The first to use escapement (a device to turn gears in a certain direction) in clocks was in China in the 8th century, and it was the Muslims in the 11th century who incorporated gears and weights into water clocks; the first to use verge escapement for escapement was in Europe in the 14th century and in the 16th century It was used for a long time until the spring-loaded pocket watch and the pendulum clock in the 18th century, before being replaced by quartz and then atomic clocks in the 20th century.