WATCHES

Shakila banu MM.sc., FMRM

A watch is a timepiece, typically worn either around the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket.

Watches evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century.

Before wristwatches became popular in the 1920s, most watches were pocket watches, which often had covers and were carried in a pocket and attached to a watch chain or watch fob.

This changed in World War I, when soldiers on the battlefield found pocket watches to be impractical and attached their watches to their wrist by a cupped leather strap.

modern watches often display the day, date, month and year, and electronic watches may have many other functions. Watches that provide additional time-related features such as timers, chronographs and alarm functions

Early wrist watch by Waltham, worn by soldiers in World war.

HISTORY OF WATCHES

1500–1600 Clock-watches

The reason for wearing these early clock-watches was not to tell the time. The accuracy of their movements was so poor, with errors of

perhaps several hours per day, that they were practically useless.

They were made as jewellery and novelties for the nobility, valued for their fine ornamentation, unusual shape, or intriguing mechanism, and accurate timekeeping was of very minor importance.

1600–1657 Pocket watches

1657–1765 The balance spring

1765–1800 Temperature compensation and chronometers

1800–1850 Lever escapement

1850–1900 Mass production

1900–1920 Better materials

• During the 20th century, the mechanical design of the watch became standardized, and advances were made in better materials, tighter tolerances, and improved production methods.

1920–1950 Wristwatches

• Patek Philippe created the first wristwatch in 1868 for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary.

• After the war, pocketwatches went out of fashion, and by 1930, the ratio of wrist- to pocketwatches was 50 to 1.

TYPES OF WATCHES

- SIMPLE WATCHES- COMPLICATED WATCHES

Functions of watches

TYPES OF FUNCTIONS

SIMPLE WATCHES- Telling Time

COMPLICATED WATCHES- GMT- World Time- Day, Date & Month- Moon Phase- Perpetual Calendar- Chronograph- Tourbillon & Karrusel- Minute Repeater- Alarm- Thermometer- Depth Gauge

TELLING TIME

-Showing HOUR, MINUTE & SECOND

GMTGMT (Greenish Mean Time)-Another Time Zone

WORLD TIME

Check Out The World Time Easily

DAY, DATE & MONTH

Shows Out Day, Date & Month

MOON PHASE

- Shows Out The Phase Of Moon - New Moon / Full Moon

PERPEYUAL CALENDAR -Can Automatically Adjust The Leap Year- Adjust the date of 28th, 29th, 30th & 31st

CHRONOGRAPH

To Record Time (Second, Minute, Hour)

TOURBILLON & KARRUSEL

To Balance The Friction Caused By Gravitational Force

MINUTE REPEATER

To Tell The Time By Different Sounds

ALARM

To Remind A Specific Time For The User

THERMOMETER

To Show The Temperature

DEPTH GAUGE

To Show The Depth Of Dive

FASHION & TRENDY WATCHES

LATEST TECHNOLOGY WATCHES

Top 10 Luxury Watch Brands

10. Rolex, it is the most famous and largest manufacturer of luxury watcheson the planet we humans call “Earth”. A brand worn by movie celebrities and known faces across the world; Rolex was officially registered in 1915. It is one of the best watch brands and the best thing is that no other brand in the list matches to the popularity that this luxury watch brand has achieved.

9. Hublot Founded in 1980, Hublot has made a progress quite fast among its other competitors, some of which have been there for centuries and is number 9th on my list of top 10 luxury watch brands in the world. The costliest wrist watch in the world is in the name of Hublot. The “5$ Million” watch is tailored with 1,282 diamonds (more than 100 carats of diamond) and each one has been selected circumspectly to match with others to present a synonym of perfection that is expected from best watch brands.

8. Richard Mille – Richard Mille is the newest brand in my list of top 10 luxury watch brands in the world. Innovation is what forms the core of best watch brands and this is what this brand has been looking forward to. The brand is sought after by affluent geeks who want a dip of micromechanics and advanced technology in their watches. The RM 008 watch from the company is considered to be one of the most advanced luxury brand watch in the world. Prominent figures wearing the Richard Mille luxury brand watch includes Rafael Nadal.

7. Jaeger-LeCoultre – One of many luxury watch brands from Switzerland founded in 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre is known for its high quality timepieces that you will not get tired admiring. Innovation combined with elegant design is what constitutes the building block of these watches.

6. F.P.Journe – Having spent just around 30 years in the market, F.P.Journe has still created its own niche of admirers and is number 6 on my list of top 10 luxury watch brands in the world. Some of the limited edition timepieces from the brand are available for just under $50,000. It is a brand for those who have an understanding and passion for luxury watch brands. They have 7 boutiques all over the world and different authorized retailers from whom you can buy.

5. Vacheron Constantin – With a long history folded under its belt, Vacheron Constantin is one of the oldest watchmakers around and certainly deserves to be in my list of top 10 luxury watch brands. The “Tour de I’lle” watch from the company that was made to mark its 250th anniversary is believed to be the most complicated watch ever built. The watch consists of 834 parts and 16 horological complications and the most fascinating thing about it is that it was sold for more than $1 Million.

4. Blancpain – Blancpain is not made just to giveaway to anyone. Unlike one of the best watch brands Rolex that produces around 2,000 watches a day, Blancpain manufactures only 10,000 luxury watches a year. Each piece produced by the brand is unique in itself, each piece is an example of elegance, style and reliability.

3. Girard-Perregaux– The Girard-Perregaux is the luxury watch brand which had been innovating since the day it was founded in 1791. This brand has never stopped and it never will and it is this willpower that brings it to 3rdposition on my list of top 10 luxury watch brands in the world. They make watches for just a few privileged people who appreciate best watch brandsand this luxury watch brand takes pride in this fact

2. Patek Philippe – If it comes to respect for luxury brand watches, This watch is everything that a person can look for in best watch brands. Be it range of Patek Philippe Calatrava, Annual Calendar or Perpetual Calendar watches; the thing is that you can always expect more from this luxury watch brand. The watch is estimated at 6 million dollars and is made with 18 carat gold be Its not just this much to this luxury watch brand. Its customers include Queen Victoria (in year 1851), her consort Prince Albert, Princess Louise of Denmark, Victor Emmanuel III from Italy and Hussein Kamal

1. Breguet –Breguet just provides everything a bit more that Patek Philippe does. And also this company is one of the oldest luxury watch brands still surviving. The brand also has the distinction of creating the first self - winding watch. Apart from it, the luxury brand has been the pioneer of path breaking technologies in the watch making industry out of which the most notable and appreciated one is the Tourbillon. The first wristwatch with Tourbillon was made by this luxury watch brand in 1810 for the Queen of Naples. Breguet has been worn by Louis Philippe I, Louis XI, Napoleon Bonaparte, George III, Louis XVIII, Queen Victoria (1838), Nicolas Sarkozy (French President), Victor Hugo (writer) and lots and lots more…

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