The Early History Of Watches

The earliest and largest watches considered more of the pocket watch types, were invented within used Tudor watches, England in the sixteenth century. These timepieces weren't worn around the wrist then but mostly as a necklace around the neck due to their larger designs.

These pocket watches became more commonplace within the earlier seventeenth century and were crafted to be more accurate in their time keeping as well.

A man named Mr. John Harrison was a watchmaker by trade and had taught himself this craft completely with great and wonderful results. Mr. Harrison created a greater accuracy within watches of his times and found that the exact time could help in determining precise longitudinal locations of the ships for the Captains. He worked endlessly for over ten years to invent only four Chronometer Harrison Marine watches in the latter seventeenth century; these miraculous watches were also the size of smaller dinner plates. Through many tests by the Queen's Captains these watches proved their worthiness to her and Mr. Harrison then received $20,000 in pounds as a prize for his creative and helpful inventions by Queen Anne of England herself.

The history of wrist watches began with a man named Patik Phillippe in the early nineteenth century. Wrist watches were worn at this time mostly by women as accessories; the men carried pocket styled watches as their timepieces. During this century, the watch company called Rolex was opened and owned by Mr. Hans Wilsdorf in the year 1905. Wrist watches gained an added quality by the addition of an alarm within them in the year 1914 and the watch company called Seiko was opened in the year 1924 within Tokyo.

In the twentieth century, wrist watches were very popular, but some men still loved their tried and true pocket watches and these were still being manufactured in larger quantities up until the 2nd World War when production decreased dramatically. In the year 1952, wrist watches that were powered by batteries instead of winding mechanisms were out on the markets; this was a large and wonderful advancement within the timepiece era.

Watches, which were electronic, were the most popular in the 70's and in the 90's a reemergence of mechanical watches happened due to vintage and nostalgic wants in the watch markets of that time. Over 25% of Swiss made watches are all mechanical and not electronic. They keep to the original quality that first endeared these timepieces to their clientele and faithful customers.