Sep 01 2008
A Brief Look at How the Watch Started, and Where It’s Headed
It has always been the earnest endeavor of man to be able to keep track of time. From the earliest methods of measuring time such as tracking movement of the sun to the latest timepieces there have been many changes in the way that we have kept track of time. Even water clocks were used as too candles marked at regular intervals, and of course there were sandglasses that helped man to keep track of time.
Natural Movements
In the beginning, the watch depended on natural movements and did not have a hand to measure minutes and these timepieces required being wound up every twelve hours and were used primarily for adornment rather than having great functional value. Measuring time has always been the goal of man and so, different kinds of timepieces have been developed over time.
Some watches can measure time as well as keep track of the dates while others can even tell time across various time zones and there are also those that are known as stop watches. Some even have an alarm and in fact, thanks to advancements in technology, there are endless possibilities in what can go into the making of modern timepieces.
Watches first made their appearance during the early sixteenth century and most of them were either made by German or French watchmakers and it was only around the year 1575 that the English and Swiss too began to make their own watches. In fact, this was a period when timekeeping underwent many changes with innovations and advancements leading to the creation of steel and even brass timepieces.
Decorative timepieces began to make an appearance around the beginning of the seventeenth century though such timepieces still had more value as adornments than functionality. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, people began to wear their watches in pockets as opposed to the early habit of wearing them on pendants.
Changes have been one of the main features of watches and almost every few decades a new way of making a watch has been introduced and it was only in the year 1952 that battery powered timepieces became common while in the year 1970 the electronic watch was successfully introduced.
Modern day timepieces make use of batteries, quartz crystals and the new atomic watches too have become popular. In fact, there is also a growing trend towards using designer watches which embody luxury and are generally unaffordable to the common person. However, with continuous improvements in technology the manner in which modern timepieces are made means that we can certainly look forward to cheaper, more accurate as well as better looking timepieces in the future.