Just a thought: one might argue that a clock is a device that tracks and measures something that deeply structures our existence, but that is otherwise inaccessible (or just plain unimaginable) on such a finely differentiated scale. An "unnatural" creation, it nevertheless brings us closer to something that seems to be an integral part of nature. This might account for why the clock is such a persistent trope for the power of technology.

Stuart Sherman has written a well-received book titled _Telling Time: Clocks, Diaries, and English Diurnal Form, 1660-1785_ (U of Chicago, 1997). http://tinyurl.com/2hkan