The Watch

17March2009

The measure of time has been through a myriad of advancements over the centuries from the beginning of Horology in Babylonian times with the Sun dial, to more modern advancements in technology approaching the extreme such as the precision of the atomic clock accurate to billionths of a second. The atomic clock in Denver, Colorado is used by the US Government as a time standard.

A wrist watch is a more practical tool for every day use and is viewed differently of course based upon perspective and its intended purpose. The paradigm shift from the pocket watch to a wrist watch took place in the early 1900’s when it became acceptable in society to wear a watch on your wrist; just like the aircraft pilots. This did add to the cool factor, not to mention convenience of literally having time close at hand. To some, it’s just a device to occasionally tell time and keep a schedule. To others, it’s a crucially indispensable tool depended on to monitor and measure how much time has pass, and to many, many others, it’s just about a whole lot of bling! Some just want it all and expect their time piece to function regardless of what it is used for. Collectors are in a special class of watch enthusiasts where price is normally associated with quality, rarity, and oftentimes both, but despite what a watch is used for, it’s resting on your wrist for the whole world to see. A choice of watch will reflect a certain type of personality in an environmental genre, from the wearer, to the observer.

How different can a watch face be from another? Well, how different can a person’s face be from another? Aesthetics matter almost as much as function and in many ways they’re inseparable. How much use is there in a watch that has perfect timing, but the hands or display is hard or almost impossible to make out under expected usage conditions? Your watch face reflects your character or setting; petite and minimal at a restaurant/Tux time; or maybe bold, straight forward and obvious for outdoor activities.

Most watches designed for social purposes are very limited in use during other activities and durability. Not to say there isn’t high-end watches that are guaranteed to perform through all, and these watches may lean towards showing an upper social status, but the price of these watches are out of most enthusiasts’ and the average consumer’s price range. As with most things in life, a compromise is normally struck. With the choice of a watch, the compromise is between affordability and needed reliable function.

I am guilty of leaning towards mechanical time pieces; those watches that wind themselves with a pendulum or are wound manually by the user. I will admit that the majority may be better off with a battery powered watch. Only due to the fact that most watch users aren’t really dependent upon their watches except for special circumstances as in the past. Mechanical watches tend to be a bit more pricy, but you tend to get what you pay for. Cell phones commonly display the time accurately; the majority does have a cell phone.

So, why would anyone want or need a watch to begin with? Cell phones haven’t been around hardly a fraction of the time compared to time pieces. It’s hard to let a good thing die. Cell phones and battery powered watches are dependent upon a power source, which can fail. The delicate nature of electronics is notorious for failure and frustration. It’s nice to purchase a watch, place it on your wrist, and forget about it until you need it, and it’s easy to find to boot!

Gentry Lee Tipton

www.thewatcherglt.blogspot.com