After the invention of sundials, other means of telling the time indoors were developed, such as hourglasses and burning candles. The invention of clocks, however, allowed far more accurate timekeeping. Early clocks were powered by a weight hanging from a fine chain (a pendulum), but later on springs were used to store energy. Most mechanical clocks and watches now contain a balance wheel that spins backwards and forwards, allowing an escapement wheel to move a very small amount each time it spins. This wheel is driven by the energy stored in the clock spring.
Many watches and clocks are now powered by an electronic timer with no moving parts. It contains a tiny integrated circuit and a vibrating quartz crystal, which measures time with great accuracy.
Picture credit: google