About Wrist Watch
Today watches, espcially wrist watches, are very necessary for some people while some other use these as a part of the fashion.But these multi-usages of watches did not happened over night. It took hundreds of years to develop the watch industry gradually.
It was in the 15th century when making of portable timepieces came into reality due to the invention of mainspring. Nuremberg clockmaker Peter Henlein made the invention of mainspring in 1511.
Another man, called Henlein is also to be respected for his contribution of constructing first pocket watch.
Another man, called Henlein is also to be respected for his contribution of constructing first pocket watch.
These timepieces were worn by fastening them with a cloth or chain around the neck. The interesting part of those watches that they had only hour hand. And they had to wound twice a day.But can you imagine, why did they wear those watches? No, time was not important for them. Those were worn as a fashion and they were very poor in telling time, sometimes lacking several hours a day.
In the 17th century, style changed a bit. Men began to wear watches in pockets though women wear watches as pendants.Watches are improved with the hands of Thomas Mudge in 1759 and Josiah Emery in 1785.The first wrist watch was made by Patek Phillepe in 1868.
During the 20th century, the design of the watches got standardized mechanically due to better materials, tighter tolerances, and improved production method.
In the time of the World War I soldiers needed access to their watches while their hands were full with other things. So, they were permitted to wear wristwatches, called ‘trench watches’, which were made with pocketwatch movements, so they were large and bulky and had the crown at the 12 o’clock position like pocketwatches.
After the war pocketwatches went out of fashion and by 1930 the ratio of wrist to pocket watches was 50 to 1. The first successful self-winding system was invented by John Harwood in 1923.
As time gone, the first generation wrist watch powered with electricity became available to the people and the watches changed radically.
