He was one of the first clock makers to use second hands, and Bürgi also introduced a mechanism for providing the escapement (a device which converts continuous rotational motion into an oscillating or back and forth motion) with a constant driving force.

In mathematics, he developed a comprehensive system of logarithms (about 30 years before the Scottish mathematician John Napier), but his work has been largely ignored.

His classification as a scholar is controversial because he lacked a formal education and did not know Latin, the only language of scholarly publications at the time, and because he left few written records of his work.

Historians of science claim that Bürgis legacy of many unique and innovative mechanical astronomical models should be considered an unorthodox method of "publishing" astronomical insights.