Sunday 8 December 2013

Fun Facts About Watches


We all know what watches do and what they are used for, but there are tons of interesting little watch facts that many people may not be aware of. Learning about watches can be a fun thing to do before you purchase one, or just a fun way to broaden your general knowledge. Here are some cool facts about watches.
The first way to ever tell time was with the sun dial, which was originally created by the Egyptians.
Waterclocks were the next way of telling time invented, and were generally thought to be more accurate than sundials.
Originally, watches were so big that they were commonly worn around the neck on a chain.
The wristwatch as we know it, was invented in 1868 by Patek Philippe.
Before they were for everyone, wristwatches were originally for women, while men generally used pocket watches.
During World War I, wristwatches became popular with men because it was more convenient to wear it on the wrist during battle. Men were able to tell the time without having to pull out a separate item.
The first water proof watch was invented in 1926
Watches on display and in ads are mostly set to ten minute to two o'clock. This is because it gives it the appearance that it is smiling, encouraging the consumer to feel good when they look at the time piece.
The most expensive watch is the Chopard 201 carat watch. The jewels and diamonds in the watch make it beyond valuable. It includes 443 yellow diamonds, 139 round diamonds, 289 pear shaped diamonds, and 3 heart shaped diamonds. It was sold at an auction for 25 million dollars.
When pocket watches were commonly worn, they only had an hour hand. This made them terribly inaccurate and they would lose several hours as the day went on.
The first digital electronic watch was developed in 1970 by Hamilton Watch Company and Electro-Data.
Swiss watches are considered some of the best around. In order to be considered a swiss watch, there are certain rules that must be met. It must have a swiss movement that was set in its case in Switzerland and created by a manufacturer of Swiss origin.
You may have noticed that some watches contain the word Geneve. This term is a mark of prestige given to time pieces that is given by the Bureau de controle des Montres de Geneva.

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