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A close-up of the mechanism in an antique pocket watch. Watches originated in the 16th century, when they were fairly bulky objects. As development progressed through the 17th century, so the timepiece became small enough to be carried in a pocket; later still (in the 20th century), it moved to the wearer's wrist.
Portable timepiece. In the early 20th century increasing miniaturization, mass production, and convenience led to the watch moving from the pocket to the wrist. Watches were also subsequently made waterproof, antimagnetic, self-winding, and shock-resistant. In 1957 the electric watch was developed, and in the 1970s came the digital watch, which dispensed with all moving parts.
History
Miniature sundials were the earliest portable timepieces. The first true watches, miniature clocks worn at the waist, were developed in the 15th century. Mechanical watches with analogue dials (hands) were based on the invention by Peter Henlein (1480–1542) of the mainspring as the energy source. By 1675 the invention of the balance spring allowed watches to be made small enough to move from waist to pocket. By the 18th century pocket-watches were relatively accurate, and by the 20th century wristwatches were introduced. In the 1950s battery-run electromagnetic watches were developed; in the 1960s electronic watches were marketed, which used the piezoelectric oscillations of a quartz crystal to mark time and an electronic circuit to drive the hands. In the 1970s quartz watches without moving parts were developed – the solid-state watch with a liquid crystal display of digits. Some included a tiny calculator and such functions as date, alarm, stopwatch, and reminder beeps.How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
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