World of
Jules Verne". Locus Online. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
"The
news and media magazine of the British Science Fiction Association".
Matrix Online. June 30, 2008. Archived from the original on February 21,
2009. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
Ward,
Cynthia (August 20, 2003). "Hayao Miyazaki: The Greatest Fantasy
Director You Never Heard Of?". Locus Online. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
Hayden,
Tom (September 3, 2002). "Gotcha!". U.S. News & World Report. p.
39. Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved January
5, 2012.
Guinan, Paul; Bennett, Anina (2012). Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel. Abrams Books. ISBN 978-0-8109-8950-4.
"A Preview of Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel". Omnivoracious. Apr 29, 2009. Retrieved Mar 17, 2011.
Misra, Ria (4 July 2015). "Author Ken Liu Explains "Silkpunk" to Us". io9. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
"J.Y.
Yang's two novellas are like rojak, a surprisingly delicious blend of
unexpected flavours". The Straits Times. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 20
February 2018.
"Silkpunk: What It is and What It Definitely is Not". 4 August 2021.
Simon
Price (Mar 11, 2012). "Album: The Men That Will Not Be Blamed for
Nothing, This May Be the Reason (Leather Apron) – Reviews – Music". The
Independent. Retrieved Aug 6, 2014.
D.M.P. (Jan 16, 2010). "Beyond Victoriana: #10 An Interview with Sunday Driver". Tales of the Urban Adventurer.
"Audio
Drome Review: Dr. Steel". Rue Morgue Magazine, issue 42.
November–December 2004. Archived from the original (back issue) on March
10, 2016.
Scoggins,
Wesley. "Interview: Dr. Phineas Waldolf Steel, Mad Scientist". Indy
Mogul. Archived from the original on December 27, 2010. Retrieved August
29, 2009. Many have mentioned your work in regards to Steampunk
influenced bands like Abney Park (and for that matter the Steampunk
"style" in general).
"In Memoriam: Joshua Pfeiffer interviews Paul Roland, Part I". The Steampunk Bible. April 12, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
Kurt Andersen (6 October 2012). "Music festival, conference set to celebrate steampunk". Public Radio International.
Rossmore, Mark (September 10, 2012). "Steamstock: An Antiquarian Exposition". steampunk-music.com.
"Thomas Dolby Debuts The Floating City Transmedia Game". Reuters. Jun 22, 2011. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013.
"TARDIS builders". Retrieved 16 December 2013.
"BBC Doctor Who Classic Series". BBC. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
"Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians, the Review (1981)".
Castle in the Sky#Influences
Orillion, Andrew (June 8, 2010). "A Fistful of Geek: A Look Back at The Adventures of Brisco County Jr". Slant Magazine.
Stephanie
(August 16, 2009). "Warehouse 13: Steampunk TV". closetscifigeek.com.
Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
Clarissa
(October 11, 2010). "Sneak Peeks – Castle 3.04 "Punked"".
TVOvermind.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012.
"Jeannie Mai to Host GSN New Competition Series STEAMPUNK'D, 8/19". Broadway World. Jul 9, 2015.
Stubbs,
Dan (January 11, 2021). "'Disenchantment' season three review: Matt
Groening's swords-and-swigging sitcom loses the plot". NME. Archived
from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
Cremona,
Patrick (January 13, 2021). "When is Disenchantment Part 3 released on
Netflix? Everything you need to know". Radio Times. Archived from the
original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
Morrison,
Matt (September 28, 2019). "Disenchantment Season 2's Ending Was
Foreshadowed From The Start: Here's How". Screen Rant. Archived from the
original on September 30, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
Murthi,
Vikram (September 22, 2019). "Disenchantment goes all steampunk in the
penultimate episode of the season". Screen Rant. Archived from the
original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
Elderkin,
Beth (September 23, 2019). "Some of Disenchantment Part 2's Coolest
Teasers, Nods, and Easter Eggs". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on
November 12, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
Jennings,
Collier (December 16, 2020). "Netflix's Disenchantment Part 3 Trailer
Reveals Release Date". CBR. Archived from the original on December 19,
2020. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
Griffin,
David (January 15, 2021). "Disenchantment: Season 3 Review". IGN.
Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 22,
2021.
Liptak, Andrew
(December 16, 2020). "Netflix's Disenchantment Returns in January".
Tor.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved
January 22, 2021.
"The Chaos Engine". The Bitmap Brothers. Retrieved Aug 6, 2014.
Hillier, Brenna (23 November 2016). "Celebrating Dishonored 2's stylish, "whalepunk" art". VG247. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
Chalk, Andy (5 October 2016). "Dishonored 2 trailer examines the making of Karnaca". PC Gamer. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
Ottens, Nick (January 2011). "BioShock Infinite" (PDF). Gatehouse Gazette. No. 16. p. 9. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Kaye,
Marco (July 25, 2008). "Mom, Dad, I'm Into Steampunk". McSweeney's.net.
Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
Rauchfuss,
Marcus (July 1, 2008). "Steampunk Aesthetics". Archived from the
original on May 31, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
Miss
Jessica Rose (November 5, 2013). "So what is neo-Victorianism? A
working definition. | Past Books". Pastbooks.wordpress.com. Retrieved
November 19, 2016.
Braiker, Brian (October 30, 2007). "Steampunk's Twist on Tech". Newsweek. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
"Stan
Lee's Comikaze Expo 2012 Panel Schedule, Saturday, September 15" (PDF).
Comikaze Expo. Sep 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on October
20, 2012.
Professor Elemental (Oct 2012). "Professor Elemental Defines Steampunk (or, at Least Tries to)". Tor.com.
Swerlick,
Andrew (May 11, 2007). "Technology Gets Steampunk'd". Archived from the
original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
Prof. Calamity (November 27, 2004). "Steampunk Manifesto". LiveJournal. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.[self-published source?]
Killjoy, Margaret (October 3, 2011). "Steampunk Will Never Be Afraid Of Politics". Tor.com. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Pho, Diana M. (Winter 2012), "Leftist constructs", Overland (207), retrieved Jul 28, 2020
Clark,
Phenderson Djèlí (April 17, 2013). "Radical Dirigibles – Black
Socialists, Anarchists, Reformers and Airships". The Musings of a
Disgruntled Haradrim. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Goh, Jaymee (October 19, 2009). "There is Totally Punk in Steampunk". Tor.com. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Pagliassotti, Dru (February 11, 2009). "Does Steampunk Have Politics?". Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Stross, Charlie (October 27, 2010). "The hard edge of empire". Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Gross, Cory (August 27, 2010). "A History of Steampunk, by Cory Gross". Steampunk Scholar. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Valente, Catherynne M. (November 28, 2007). "Blowing Off Steam". Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Franklin,
Kate; Schafer, James. "Why Steampunk (still) Matters". Archived from
the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved Jul 28, 2012.
Fisk, Eric Renderking (March 4, 2017). "Requiem for Steampunk". The Fedora Chronicles. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Ottens, Nick (November 5, 2010). "Get Your Punk Out of My Steam". Gatehouse Gazette. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Rauchfuß, Marcus (October 20, 2011). "Is Steampunk Radically Political?". Gatehouse Gazette. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Garcia, Chris (May 2010). "The Steampunk Fandom" (PDF). Gatehouse Gazette. No. 12. p. 5. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Ottens, Nick (March 31, 2018). "Punk Is Dead. Long Live Steampunk!". Gatehouse Gazette. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Heyvaert, Hilde (December 1, 2011). "A Rupture Between Continents?". Gatehouse Gazette. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Rodríguez,
Araceli (March 2011). "Iberoamerica: The Lost World" (PDF). Gatehouse
Gazette. No. 19. p. 18. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.
Kriete, Evelyn (Oct 22, 2010). "The Amazing Fantastic Steampunk Timeline of Music and Things". Tor.com. Retrieved Jan 29, 2019.
Lecaro,
Lina (Apr 4, 2017). "The Monte Cristo, Longtime Home to Dark L.A.
Nightlife, Is Closing Down". LA Weekly. Retrieved Jan 29, 2019.
Ohanesian,
Liz (Jun 23, 2009). "Steampunk Industrial Complex: Bridging Subcultures
at Malediction Society". LA Weekly. Retrieved Jan 29, 2019.
"Steampunk Infiltrates the Mainstream". MTV. Retrieved Feb 25, 2010.
Ay-leen the Peacemaker (Jan 10, 2013). "Gearing Up for 2013: A Steampunk Conventions Listing".
Hatmaker,
Julia (16 November 2013). "Strasburg Rail Road's Steampunk UnLimited
draws more than 1,000 on its first day". PennLive. The Patriot-News.
Retrieved 26 May 2015.
"Steampunk Fair returns to Kennebunk on Aug. 10". Portland Press Herald. 2019-08-01. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
"Southern Maine Steampunk Fair moved to digital format". Portland Press Herald. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
"Steampunk At Altitude (2020)". Regional Tourism Organisation for the Snowy Mountains. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
"Comic Con: Day Three – Steampunks!". FrockTalk.com. July 28, 2009. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
"San Diego Comic-Con 2010 Day 3". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved Jul 31, 2010.
"Largest Gathering of Steampunks (2010)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved Jul 11, 2012.
"Comic-Con 2013 T-Shirts Revealed!". comic-con.org. July 1, 2013. Retrieved Jul 2, 2013.
"The
League of Temporal Adventurers First Society Gala". Archived from the
original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved Jul 29, 2010.
Ohanesian,
Liz (July 28, 2010). "Comic-Con Interview: Musician/Artist Voltaire is a
Convention Renaissance Man". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on
August 1, 2010. Retrieved Jul 31, 2010.
"Promotional
poster for Comic Con's steampunk after-party, "The Time Machine"".
Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved Jul 23, 2011.
"Steampunk
Empire: All Events in Bristol Renaissance Faire". Archived from the
original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved Oct 5, 2012.
"The Asylum". Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved Feb 17, 2015.
"Tea Duelling". Sep 23, 2014. Retrieved Feb 17, 2015.
"H G Wells Literature and Love". G R Crawford. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
"Steampunks hit Epsom". Surrey Comet. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
"BBC
radio documentary [sic] about Steampunk with Phill Jupitus".
toswitchoffvoicemail. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11.
Retrieved 3 September 2015 – via YouTube.
"The
Surrey Steampunk Convivial". Ben Henderson. Archived from the original
on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 3 September 2015 – via YouTube.
"The Haworth Steampunk Weekend". www.haworth-village.co.uk. Retrieved Jun 20, 2016.
OHJELMA 2021 – Steampunk Tampere (in Finnish)
YLE:
Tampereella käynnistyi Suomen ensimmäinen steampunk-festivaali: katso
tästä muinaisen teknologian höyrystämät kuvat (in Finnish)
Nicole
Yunger Halpern, "Quantum Steampunk: 19th-Century Science Meets
Technology of Today", Scientific American 322:5:n.p., May 2020
Nicole
Yunger Halpern, "Quantum steampunk: Quantum information,
thermodynamics, their intersection, and applications thereof across
physics", Ph.D. Dissertation, California Institute of Technology, 2018
doi:10.7907/96EJ-N815 arXiv:1807.09786
Joshua
Tanenbaum, Karen Tanenbaum, Ron Wakkary, "Steampunk as Design Fiction",
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing
Systems (CHI '12), May 2012, doi:10.1145/2207676.2208279, pp. 1583–1592
"Oamaru - steampunk capital of the world," Radio New Zealand, 1 November 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
Roy,
E. A., "How an ordinary New Zealand town became steampunk capital of
the world," The Guardian, 30 August 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
Murray,
J., "Lincoln is Officially the World’s Most Steampunk Location," Visit
Lincoln, 30 April 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
Further reading
Alkon, Paul K. (1994). Science fiction before 1900. ISBN 978-0-8057-0952-0.
Donovan,
Art (2011). The Art of Steampunk: Extraordinary Devices and Ingenious
Contraptions from the Leading Artists of the Steampunk Movement. Fox
Chapel Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56523-573-1.
Erlich, Richard D.; Dunn, Thomas P. (1983). Clockwork worlds. ISBN 978-0-313-23026-4.
Guillemois, Alban (2006). Louis la Lune. ISBN 978-2-226-16675-3.
Landon, Brooks (2002). Science fiction after 1900. ISBN 978-0-415-93888-4.
Nevins, Jess (2005). The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana. MonkeyBrain Books. ISBN 978-1-932265-15-6.
Perschon,
Mike (2018). Steampunk FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World of
Goggles Airships and Time Travel. Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1617136641.
Person, Lawrence (Winter 1988). "Nova Express". Volume 2. Austin, TX, USA.
Slusser, George; Shippey, Tom (1992). Fiction 2000: cyberpunk and the future of narrative. ISBN 978-0-8203-1425-9.
Suvin, Darko (1983). Victorian science fiction in the UK. ISBN 978-0-8161-8435-4.
Westfahl, Gary; Slusser, George; Leiby, David (2002). Worlds enough and time. ISBN 978-0-313-31706-4.
Strongman, Jay (2010). Steampunk: The Art of Victorian Futurism. Korero. ISBN 978-1-907621-03-1.
External links
Media related to Steampunk at Wikimedia Commons
Steampunk Culture Documentary produced by Off Book
"Steampunk
Hangar" at Lumberwoods, Unnatural History Museum An archive of
unrealized, implausible inventions by authentic nineteenth- and
twentieth-century inventors.
Steampunk Wiki
vte
Cyberpunk
List of cyberpunk works
Contributors
Bruce
BethkePat CadiganPhilip K. DickWilliam GibsonSogo IshiiTom MaddoxMamoru
OshiiKatsuhiro OtomoRudy RuckerRidley ScottJohn ShirleyMasamune
ShirowNeal StephensonBruce Sterling
Subcultures
Japanese cyberpunkCyberdelicCybergothCypherpunkElectrohippies
Themes
Philosophy
TranshumanismCognitive libertyMorphological freedomHuman
enhancementArtificial intelligence AI in fictionCyberspace
CybercrimeCybercultureDigital Revolution Information AgeInformation
revolutionInformation technologyMegacorporation Evil corporationVirtual
reality Augmented reality
Derivative genres
PostcyberpunkTech noirSteampunk worksDieselpunkBiopunk worksNanopunkSolarpunkRaypunk
Category
vte
Science fiction
Outline
AuthorsDefinitions HardSoftScientific romanceAnthropologicalHistoryTimelineThe Golden AgeNew Wave
Subgenres
Comedy
SitcomsSocial Apocalyptic and post-apocalypticClimate
fictionChristianFeministLibertarianUtopian and dystopianMecha anime and
mangaMundaneSpace warfare Space operaMilitarySpace WesternParallel
worlds IsekaiScience fantasy Dying EarthPlanetary romanceSuperheroSword
and planetTech noir Spy-FiTechno-thrillerTokusatsu kaiju
Cyberpunk derivatives
Cyberpunk JapaneseSteampunkDieselpunkBiopunkNanopunkSolarpunk
Culture
ConventionsFandomFanzinesInternet
Speculative Fiction DatabaseLibraries and museumsScience Fiction
MuseumStudiesWomen in SFWorldcon
Region
AustralianBengaliBrazilianCanadianChileanChineseCroatianCzechEstonianFrenchHungarianJapaneseNorwegianPolishRomanianRussianSerbianSpanishYugoslav
Awards
Multimedia
AuroraChandlerDragonHugoSeiunSpectrum
Cinematic
Jules VerneSaturn
Literary, art,
and audio
AstoundingAurealisBSFACampbell
MemorialChesleyClarkeCrookDeutscherDickDitmarEndeavorFantLabGalaxyGaughanGeffenGolden
DuckGrand MasterGrand PrixHarlandHeinleinIgnotusIllustrators of the
FutureKitschiesLambdaLaßwitzLocusNautilusNebulaNommoNortonParsecPrometheusRhyslingSFERASidewiseSkylarkSturgeonSunburstTähtivaeltajaTBDTiptreeTour-ApolloTranslationUraniaVogelWriters
of the FutureZajdel
Media
Literature
ComicsMagazinesNovelsPublishersShort stories
Stage
OperaTheatre
Film
Film historyFilmsIndiaJapanese animetokusatsu
Television
TV showsAustralasianBritishCanadianEuropeanJapanese animelive-actionU.S.
Themes
Technological
AstroengineeringArtificial
intelligence AI takeoverHolographyRobots and CyborgsSelf-replicating
machinesSimulated realitySpacecraftTachyonsTechnomancyWeapons
Architectural
Dyson sphereMatrioshka brainStellar engineColonizationTerraformingSpace stations and habitats
Biological
Biological
warfareMind uploadingMemory erasureInvisibilityNanotechnologyOrgan
transplantationProstheticsEnergy beingEvolutionExtraterrestrials
ListGenetic engineeringGenderGroup mindParasitesSex and
sexualitySuperhabitable planetSymbiosisSimulated consciousness
Physical
Black
holesHyperspaceTime travel (Viewer)AnsibleBoom tubeInertialessSpace
travelTeleportationWarp driveWormholePortable holeStargateUltrawaveForce
fieldMultiverseParallel universesPlanets EarthStars and planetary
systems
Social
Ancient
astronautsAlien invasionAlien
languageAfricanfuturismAfrofuturismBlackEvil corporationFirst
contactFrankenstein complexGalactic empireLGBTMessage from
spacePolitical ideasReligious ideasTranshumanismUpliftingWorld
governmentXenoarchaeology
Related
Alternate
historyFantasyFictional astronautsFictional technologyFuture
historyHorrorMagic realismMuseum of Science FictionRubber scienceScience
and technology studiesSense of wonderSpeculative
fictionSupernaturalWeirdTechnology and society
Category Portal
vte
Fantasy fiction
HistoryLiteratureMagicSources
Subgenres
Action-adventure
HeroicLost worldSword-and-sandalSword and sorceryWuxiaAlternate
historyChildren's fantasyComedy BangsianContemporary Occult detective
fictionParanormal romanceUrban fantasyDark fantasy Dark
romanticismFaustianSplatterpunkFairy tale Fairy tale parodiesFairytale
fantasyFantastiqueFantasy of mannersGhost storiesGothic
fictionGrimdarkHard fantasyHigh fantasyHistorical fantasyIsekaiLitRPGLow
fantasyMagical girlMagic realismMythic MythopoeiaMythpunk"Retro"
DieselpunkGaslamp fantasySteampunkRomanticScience fantasy Dying
EarthPlanetary romanceSuperheroSword and planetShenmoTokusatsu
KaijuWeird fiction New weirdWeird menaceWestern fantasy
Media
Film and television
AnimeFilms highest-grossingS&STelevision programs
Literature
AuthorsBallantine
Adult Fantasy seriesComics listThe Encyclopedia of FantasyFantasy
MasterworksInternet Speculative Fiction DatabaseList of novels
A–HI–RS–ZList of story collectionsNewcastle Forgotten Fantasy
LibraryPublishers
Magazines
FantasticFantastic AdventuresLocusThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionScience FantasyUnknownWeird Tales
FéeriesPodcasts
Fandom
ArtFanspeakFilk
musicHarry Potter fandomThe InklingsMythopoeic SocietyReligionTolkien
fandomWorks inspired by J. R. R. TolkienWorld Fantasy Convention
Awards
BalrogBritish
FantasyCrawfordDragonGandalfGemmellHugoInternational FantasyJapan
FantasyLocusMéliès d'OrMythopoeicNebulaSaturnTähtifantasiaWorld Fantasy
Tropes
Creatures
AngelsDemonsDragonsElementalsFaeriesFamiliarsGhostsImpsJinnKaijuMegafaunaNymphsSkin-walkersSpiritsUndeadUnicornsVampiresWerewolvesYōkaiZombies
Characters
BarbarianCavemanDamsel in distressDark lordDonorDragonslayerFairy godmotherHeroesMagiciansOccult detective listWild manWitches
Magic system
Hard and soft ElementsDark / Neutral / LightCeremonialLoveMoonMagic item GrimoireMagic ringMagical weapons Magic swordRunesWand
Schools
AlchemyDemonologyDivinationEgregoreEvocationIncantationNecromancyRunecraftShamanismShapeshiftingThaumaturgyTheurgyTechnomancyWitchcraft
Fantasy races
CentaursDwarvesElvesTreantsGiantsGnomesGoblinsGremlinsHalflingsHobgoblinsKoboldsLeprechaunsMerfolk
MermaidsMermenOgresOniOrcsTrolls
Places and events
QuestsWorlds listMapsLost cityHollow EarthAstral plane DreamworldCastleEnchanted forestThieves' guildMagic school
Related
AllegoryDungeons
& DragonsEpic poetryFableFantasticHorror fictionHuman–animal
hybridLGBT themes in speculative fictionMechaMythologyScience
fictionSupernatural fictionUrban legend
Outline Category
vte
Film genres
By style
Action
ArthouseHeroic bloodshedHong Kong actionAdventure
SurvivalArtBiographicalChristianComedy BlackCommedia all'italiana
SexyBromanticDramedyGross outHorrorParodyMo lei
tauThrillerRemarriageRomanticSexScrewballSilentSlapstickCyberpunk
JapaneseDocumentary
AnimatedDocudramaMockumentaryMondoPseudoSemiTravelDrama
CalligrafismoDramedyHistoricalLegalMelodrama KoreanErotic Commedia sexy
all'italianaPinkSexploitationThrillerEducationalSocial guidanceEpic
Sword-and-sandalExperimentalExploitation see Exploitation film
templateFantasy ComedyContemporaryFairy
taleFantastiqueHighHistoricalMagic realismScienceFilm noir Neo-noirPulp
noirTech noirGothic RomanceSouthernSpaceSuburbanUrbanHorror
ArthouseBodyCannibalChinese horrorComedyEcoFantastiqueFound
footageGerman undergroundGhostGialloHolidayJapanese horrorKorean
horrorLovecraftianMumblegoreNaturalNew French
ExtremityPsycho-biddyPsychologicalReligiousScience
fictionSlasherSplatterSatanicMaximalist filmMinimalist filmMumblecore
MumblegoreMusical BackstageJukeboxMusicarelloOperettaSceneggiataMystery
Detective Occult detectiveWhodunitGialloPop culture fictionPornographic
Hardcore pornographySoftcore pornographyPropagandaRealityRomantic Comedy
BromanticFantasyGothicParanormalThrillerScience fiction
ArtComedyFantastiqueFantasyGothicHorrorMilitaryNew WaveParallel
universePlanetary romanceSpace operaSteampunkTokusatsuWesternSlice of
lifeSlow cinemaThriller ComedyConspiracyEroticFinancialGialloLegalNew
French ExtremityPoliticalPsychologicalRomanticTechnoTransgressive Cinema
of TransgressionExtreme cinemaNew French ExtremityTrick
By theme
AnimalsBeach
partyBody swapBuddy Buddy
copFemaleCannibalChicanoColonialComing-of-ageConcertCrime
DetectiveGangsterGentleman thiefGokudōGong'anHeistHeroic
bloodshedHoodMafiaMafia comedyMumbai
underworldPoliziotteschiYakuzaDanceDisaster ApocalypticDrug
PsychedelicStonerDystopianEcchiEconomicEthnographicExploitation
BlaxploitationMexploitationTurksploitationExtraterrestrialFood and
drinkGendai-gekiGhostGoona-goona epicGothic
RomanceSouthernSpaceSuburbanUrbanGirls with gunsHaremHentai
LoliconShotaconTentacle eroticaHomelandIsekaiJidaigeki SamuraiKaitōLGBT
YaoiYuriLuchadorMagical girlMartial arts BruceploitationChopsockyGun
fuKung fuNinjaWuxiaMecha AnimeMonster Giant
monsterJiangshiKaijuMummyVampireWerewolfZombie Zombie
comedyMountainMouth of GarbageMuslim socialNature Environmental
issuesOperaOutlaw bikerOzploitationPartisan filmPiratePrison
WomenRaceRape and revengeRoadRubbleRumberasSexploitation Bavarian
pornCommedia sexy all'italianaMexican sex comedyNazi
exploitationPornochanchadaNunsploitationSex
reportShomin-gekiSlaverySlice of lifeSnuffSouth SeasSportsSpy
EurospySuperheroSurfingSwashbucklerSword-and-sandalSword and
sorceryTravelTrialVigilanteWar Anti-warEuro WarSubmarineWestern
AcidFantasyFloridaHorrorMeat pieNorthernOsternRevisionistScience
fictionSpaceSpaghetti
By movement
or period
AbsoluteAmerican
Eccentric CinemaNew ObjectivityAustralian New WaveAuteur filmsBerlin
SchoolBourekasBrighton SchoolBritish New Wave Kitchen sink
realismBudapest schoolCalligrafismoCannibal boomCinéma du lookCinema
NovoCinema of TransgressionCinéma purCommedia all'italianaCzechoslovak
New WaveDocumentary Film MovementDogme 95Erra CinemaEuropean art
cinemaFilm grisFree CinemaFrench New WaveGerman ExpressionistGerman
underground horrorNigerian Golden AgeGrupo Cine
LiberaciónHeimatfilmHollywood on the TiberHong Kong New WaveIranian New
WaveItalian futuristItalian neorealistJapanese New
WaveKammerspielfilmL.A. RebellionLettristModernist
filmMumblecoreNeorealistNew French ExtremityNew GermanNew GenerationNew
HollywoodNew NollywoodNew QueerNo waveNuevo Cine MexicanoPan-Indian
filmParallel cinemaPersian FilmPoetic realistPolish Film
SchoolPoliziotteschiPraška filmska školaPrussian filmPure Film
MovementRemodernistRomanian New WaveSlow cinemaSpaghetti
WesternSocialist realistSocial realist Kitchen sink realismSoviet
ParallelStructuralSurrealistSword-and-sandalTelefoni BianchiThird
CinemaToronto New WaveVulgar auteurismYugoslav Black Wave
By demographic
AdultBlackChildren and family AnimeMen SeinenStagTeen ShōnenShōjoWomen Chick flickJosei
By format,
technique,
approach,
or production
3DActualityAnimation
AnimeArtCartoonComputerStop-motionTraditionalAnthologyArtB
movieBlack-and-whiteBlockbusterCinéma véritéClassical Hollywood
cinemaCollageColorCompilationCompositeComputer screenCult midnight
movieDatabase cinemaDocufictionEthnofictionExperimental
AbstractFeatureFeaturetteFilm à clefFilm-poemFound
footageGrindhouseHyperlink cinemaIndependent Guerrilla
filmmakingInterstitial artLive action animationLow-budgetMajor
studioMaking-ofMasalaMaximalist filmMessage pictureMeta-filmMinimalist
filmMockbusterModernist filmMusical
shortMythopoeiaNeorealistNo-budgetOne-shotParacinemaParticipatoryPoetryPostmodernistReverse
motionSatireSceneggiataSemidocumentarySerialShinpaShortSilentSlow
cinemaSocialist realistSoundUndergroundVideo nastyVulgar auteurismZ
movie
Video-x-generic.svg Film portal
vte
Gothic
Ancient
Crimean GothicGothic alphabetGothic ChristianityGothic languageGoths
Late medieval
Gothic
architecture Belarusian GothicBrabantine GothicBrick GothicCzech
GothicEnglish GothicFlamboyantFrench GothicIsabellineItalian
GothicManuelinePolish GothicPortuguese GothicRayonnantSondergotikSpanish
GothicVenetian GothicGothic artGothic script
Romanticism
American
GothicDark RomanticismGothic fictionGothic revival architecture
Carpenter / Rural GothicCollegiate GothicDissenting GothicHigh Victorian
GothicNeo-ManuelineScottish baronialTroubadourBy specific country
CanadaPolandUrban Gothic
Modern literature
and art
New Gothic ArtRaygun GothicSouthern GothicSouthern Ontario GothicSpace GothicSuburban GothicTasmanian Gothic
Modern subculture,
music and film
Gothic
subculture CybergothGothic fashionGothic film Gothic romance filmGothic
rockGothic metalGothabillyGothic belly danceDark waveGothic punkGothic
WesternHorror punkPost-punk
See also
Black
metalCosmicismDanse MacabreDark cultureDark fantasyDeath
rockDraculaFantastiqueFrankensteinGerman ExpressionismGialloGloomGothic
SatanismGrotesqueGrotesquerieHorror fictionHorror and
TerrorHorror-of-demonicHorror-of-personalityIndustrial musicList of
gothic festivalsList of gothic fiction worksLolita fashionLovecraftian
horrorMagic realismMal du siècleMedievalismMemento MoriMonster
literatureMystery fictionNeo-VictorianNew RomanticOccultOccult
detectiveOccultismOssuaryParanormal romanceRomanesque
revivalRomanticismSteampunkUbi suntUniversal monstersVampire
fictionVictorian fashionWeird fictionWeird menace
vte
Goth subculture
Associated music
Gothic rockDeath rockCold waveDark waveEthereal wave
Regional scenes
Camden TownChicagoClevelandSingapore Dark Alternative MovementToronto
Notable club nights
F Club (1977–1982)Le Phonographique (1979–2005)Batcave (1982–1985)Slimelight (1987–)Death Guild (1993–)
Notable events
Wave-Gotik-TreffenM'era
Luna FestivalDrop Dead FestivalLumous Gothic FestivalWhitby Goth
WeekendConvergence (goth festival)Bats Day in the Fun ParkWorld Goth
DayList of gothic festivals
Art and fashion
ArtFashionLip ServiceEdward GoreyWinklepickers
Notable figures
Robert
SmithPeter MurphySiouxsie SiouxIan CurtisAndrew EldritchNick CaveEva
ODinah CancerMonica RichardsLisa HammerRozz WilliamsGitane DeMoneCarl
McCoyElizabeth FraserDoc Hammer
Notable bands
The
CureChristian DeathBauhausSiouxsie and the BansheesJoy DivisionThe
Sisters of MercyThe DamnedAlien Sex FiendDead Can DanceCocteau
TwinsFields of the NephilimList of gothic rock artists
See also
Gother Than ThouSuicide of Nicola Ann RaphaelMurder of Sophie Lancaster
Authority control Edit this at Wikidata
National libraries
France (data)GermanyIsraelUnited States
Other
Faceted Application of Subject Terminology 2SUDOC (France) 1
Categories:
SteampunkFantasy genresScience fiction fandomFantasy fandomHistory of
fashionRetro styleScience fantasyScience fiction cultureScience fiction
genresScience fiction themesSubcultures1980s neologismsWorks about the
Industrial Revolution
Pocket watch
Article
Talk
Read
Edit
View history
Tools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the portable timepiece. For the Dave Grohl album, see Pocketwatch (album). For the company, see PocketWatch (company).
"Watch Chain" redirects here. For the succulent plant, see Crassula muscosa.
Savonette with cathedral hands and luminescent dial made by Thos. Russell & Son (probably in the 1920s)
A gold pocket watch with hunter-case and watch chain
Pocketwatches evolved from clock-watches, supposedly called Nuremberg eggs, worn on chains around the neck. Example by Peter Henlein, 1510, Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg.
X-ray video of a pocket stopwatch with a clear visible mechanics of the watch. Video was taken with 10 X-ray images per second.
A pocket watch (or pocketwatch) is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist.
They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wristwatches became popular after World War I during which a transitional design, trench watches, were used by the military. Pocket watches generally have an attached chain to allow them to be secured to a waistcoat, lapel, or belt loop, and to prevent them from being dropped. Watches were also mounted on a short leather strap or fob, when a long chain would have been cumbersome or likely to catch on things. This fob could also provide a protective flap over their face and crystal. Women's watches were normally of this form, with a watch fob that was more decorative than protective. Chains were frequently decorated with a silver or enamel pendant, often carrying the arms of some club or society, which by association also became known as a fob. Ostensibly practical gadgets such as a watch winding key, vesta case, or a cigar cutter also appeared on watch chains, although usually in an overly decorated style. Also common are fasteners designed to be put through a buttonhole and worn in a jacket or waistcoat, this sort being frequently associated with and named after train conductors.
An early reference to the pocket watch is in a letter in November 1462 from the Italian clockmaker Bartholomew Manfredi to the Marchese di Mantova Federico Gonzaga,[citation needed] where he offers him a "pocket clock" better than that belonging to the Duke of Modena. By the end of the 15th century, spring-driven clocks appeared in Italy, and in Germany. Peter Henlein, a master locksmith of Nuremberg, was regularly manufacturing pocket watches by 1526. Thereafter, pocket watch manufacture spread throughout the rest of Europe as the 16th century progressed. Early watches only had an hour hand, the minute hand appearing in the late 17th century.[1][2]
History
Antique verge fusée pocketwatch movement, from the 1700s
A French pocketwatch from the 1920s
Main article: History of watches
A pocket watch, retrieved from shipwreck of Titanic from unknown victim of sinking
The first timepieces to be worn, made in 16th-century Europe, were transitional in size between clocks and watches.[3] These 'clock-watches' were fastened to clothing or worn on a chain around the neck. They were heavy drum shaped brass cylinders several inches in diameter, engraved and ornamented. They had only an hour hand. The face was not covered with glass, but usually had a hinged brass cover, often decoratively pierced with grillwork so the time could be read without opening. The movement was made of iron or steel and held together with tapered pins and wedges, until screws began to be used after 1550. Many of the movements included striking or alarm mechanisms. The shape later evolved into a rounded form; these were later called Nuremberg eggs.[3] Still later in the century there was a trend for unusually shaped watches, and clock-watches shaped like books, animals, fruit, stars, flowers, insects, crosses, and even skulls (Death's head watches) were made.
Styles changed in the 17th century and men began to wear watches in pockets instead of as pendants (the woman's watch remained a pendant into the 20th century).[4][5] This is said to have occurred in 1675 when Charles II of England introduced waistcoats.[6] To fit in pockets, their shape evolved into the typical pocket watch shape, rounded and flattened with no sharp edges. Glass was used to cover the face beginning around 1610. Watch fobs began to be used, the name originating from the German word fuppe, a small pocket.[5] The watch was wound and also set by opening the back and fitting a key to a square arbor, and turning it.
High resolution image of a clockwork with silver hallmark and precision surface finish
Wooden pocket watch XIX-XX. Russian stamp, 2010
Until the second half of the 18th century, watches were luxury items; as an indication of how highly they were valued, English newspapers of the 18th century often include advertisements offering rewards of between one and five guineas merely for information that might lead to the recovery of stolen watches.[citation needed] By the end of the 18th century, however, watches (while still largely hand-made) were becoming more common; special cheap watches were made for sale to sailors, with crude but colorful paintings of maritime scenes on the dials.
Up to the 1720s, almost all watch movements were based on the verge escapement, which had been developed for large public clocks in the 14th century. This type of escapement involved a high degree of friction and did not include any kind of jewelling to protect the contacting surfaces from wear. As a result, a verge watch could rarely achieve any high standard of accuracy. (Surviving examples[citation needed] mostly run very fast, often gaining an hour a day or more.) The first widely used improvement was the cylinder escapement, developed by the Abbé de Hautefeuille early in the 18th century and applied by the English maker George Graham. Then, towards the end of the 18th century, the lever escapement (invented by Thomas Mudge in 1755) was put into limited production by a handful of makers including Josiah Emery (a Swiss based in London) and Abraham-Louis Breguet. With this, a domestic watch could keep time to within a minute a day. Lever watches became common after about 1820, and this type is still used in most mechanical watches today.
In 1857 the American Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts introduced the Waltham Model 57, the first to use interchangeable parts. This cut the cost of manufacture and repair. Most Model 57 pocket watches were in a coin silver ("one nine fine"), a 90% pure silver alloy commonly used in dollar coinage, slightly less pure than the British (92.5%) sterling silver, both of which avoided the higher purity of other types of silver to make circulating coins and other utilitarian silver objects last longer with heavy use.
Further information: American system of watch manufacturing
A so-called "mystery watch" with a transparent dial, c. 1889, Musée d'Horlogerie of Le Locle, Switzerland. It is the first transparent watch.[7]
Watch manufacture was becoming streamlined; the Japy family of Schaffhausen, Switzerland, led the way in this, and soon afterwards the newborn American watch industry developed much new machinery, so that by 1865 the American Watch Company (afterwards known as Waltham) could turn out more than 50,000 reliable watches each year. This development drove the Swiss out of their dominating position at the cheaper end of the market, compelling them to raise the quality of their products and establish themselves as the leaders in precision and accuracy instead.
Use in railroading in the United States
Main article: Railroad chronometers
The rise of railroading during the last half of the 19th century led to the widespread use of pocket watches. A famous train wreck on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway in Kipton, Ohio on April 19, 1891, occurred because one of the engineers' watches had stopped for four minutes. The railroad officials commissioned Webb C. Ball as their Chief Time Inspector, in order to establish precision standards and a reliable timepiece inspection system for Railroad chronometers. This led to the adoption in 1893 of stringent standards for pocket watches used in railroading. These railroad-grade pocket watches, as they became colloquially known, had to meet the General Railroad Timepiece Standards adopted in 1893 by almost all railroads. These standards read, in part:
...open faced, size 16 or 18, have a minimum of 17 jewels, adjusted to at least five positions, keep time accurately to within 30 seconds a week, adjusted to temps of 34 °F (1 °C) to 100 °F (38 °C), have a double roller, steel escape wheel, lever set, regulator, winding stem at 12 o'clock, and have bold black Arabic numerals on a white dial, with black hands.
Types of pocket watches
There are two main styles of pocket watch, the hunter-case pocket watch and the open-face pocket watch.
Open-face watches
An open-face pocket watch made by the Swiss watchmaker Omega, c. 1970
An open-faced, or Lépine,[8] watch, is one in which the case lacks a metal cover to protect the crystal. It is typical for an open-faced watch to have the pendant located at 12:00 and the sub-second dial located at 6:00. Occasionally, a watch movement intended for a hunting case (with the winding stem at 3:00 and sub second dial at 6:00) will have an open-faced case. Such watch is known as a "sidewinder." Alternatively, such a watch movement may be fitted with a so-called conversion dial, which relocates the winding stem to 12:00 and the sub-second dial to 3:00. After 1908, watches approved for railroad service were required to be cased in open-faced cases with the winding stem at 12:00.
Hunter-case watches
A hunter-case pocket watch is a case with a spring-hinged circular metal lid or cover, that closes over the watch-dial and crystal, protecting them from dust, scratches and other damage or debris. The name originated from England where "fox hunting men found it convenient to be able to open their watch and read the time with one hand, while holding the reins of their 'hunter' (horse) in the other hand".[9] It is also known as a "savonnette", after the French word for soap (savon) due to its resemblance to a round soap bar.[9]
The majority of antique and vintage hunter-case watches have the lid-hinges at the 9 o'clock position and the stem, crown and bow of the watch at the 3 o'clock position. Modern hunter-case pocket watches usually have the hinges for the lid at the 6 o'clock position and the stem, crown and bow at the 12 o'clock position, as with open-face watches. In both styles of watch-cases, the sub-seconds dial was always at the 6 o'clock position. A hunter-case pocket watch with a spring-ring chain is pictured at the top of this page.
An intermediate type, known as the demi-hunter (or half-hunter), is a case style in which the outer lid has a glass panel or hole in the centre giving a view of the hands. The hours are marked, often in blue enamel, on the outer lid itself; thus with this type of case one can tell the time without opening the lid.
Types of watch movements
The parts of a pocket watch movement by B. G. Seielstad[10]
Key-wind, key-set movements
The very first pocket watches, since their creation in the 16th century, up until the third quarter of the 19th century, had key-wind and key-set movements. A watch key was necessary to wind the watch and to set the time. This was usually done by opening the caseback and putting the key over the winding-arbor (which was set over the watch's winding-wheel, to wind the mainspring) or by putting the key onto the setting-arbor, which was connected with the minute-wheel and turned the hands. Some watches of this period had the setting-arbor at the front of the watch, so that removing the crystal and bezel was necessary to set the time. Watch keys are the origin of the class key, common paraphernalia for American high-school and university graduation.
Many keywind watch movements make use of a fusee, to improve isochronism. The fusee is a specially cut conical pulley attached by a fine chain to the mainspring barrel. When the spring is fully wound (and its torque the highest), the full length of the chain is wrapped around the fusee and the force of the mainspring is exerted on the smallest diameter portion of the fusee cone. As the spring unwinds and its torque decreases, the chain winds back onto the mainspring barrel and pulls on an increasingly larger diameter portion of the fusee. This provides a more uniform amount of torque on the watch train, and thus results in more consistent balance amplitude and better isochronism. A fusee is a practical necessity in watches using a verge escapement, and can also provide considerable benefit with a lever escapement and other high precision types of escapements (Hamiltons WWII era Model 21 chronometer used a fusee in combination with a detent escapement).
Keywind watches are also commonly seen with conventional going barrels and other types of mainspring barrels, particularly in American watchmaking.[citation needed]
Stem-wind, stem-set movements
The c. 1950 Omega pocket watch is of stem-wind, stem-set movement.
Movement of a 1914 Hamilton 992 Railroad grade pocket watch
Invented by Adrien Philippe in 1842 and commercialized by Patek Philippe & Co. in the 1850s, the stem-wind, stem-set movement did away with the watch key which was a necessity for the operation of any pocket watch up to that point. The first stem-wind and stem-set pocket watches were sold during the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and the first owners of these new kinds of watches were Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Stem-wind, stem-set movements are the most common type of watch-movement found in both vintage and modern pocket watches.
The mainstream transition to the use of stem-wind, stem-set watches occurred at around the same time as the end of the manufacture and use of the fusee watch. Fusee chain-driven timing was replaced with a mainspring of better quality spring steel (commonly known as the "going barrel") allowing for a more even release of power to the escape mechanism. The balance wheel and balance spring provide a separate function: to regulate the timing (or escape) of the movement.[citation needed][11]
Stem-wind, lever-set movements
Mandatory for all railroad watches after roughly 1908, this kind of pocket watch was set by opening the crystal and bezel and pulling out the setting-lever (most hunter-cases have levers accessible without removing the crystal or bezel), which was generally found at either the 10 or 2 o'clock positions on open-faced watches, and at 5:00 on hunting cased watches. Once the lever was pulled out, the crown could be turned to set the time. The lever was then pushed back in and the crystal and bezel were closed over the dial again. This method of time setting on pocket watches was preferred by American and Canadian railroads, as lever setting watches make accidental time changes impossible. After 1908, lever setting was generally required for new watches entering service on American railroads.[citation needed]
Stem-wind, pin-set movements
Much like the lever-set movements, these pocket watches had a small pin or knob next to the watch-stem that had to be depressed before turning the crown to set the time and releasing the pin when the correct time had been set. This style of watch is occasionally referred to as "nail set", as the set button must be pressed using a fingernail.[citation needed]
Adjusted movements
Waltham model 1899 pocket watch movement
Movement of a gold Elgin pocket watch, c. 1919
Pocket watch movements are occasionally engraved with the word "Adjusted", or "Adjusted to n positions". This means that the watch has been tuned to keep time under various positions and conditions. There are eight possible adjustments:
Dial up
Dial down
Pendant up
Pendant down
Pendant left
Pendant right
Temperature (from 34 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 38 °C))
Isochronism (the ability of the watch to keep time, regardless of the mainspring's level of tension)
Positional adjustments are attained by careful poising (ensuring even weight distribution) of the balance-hairspring system as well as careful control of the shape and polish on the balance pivots. All of this achieves an equalization of the effect of gravity on the watch in various positions. Positional adjustments are achieved through careful adjustment of each of these factors, provided by repeated trials on a timing machine. Thus, adjusting a watch to position requires many hours of labor, increasing the cost of the watch. Medium grade watches were commonly adjusted to 3 positions (dial up, dial down, pendant up) while high grade watches were commonly adjusted to 5 positions (dial up, dial down, stem up, stem left, stem right) or even all 6 positions. Railroad watches were required, after 1908, to be adjusted to 5 positions. 3 positions were the general requirement before that time.
Early watches used a solid steel balance. As temperature increased, the solid balance expanded in size, changing the moment of inertia and changing the timing of the watch. In addition, the hairspring would lengthen, decreasing its spring constant. This problem was initially solved through the use of the compensation balance. The compensation balance consisted of a ring of steel sandwiched to a ring of brass. These rings were then split in two places. The balance would, at least theoretically, actually decrease in size with heating to compensate for the lengthening of the hairspring. Through careful adjustment of the placement of the balance screws (brass or gold screws placed in the rim of the balance), a watch could be adjusted to keep time the same at both hot (100 °F (38 °C)) and cold (32 °F (0 °C)) temperatures. Unfortunately, a watch so adjusted would run slow at temperatures between these two. The problem was completely solved through the use of special alloys for the balance and hairspring which were essentially immune to thermal expansion. Such an alloy is used in Hamilton's 992E and 992B.
Isochronism was occasionally improved through the use of a stopworks, a system designed to only allow the mainspring to operate within its center (most consistent) range. The most common method of achieving isochronism is through the use of the Breguet overcoil, which places part of the outermost turn of the hairspring in a different plane from the rest of the spring. This allows the hairspring to "breathe" more evenly and symmetrically. Two types of overcoils are found - the gradual overcoil and the Z-Bend. The gradual overcoil is obtained by imposing two gradual twists to the hairspring, forming the rise to the second plane over half the circumference; and the Z-bend does this by imposing two kinks of complementary 45 degree angles, accomplishing a rise to the second plane in about three spring section heights. The second method is done for esthetic reasons and is much more difficult to perform. Due to the difficulty with forming an overcoil, modern watches often use a slightly less effective "dogleg", which uses a series of sharp bends (in plane) to place part of the outermost coil out of the way of the rest of the spring.
Decline in popularity
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
An 'Hebdomas' 8 day pocket watch, circa 1920, Musée d'Horlogerie of Le Locle, Switzerland. Patented in 1889, discontinued a number of years and reintroduced in 1968 is still manufactured.[12] An example of the decline and resurgence of the pocket watch.
Colibri pocket watch, manufactured mid-1990s. The back case has an extra hinged cover that can be folded out to allow the watch to stand upright on a table.
Pocket watches are uncommon in the present day, having first been superseded by wristwatches and later by smartphones. Until early in the 20th century, though, the pocket watch remained predominant for men, with the wristwatch considered feminine and unmanly. In men's fashions, pocket watches began to be superseded by wristwatches around the time of World War I, when officers in the field began to appreciate that a watch worn on the wrist was more easily accessed than one kept in a pocket.[13] A watch of transitional design, combining features of pocket watches and modern wristwatches, was called a "trench watch" or "wristlet". The more accurate pocket watches continued to be widely used in railroading even as their popularity declined elsewhere.
The widespread use of pocket watches in a professional environment finally came to an end in approximately 1943.[citation needed] The Royal Navy of the British military distributed to their sailors Waltham pocket watches, which were nine-jewel movements, with black dials, and numbers coated with radium for visibility in the dark, in anticipation of the eventual D-Day invasion.[citation needed]
For a few years in the late 1970s and 1980s three-piece suits for men returned to fashion, and this led to small resurgence in pocket watches, as some men actually used the vest pocket for its original purpose.[citation needed] Since then, some watch companies continue to make pocket watches. As vests have long since fallen out of fashion (in the US) as part of formal business wear, the only available location for carrying a watch is in a trouser pocket. The more recent advent of mobile phones and other gadgets that are worn on the waist has diminished the appeal of carrying an additional item in the same location, especially as such pocketable gadgets usually have timekeeping functionality themselves.
In some countries, a gift of a gold-cased pocket watch is traditionally awarded to an employee upon their retirement.[14]
The pocketwatch has regained popularity with the steampunk subcultural movement embracing the arts and fashions of the Victorian era, during which pocketwatches were nearly ubiquitous.[15]
Most complicated pocket watches
The Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260 (2015) — 57 complications
Patek Philippe Calibre 89 (1989) — 33 complications
Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication (1933) — 24 complications
Popular culture
Doctor Who features pocket watches used by The Doctor during their first, third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, war, and eleventh incarnations. The Tenth Doctor and The Master in their war incarnation used pocket watches with technology to pose as humans when in hiding.
The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland was shown to own a pocket watch.
See also
Movado Ermeto watch
List of watch manufacturers
List of most expensive watches sold at auction
References
"Watch, Mechanical", Science and Technology, How It Works, vol. 19 (3rd ed.), Marshall Cavendish, 2003, p. 2651, ISBN 0-7614-7333-5 in How it Works, 2003, ISBN 0-7614-7314-9.
Campbell, Gordon (2006), The Grove encyclopedia of decorative arts, vol. 1, Oxford University Press, p. 253, ISBN 0-19-518948-5.
Milham 1945, pp. 133–37.
Perez, Carlos (2001). "Artifacts of the Golden Age, part 1". Carlos's Journal. TimeZone. Archived from the original on 2007-02-18. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
Milham 1945, pp. 213–15.
"Pocketwatch". Encyclopedia of Antiques. Vol. Clocks and Watches. Old and Sold.
Juan F. Déniz, The first transparent watch, Antiquarian Horology March 2018
"Lépine watch", Glossary, Fondation de la Haute horlogerie.
"About Watch Cases and Crowns". Vintage Watch Straps. March 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
John E. Lodge, "New triumphs in age-old quest for perfect timepiece" in Popular Science, Vol. 119, No. 6 (December 1931), p. 53.
"Foundation de la Haute Horlogerie". hautehorlogerie.org. hautehorlogerie.org. October 19, 2016.
Hebdomas: The True Story of the 8-Day Pocket Watch, Stephen Foskett
Choi, David. "WWI vets popularized the most important accessory in a gentleman's wardrobe". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
Van Horn, Carl (2003). Work in America. Vol. M–Z. ABC-CLIO. p. 236. ISBN 1-57607-676-8.
Passy, Charles (9 March 2015). "Can a pocket watch outshine the Apple Watch?". MarketWatch. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
Bibliography
Milham, Willis I (1945), Time and Timekeepers, New York: MacMillan, ISBN 0-7808-0008-7.
External links
Look up pocket watch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to pocket watch.
"Perfect Timepiece", Popular Mechanics, December 1931. Illustration of workings of common mechanical pocket watch.
vte
Jewellery
Forms
AnkletBarretteBelly chainBelt buckleBindiBolo tieBraceletBroochChatelaineCollar pinCrownCufflinkEarringFerronnièreGenitalLapel pinNecklaceNeck ringPectoralPendantRingTiaraTie chainTie clipTie pinToe ringWatch pocketstrap
Making
People
Bench jewelerClockmakerGoldsmithJewellery designerLapidaristSilversmithWatchmaker
Processes
CarvingCasting centrifugallost-waxvacuumEnamelingEngravingFiligreeKazaziyeMetal clayPlatingPolishingRepoussé and chasingSolderingStonesettingWire sculptureWire wrapped jewelry
Tools
Draw plateFileHammerMandrelPliers
Materials
Precious metals
GoldPalladiumPlatinumRhodiumSilver
Precious metal alloys
Britannia silverColored goldCrown goldElectrumShakudōShibuichiSterling silver ArgentiumTumbaga
Base metals
BrassBronzeCopperMokume-ganeNickel silver (alpacca)PewterPinchbeckStainless steelTitaniumTungsten
Mineral gemstones
AgateAmazoniteAmethystAventurineBerylCarnelianChrysoberylChrysocollaDiamondDiopsideEmeraldFluoriteGarnetHowliteJadeJasperKyaniteLabradoriteLapis lazuliLarimarMalachiteMarcasiteMoonstoneObsidianOnyxOpalPeridotPrasioliteQuartzRubySapphireSodaliteSpinelSunstoneTanzaniteTiger's eyeTopazTourmalineTurquoiseVarisciteZircon
Organic gemstones
AbaloneAmberAmmoliteCopalCoral BlackPreciousIvoryJetNacreOperculumPearlTortoiseshell
Other natural objects
BezoarBog-woodEbonite (vulcanite)Gutta-perchaHairShell Spondylus shellToadstone
Terms
Art jewelryCarat (mass)Carat (purity)FindingFineness
Related topicsBody piercingFashionGemologyMetalworkingPhaleristicsWearable art
Authority control: National Edit this at Wikidata
FranceBnF dataGermanyIsraelUnited StatesCzech Republic