Watches are an essential piece of jewelry on the wrist of many people around the world. Although they are also known as the easiest way to measure time, something in which, by the way, they are increasingly accurate due to technology. But beyond helping us to be more aware of the exact time, each watch has its own history, with many transformations and upgrades over time.
However, nowadays watches are also status symbols especially among luxury brands, and offer many additional functions. In general, people know a lot about watches and which the best brands are, but there are also some curious facts about watches that very few people know and that are quite interesting. Join us below to discover some of them.
The first wearable watch is just over 200 years old
It wasn’t until the late 1800s that the first wearable watch was developed. We specifically refer to the first wristwatch, which was manufactured in 1868 for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary. When the wristwatch made its appearance, its main purpose was to decorate the wrists of women, who generally did not wear pocket watches.
Soon after, however, the wristwatch gained popularity worldwide, being worn almost entirely by men. But at the time, men preferred traditional pocket watches, which were larger and thought to be more masculine.
The first watch was a piece of stone
Although historians believe that Sumerians were the first to record time in 2000 B.C., the earliest evidence of the use of a physical object to measure time comes from the ancient Egyptians. What they did was carve a large stone obelisk that would be placed in a specific location. As the sun moved, so did the shadow of the stone. They estimated the time from the length and direction of this shadow.
The world’s first electronic watch
The world’s first electronic model was created in 1960 by the Bulova company and used a vibrating tuning instead of a balance wheel. So instead of making the classic ticking sound, this watch emitted a slight buzzing sound.
Astronauts’ Favorite Watch
The ‘Omega Speedmaster’ was the favorite watch of astronauts heading into space. In fact, NASA astronauts wore the watch on their mission to the Moon, and both American and Russian astronauts wore it for the first Apollo-Soyuz space rendezvous. Making this watch a favorite among astronauts.
The most used color in watches
Although watches come in many colors, the most widely used and most popular watch color is black. The reason it is the most popular color is due to its versatility. It is a unisex and elegant color that can be worn for both formal and casual occasions, as well as on a variety of different types of watches, such as dress watches, dive watches, and more.
Expensive watches do not always mean better
This is not always the case, but sometimes the trend is for cheaper watches to use quartz movement and luxury watches to use mechanical ones. While mechanical watches are heavier, more beautiful to look at, and more complex, they are actually less accurate than quartz. Of course, most watch collectors are not looking for sheer functionality when they buy. Instead, they pay for the craftsmanship that comes with complicated inner workings.
The first digital watch
The 1968 science fiction film “2001: A Space Odyssey” inspired John Bergey, director of the Hamilton Watch Company, to create the first digital watch: an LED Pulsar prototype.
Most advertisements have clocks set to 10:10 o’clock
You may, or may not have noticed that clock ads are almost always set to show the time as 10 minutes past 10 o’clock or sometimes 10 minutes to two o’clock.
What is the reason behind them? Well, it turns out that marketers believe that people are more likely to buy these watches because at that moment the watch looks like a smiley face what makes buyers feel good when they are looking to buy that particular watch.
The history of watches in wars
One of the most critical factors in warfare is planning coordinated attacks. Unfortunately, it is incredibly difficult to do so when you do not know the time. In World War I, this was no longer a problem, as all soldiers began to wear wristwatches for the first time in history. With them, they could effectively synchronize their attacks.
The most used watch brand in movies
Watches are an important accessory in the movies, in the James Bond movies, Sean Connery wore a Rolex Submariner, while more recently Daniel Craig wears an Omega watch. In the Bourne Ultimatum, Matt Damon as Jason Bourne wears a TAG Heuer watch. But the self-proclaimed watch brand from the movies is Hamilton; So far they have appeared in 151 movies.
The most popular watches among celebrities
Breitling watches are very popular among world-famous celebrities, actors, and successful businessmen, including Sir Richard Branson and Sir Alan Sugar.
The world’s most complex watch
The Patek Philippe Calibre 89 is the world’s most complicated mechanical pocket watch. It was made in 1989 and it took five years of research and development and another four years to manufacture. It is made of 18-karat gold, has 24 hands, 1,728 total components, and 33 special features, including a thermometer and star chart.
The most expensive watch ever sold at auction
The most expensive watch ever sold at auction is a Rolex Daytona, which sold in 2017 for $ 17.8 million. This is a watch that generally does not sell for more than $ 30,000. Why so expensive then? The reason is that it was owned by the famous actor Paul Newman and was clearly highly sought after because of that.
ALFA