Origins of ordinary things: Wrist watch

Telling time has always been an important aspect of survival because all the activities therein are highly dependent on how each day progresses from morning to night. During the early ages, people relied on the location of the sun to estimate what time of the day it was. For instance, if the sun was directly overhead, then the time was estimated to be noon. In the fourteenth century, the mechanical clock was invented, thereby giving a better, albeit still somewhat inaccurate estimation of time. According to Made How an online invention information platform, the mechanical clock was complex and large; it was made of wheels, gears and levers which were powered by falling weights and a pendulum in order to move the clock hand. According to Wikipedia, the online encylopedia, watches first made an appearance in the 16th century. Peter Henlein, a German locksmith is credited with the invention of the time piece that was portable enough to fit in the pocket. The portable clock was called “a watch” because sailors used it to time their shifts of duty that they called watches. This is according to Gallantry, an accessory shop. The first wrist watch, as par the Guinness Book of Records, was made for Kosciwicz, the Countess of Hungary in 1868. It was much like the pocket watch only smaller and attached to a bracelet. Regardless of their effectiveness in time-telling and their portability, wrist watches were not popular for decades after they first came into production. This is attributed to the fact that making wrist watches required a lot of careful technicality. Moreover, wrist watches were assumed to be a fleeting fashion trend for women. During the outbreak of World War I in 1914, it became necessary to coordinate missions in an accurate manner. For instance, incorporating radio transmissions into battle required precision. According to Torgoen, a wrist watch company, it was at this point that wrist watches became popular. During and after World War I, wearing a watch was no longer just fashionable; it was a standard way of keeping time. The advancement in technology has resulted in production of wrist watches of various shapes, sizes and functions. For instance, one can now buy a watch which shows the speed at which the wearer is traveling. However, advancement in technology has also resulted in the invention of new devices such as mobile phones which can tell time and perform numerous other functions. As such, to an extent watches are now back to being worn for the sake of fashion rather than the purpose of time-keeping.

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Origins of ordinary things: Wrist watch