Skip to main content

Watch and its basic information

Watches -- Different kinds of movements

A watch is a timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket. Wristwatches are the most common type of watch used today. Watches evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were strictly mechanical. As technology progressed, the mechanisms used to measure time have, in some cases, been replaced by use of quartz vibrations or electronic pulses. The first digital electronic watch was developed in 1970.
Before wristwatches became popular in the 1920s, most watches were pocket watches, which often had covers and were carried in a pocket and attached to a watch chain or watch fob. In the early 1900s, the wristwatch, originally called a Wrist let, was reserved for women and considered more of a passing fad than a serious timepiece. Men, who carried pocket watches, were quoted as saying they would "sooner wear a skirt as wear a wristwatch".[4] This changed in World War I, when soldiers on the battlefield found pocket watches to be impractical and attached their watches to their wrist by a cupped leather strap. It is also believed that Girard-Perregaux equipped the German Imperial Navy with wristwatches in a similar fashion as early as the 1880s, to be used while synchronizing naval attacks and firing artillery.
Most inexpensive and medium-priced watches used mainly for timekeeping are electronic watches with quartz movements. Expensive collectible watches, valued more for their workmanship and aesthetic appeal than for simple timekeeping, often have purely mechanical movements and are powered by springs, even though mechanical movements are less accurate than more affordable quartz movements. In addition to the time, modern watches often display the day, date, month and year, and electronic watches may have many other functions. Watches that provide additional time-related features such as timers, chronographs and alarm functions are not uncommon. Some modern designs even go as far as using GPS technology or heart-rate monitoring capabilities.
From: Wikipedia
Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 1, 2013 at 1:50 PM

    Watches have made the people to live routine lives.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The World's Best Watches – Part 3

Though close to 90% of all watches manufactured worldwide have quartz movements, a quality mechanical watch is the way to go. That's something that has only recently begun to dawn on many Americans. "In Europe you'll see street sweepers with $5,000 watches, whereas CEOs in the U.S. will be happy with $20 quartzes," says   InSync 's Strandberg. "We just don't have the same tradition of fine watches here." When the wonder of fine watches finally dawns upon you, what will you find? One of the current consumer trends is big watches, and the bigger the better: from 45 millimeters to 51 millimeters in diameter (a half-dollar is a mere 38 millimeters across), depending on the material. The weight of these watches varies according to the metal used; a stainless steel watch would feel comparatively heavy, while a titanium watch would feel like nothing at all. While "watch wardrobing" has been around for years--i.e., a sports watch to go with...
4 comments
Read more

The World's Best Watches – Part 1

In an age when the current time--or something close to it--blinks on every cell phone, laptop, microwave and dashboard, wristwatches are still vital. We are obsessed with time, paradoxically pursued by it and never having enough. Whether we are running late for a plane, dashing to a meeting or waiting for a friend on a street corner, we all share a universal mannerism: the reflexive wristwatch check. And seeing as how we spend so much of our lives rotating our wrists and checking the time, we may as well have something beautiful or cool or interesting to look at. The appeal of a fine wristwatch goes well beyond mere time telling. Strapped snugly on the left or the right, watches speak of class, taste, functionality and, of course, punctuality. With incredibly sophisticated movements, mechanical watches are like high-performance automobiles--though without all the maintenance or parking hassles. Beside neckties, they're one of the few fashion accessories that reveal a man's...
Post a Comment
Read more

Watches as necessary timepieces

Timepieces as Necessities: The earliest form of a watch was the sundial, which was used by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks to tell time based on the position of the sun. However, it wasn't until the 16th century that wearable timepieces were invented. These early watches were bulky, inaccurate, and reserved for the wealthy elite. It wasn't until the 17th century, with the invention of the pendulum clock, that watches became more accurate and accessible to the general public. Pocket watches were introduced in the 18th century, which became a symbol of wealth and status. They were often adorned with precious gems and intricate designs, making them more than just timekeeping devices. The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century brought significant advancements in watchmaking, making it possible for mass production and making watches more affordable for the middle class. This period also saw the introduction of wristwatches as a practical solution for soldiers to keep track of ti...
2 comments
Read more