History of timekeeping devices
Before starting to investigate history of wrist watches we should dwell upon history of watches and clocks in general. It is a well known fact that man has always been interested in knowing time. That’s why people began to invent various kinds of clocks and watches – devices that could tell them what time it is. A number of different timekeeping devices were invented long time ago, for instance, devices that measured the flow of water or sand, the burning of candles and incense, or the path of the sun across the sky. In various countries there existed various traditions for measuring of time and, for this reason the ancestors of modern watches varied from nation to nation.
History of clocks
Clocks were first to be invented (if to compare with wrist watches). We don’t know for sure who firstly invented a clock, but there are references both to Eastern inventors and to Western devisers. This way or that, clocks became rather popular in 19th century. That can be proved by the fact that there appeared a lot of companies which developed their clock trends. Just to set an example: such companies as Tissot, Minerva, Heuer, Zenith, and Movado are still very well-known and prosperous.
History of wrist watches
And now I’d like to tell you some words about history of wrist watches. That happened in 1904 when one of the first aviators Alberto Santos-Dumont asked his friend Louis Cartier who was a watchmaker to create a special type of watch that he could use when he was on his flights. It is important to mention that by this time the wrist watches had already been designed by Patek Philippe (1868). Nevertheless, they were viewed as ladies wrist watches and were considered as a part of jewelry. By analogy Louis Cartier invented the Santos wristwatch. That was the first wristwatch which was designed for men, and specially for practical use. Wrist watches started to be popular during World War I. Men realized wrist watches were more convenient in battle than pocket watches. What is more, because the pocket watch was more as an item of a middle class, the working class soldiers usually possessed wrist watches, that they brought with them to army. And now watches and clocks are not indicators of the class anymore, but a device which is needed by everybody. And we now can compare different watches and choose affordable and cheap one or a real luxury.