Since the hourglass was one of the few reliable methods of measuring time at sea, it is speculated that it was used on board ships as far back as the 11th century, when it would have complemented the magnetic compass as an aid to navigation.
Presýpacie hodiny boli jednou z mála spoľahlivých metód merania času na mori, takže sa má všeobecne zato, že sa používali už v 11. storočí, kedy pomáhali spoločne s magnetickým kompasom navigovať loď.