Horological Trivia
Monday, April 6th, 2009
photo credit: Howard N2GOT
Wristwatches today are fashion statements and collectible works of art. This has created several niche markets with a wide range in watches.
There are those that view a watch purely from a functional point of view and use it merely to tell the time. To them, accuracy is of prime importance. The present day electronic or quartz watch is the obvious answer, accurate to within a fraction of a second per day.
The electronic watch uses a tiny quartz crystal to provide a stable time base. While it is essentially electronic, it is geared to drive the hands of the watch mechanically for an analogue display which is preferred by most wearers. The earliest prototypes of piezoelectric quartz watches were made in 1962.The first electronic watch went into production in 1969.
Today’s watches come with a number of power sources. The vase majority of the watches being electronic work on power from a miniature battery called a cell. Others are kinetic powered which use the movement of the user. The motion of the wearer’s arm turns an eccentric weight which in turn operates a minute generator. This supplies power to a rechargeable battery which runs the watch. A solar powered watch uses light which is absorbed by a photovoltaic cell on the face to convert light to electricity.
There is an increasing demand for exotic luxurious and expensive watches. Prestigious watch making companies are conjuring up remarkable designs with unusual functions. Watches are no longer mere timekeepers but pieces of expensive jewellery. Watches are manufactured from rare materials and adorned with diamonds and other precious stones.
The conventional watch that tells the time, day, date, month and year is passé. Watches are now available to count calories, read blood pressure and temperature. Still others indicate the phases of the moon and the tides while some models double up as a compass. There is no horizon to the imagination of today’s watch designer.
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Tags: luxury watches, watches
