Wrist Watches - Short Summary of the History
From pocket watch to a fashion accessory. What was once, in the earliest years of portable watches, considered to be unsuitable for gentlemen and only for ladies, has developed nowadays into a fashion utensil that everyone has. Meanwhile, the wristwatch is no longer only a tool to tell which time it is. It is a designer piece and can indicate much more than the time.
A great deal of mechanics in a small housing
The first confirmable portable timepiece was developed in 1500. This was not a wristwatch, but more of a pocket watch. Through technical progress, which made it possible for people to house mechanics in an progressively smaller space, the needed components of the clockworks were able to be brought into a manageable form. In this way, the first pocket watch was born, which at the time was still the size of an egg.
The computerized wrist watch from Japan
A entirely different wristwatch came onto the market in the 1970’s from Japan, which had developed its own watch industry. The new watch from Japan was no more set on a mechanical basis, but on a computerized control. This wrist watch extended its range of capability quickly. The watch no more just showed the time. The tiny timepiece on the wrist now also knew the date, the day of the week and even knew whether a leap year was involved.
The wristwatch as jewelry
Today, the wrist watch is much more than a watch. The wrist watch has become a fashion accessory. Wrist watches come in all colours and shapes conceivable. One can also get compatible watches from every fashion collection. The current watches are dominated by the correct fashion trends. Despite these different styles, there is something for every taste. The tiny watches, which require spectacles to tell the time, and the extraordinary huge watches, which make it difficult to walk upright. In any case, one thing is clear: science is still likely to make so much progress - that the wristwatch will be seen on the wrists of people for a long time, to answer the question as to what time it is.
