Before learning about watches you should be familiar with some of the
terminology. The word horology has two meanings; it is the study or
science of measuring time or the art of making clocks, watches, and
devices for telling time.
Since
the first appearance of man on the earth an effort has been made to
measure time. The tracking of the sun's movement across the sky,
candles that were marked at intervals, oil lamps with a marked
reservoir, sandglasses (hourglasses) are some of the ways in which time
was measured. In the Orient knotted cords and small stone or metal mazes
filled with incense that would be burned at a specific rate.
Water
clocks did not depend on the observation of the sky or the sun. The
earliest water clock was found in the tomb of Amenhotep I who was buried
around 1500 B.C. Greeks called them clepsydras; they were stone
containers with sloped sides that allowed water to drip at an almost
constant rate from a small hole in the bottom. Other clepsydras were
cylinders or bowl shaped designed to slowly fill up with water coming in
at a near constant pace. Markings on the inside of the bowl marked the
passage of the hours. Though this was used primarily at night, it is
thought they were used in the day hours as well. A metal bowl with a
hole the bottom was placed in a larger bowl filled with water. It would
fill and then sink in a certain amount of time.(Do you Want to buy Replica watches?)
Since water flow
was not exactly predictable and difficult to control the flow
accurately, timepieces that depended on water were very inadequate.
People were drawn to develop more accurate ways of measuring and telling
time.
The development of quartz crystal clocks and timepieces
depended on the crystal size, shape, and temperature to create a
frequency. Quartz clocks and watches continue to be popular. They work
well enough for the price and although they tend to be slightly 'off'
the correct time most people can afford them.
The first watches
had a natural movement but no minute hand. They had to be wound every
twelve hours. Watches were originally worn more for adornment than
functionality. Timepieces worked with weights but these were not
practical in portable timepieces.
Time measurement has been a goal
of man from the beginning and a time line will help you understand how
we got to where we are with watches. Watches have so many new functions.
They have the date, the time, times across time zones and some have
stop watches. Most watches have some kind of an alarm in them. The
possibilities are endless and I can really see a Dick Tracy type of
watch being real.
Here is a timeline of watch history. Some of the
years might not be listed in chronological order but I got them as
close to it as possible. It is very interesting to learn how watches
have developed. It's amazing when I think of the minds of the people who
had their hand in creating watches, how smart and technical they must
have been!
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