subject: Facts About Watches [print this page] Centuries ago people used to determine time by observing the location of the sun in the sky. They knew that when the sun was directly over your head it meant that it was 12 o 'clock.
Another means of establishing the time was the sundial. This method though was slightly subject to one's judgment. The sundial can be represented as a circle on the ground that has a stick in the middle. When the sun rotates, one can tell what time it is. This was more accurate than the first means of determining what time it was.
Until the middle of the twentieth century, most of the developments in the watch making industry were focused on making the moving part be as accurate as possible. There was a big development in the metal technology that dealt with the miniaturization, the lubrication of the small parts and the use of the natural gemstones and later on, the artificial gemstones.In the United States in the 1960s the mechanical wristwatch was a common thing. The watch-makers had a problem with the fact that the interior mechanism wore down, it became inaccurate and broke-down.
The microchip represented the solution for the watch industry. It was invented during 1970s and 1980s. This is when the quartz industry was combined with the microchip technology. The result between the two was the non-mechanical device for watches. The best part was that the internal items didn't wear out anymore.
The watch has become a symbol for culture, wealth and modern trends. It is only up to the person that wears it to determine what kind of statement he/she wants to make.
