We’re back again with some new facts about the world of watches. The idea here is to read with a smile on your face!
Watch is the word
The word watch comes from the old English waecce, which meant to keep an eye on and be awake. This is also, of course, where we get the term watchman or night watchman. Since we keep an eye on the clock, it makes sense that these two words are synonyms.
Watch the first time
It was the Egyptians who constructed the first instrument to measure time around 1500 BC. By carving a stone obelisk and placing it in the path of the sun they could tell the time by the length and direction of the shadow the obelisk cast.
Watch me fix your watch
Despite the world of watch collecting continuing to grow, watch repair is sadly a dying profession, with the number of people skilled in the art declining steadily. In fact, over the past 60 years, in the US alone, the number of qualified watchmakers has fallen from 60,000 to just 5,000.
Watch that’s smart
Although the classic timepiece is still a big deal, many of us have ditched it for wearable tech. Unsurprisingly, Apple has become number one in the smartwatch market with over 30% of worldwide sales, leaving their main rival Samsung in the dust with just 10%.
Watch out for the psycho
In the search for a watch sponsor for the film American Physcho, many brands decided against being associated with such a violent storyline. But, Rolex finally agreed, on the condition that “the psycho”, Patrick Bateman (played by Christian Bale) didn’t wear the watch whilst he was busy dismembering bodies!
Watch the complications
As stunning as it is confusing, the Vacheron Constantin reference 57260 took eight years to assemble and went through 85 prototypes. The watch has 2,826 components, 57 complications, and 242 jewels. It also has 33 hands. All of that comes in at a cool $10 million.
Watch the glamour
French jeweler Cartier is well known for its stunning watches for both men and women. It was the preferred watch of many of the most influential women of the 20th century, including Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy.
Watch the quartz work
First, you need a battery. The battery sends electricity through the quartz crystal, which causes it to vibrate 32,768 times per second. The electrical circuit counts the vibrations, and after precisely 32,768 vibrations, it moves the second hand forward. Cool and confusing, I think you’ll agree!
Watch the tan
It’s the dreaded summer conundrum. No one wants a nice even tan only to have a pale band of skin around their wrist and believe it or not, over 40% of those who choose not to wear a watch when the sun shines, do so for this very reason! Is it worth being late to be bronzed all over? We’ll let you decide!
Watch what happens
It’s well known that watch manufacturers test their products vigorously to make sure they can deal with all sorts of conditions. It’s normally quite a scientific process but when Casio developed the G-Shock they chose to test it by simply throwing it out of a fourth-story window. That is one way to do it!
Watch the difference
Mechanical watches are generally less accurate than those with quartz movements Despite their beauty and complexity, the parts of a mechanical watch tend to result in the gain or loss of a few seconds over a period of time. This is because they are impacted by forces such as gravity and certain complications. That said quartz watches are also not 100% accurate; they can be impacted by factors like temperature and battery life.
Hopefully, these will come in useful when you’re chatting about all things that tick with your mates!!
