Watches: A Brief History

Watches have been around for centuries, first starting as clumsy, unreliable iron contraptions, to high tech wonders we have today. Watches have started their existence with the intention of providing a means of determining time with a relative degree of accuracy. The watches of today not only tell the time with an incredible degree of accuracy, but they can take barometric readings, depth readings, make complex calculations, and are capable of including small television monitors. Watches had their humble beginnings in Europe in the very early sixteenth century. It is believed that locksmiths first developed the means of creating primitive timepieces using iron wheels and mechanisms. Prior to this, small sundials were in use. As technology advanced and manufacturing systems improved, so too did the quality and reliability of watches. Until the

early twentieth century, watches were most commonly worn at the end of small chains, or fobs, and kept in a vest pocket. After that, the wristwatch came into being and soon became the most common way of wearing a watch. As fashion marches forward, then retreats to where it once had tread, pocket watches are making a comeback, less out of convenience and more out of a sense of style. Watches were once a small matter of convenience. Now they are a critical part of modern life. One thing can be asserted; as the exponential growth of technology creates new developments in the way we live our lives, watches will become more powerful, more useful, and more capable as we head into the future.