http://articles.finewristwatchesonline.com/rss.xml A blog about finewristwatchesonline.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.finewristwatchesonline.com/?a=35992 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Today the wrist watch is a very popular piece of jewelry. The wrist watch can be seen on many wrists where ever you go. Many people wear watches not only for its practical use to see the time, but as a symbol of their status. Men and women alike wear wrist watches on a daily basis, this however was not always the case. <br /><br />You never used to see men with a wrist watch, instead they used pocket watches. Wrist watches were only made for women, and that is how they liked it. These wrist watches were referred to as wristlets, and most men would not even think about wearing one. These wrist watches were also deemed not very accurate due to their size. There have obviously been some changes to the watch since.<br /><br />War times is what marked the first change in the wrist watch. When the soldiers were in battle it was very difficult for them to reach in their pockets to see what time it was. This was not easy to do when you are in battle trying to carry your gun and everything else. In order to free up their hands some soldiers made leather bands for their wrists that their watches fit in. This made the watch easier to access while in battle. <br /><br />The wrist watch made it easier for the troops to plan their attacks and synchronize them. If everyone had their watch set to the same time you all knew exactly when you needed to attack. This was a great help in battle. The wrist watch along with the development of new weapons helped in winning battle. <br /><br />Since the watch was growing in popularity the watch makers started making them for men. The problem with these wrist watches was that the face was still easily damaged. The solution to this problem was to make a grid usually out of silver that went on the face to protect it, but still allowed you to read the time. The band itself on the watch also went through some changes. You could now get wrist watches that had expandable and flexible bands. <br /><br />Even with the wrist watches success with the troops, it took two decades for it to gain the rest of the public's vote. People were still not very fond of the design. As changes were made more people started liking the wrist watch and wearing it. People began to realize that a wrist watch really was more convenient, and was more accurate than they used to be. Watch makers started making styles for both men and women to enjoy. These early wrist watches did use the same type of face guard seen on the military watches to protect the face of the watch.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as fine wrist watches at <a href="http://www.finewristwatchesonline.com/">http://www.finewristwatchesonline.com</a></p> 2006-10-03T23:26-04:00 http://articles.finewristwatchesonline.com/?a=35991 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>The name Rolex is a very popular name in the wristwatch scene. Rolex is known pretty well for its good quality. Rolex became popular during wartimes, and continues to be to this day. The company was not always known as The Rolex Watch Company, Ltd., but was named this later. <br /><br />Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, made much advancement in the wristwatch scene. Even others still did not believe in their accuracy, he continued to try and make them more accurate and durable. He is also credited with sending the first wristwatch to Switzerland for accuracy testing. With the success of his watches passing the tests overseas, Wilsdorf decided to keep going on his quest for a better watch. <br /><br />When the soldiers came home from battle the wristwatch gained even more popularity. The watch was no longer seen as feminine since all these brave men were wearing them. With its popularity came more improvements. Some of the first improvements were to make the watches more water and dust resistant. Although Rolex did not begin this trend they did improve the design and make the first truly waterproof watch. <br /><br />Other advancements were also being made to improve the durability of the wristwatch. The faces were replace with ones made of synthetic plastic. This made them much more durable and resistant to breaking and cracking. Another advancement was in the dials. The dials were now being made out of metal. <br /><br />Another advancement in the wristwatch was the self winding watch. Rolex introduced their self winding wrist watch in 1931. The design must have been good, because it is still being used in wristwatches today. <br /><br />The wristwatch continued to see more and more improvements over the years. Watchmakers began making more and more models over the years for people to choose from. The wristwatch was made out of necessity, but has come a long way since then. <br /><br />The Rolex Company received their first award for their watches in 1910, this was a great accomplishment. They continue to receive rewards to this day. In fact, they receive more rewards for their watches than any other companies combined. <br /><br />The Rolex Company has definitely done a lot for the wristwatch industry. They made much advancement in the design of the wristwatch that helped us get to what we have today. If you are looking for a great watch, look into a Rolex. They are definitely known for their great wristwatches, and they have been around for quite some time and know what they are doing.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as fine wrist watches at <a href="http://www.finewristwatchesonline.com/">http://www.finewristwatchesonline.com</a></p> 2006-10-03T23:24-04:00 http://articles.finewristwatchesonline.com/?a=34699 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>The watch as we know it today came into being out of the necessity of portability in the shipping and navigation industry in the early 15th century. The problem they had was that while the latitude could be measured by looking at the stars, the only way to determine longitude was by comparing the midday time of the local longitude to a European meridian like Paris or Greenwich. This was a very unreliable way of doings things until John Harrison introduced the chronometer.<br /><br />The first fairly accurate clocks used weighted pendulums, which by their very nature were of no use at sea or in a portable watch. The invention of the spring mechanism brought in the development of &ldquo;pocket clockes&rdquo; in Tudor England allowing clockmakers the ability to put a time keeping device in a small, mobile, container. <br /><br />The very first pocket watch was created by Peter Henlein in 1524 and it is rumored that Henry VIII had one of these kept on a chain around his neck. These early watches only had an hour hand, the inaccuracy of the watches at this time made a minute hand useless. The evolution of the miniaturization process of these spring based designs allowed for the making of portable watches that would work at sea. The Waltham Watch Company founded in 1850 by Aaron Dennison pioneered the manufacturing of interchangeable parts and is still a top watchmaker today.<br /><br />In the 1868 the first wristwatch was made by the Patek Philippe company, a joint venture of Antoinne Patek and French watchmaker Adrien Phillippe, the inventor of the keyless wind mechanism. It was considered an accessory for women until the 2oth century. Because of its exclusivity, luxury tag, low volume production and cost, Patek Philippe lost the market and lost much of its business. The Stern family took over the firm in 1929.<br /><br />Patek Philippe remains a force in the quartz watch industry introducing not only the perpetual calendar, chronograph, and minute repeater but also the most complicated mechanical watch ever made. In 1989, the company created the Calibre 89, in celebration of their 150th anniversary. This watch has 33 complications including the date of Easter, a thermometer, a sunrise time, equation of time and more!<br /><br />In the early 1900&rsquo;s, the wristwatch became popular with men due to the Brazilian inventor Alberto Santos-Dumont who wanted a more convenient way of checking time while in the aircraft he was working on. He approached his friend, Louis Cartier and asked him for a watch that he could read easier and Cartier designed a leather-band wristwatch for him that he never took off.<br /><br />Because Cartier was a popular figure in Paris, he was able to sell these watches to many other men and by the Fist World War, officers in all armies were turning to the wristwatches because it was much easier in the battlefield to just look at a watch on their wrist than to have to reach in their pocket for a pocket watch.<br />Army contractors began issuing cheap, reliable, mass produced watches to artillery and infantry officers so they could synchronize their attacks. At the end of the war, these European and American veterans were allowed to return home with their wristwatches helping to make them popular among middle class Western civilian culture. Today almost everyone wears a wristwatch as a direct result of this introduction in World War 1.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For a great selection of <a href="http://www.finewristwatchesonline.com/">fine watches</a> go to http://www.finewristwatchesonline.com</p> 2006-06-09T21:57-04:00