Many say that time is an invention of man because it is defined as “a physical dimension that represents the succession of states through which matter passes” Also, it is thought that it is something that only happens on earth, because: “There is no space or time outside the limit of your universe; time passes inexorably». However, beyond logic, it began to be measured and the most important instrument for this has been: the clock; That is why today you will know the types of watches that exist.
But what is a watch? According to the portal definition.de: “A watch is a device that allows time to be measured and segmented into units (seconds, minutes, hours)”. In other words, it is an object that allows the duration of everything to be quantified.
The watch is one of the oldest objects in history, since man has always been interested in measuring it; Today, thanks to the development and new technologies, precision has been achieved, aesthetic improvement and reduction in manufacturing costs. That’s why you can find a watch wherever you go; it is possible to have it in your hand, on the computer, on audio equipment, in public offices, on public transportation, etc.
Since prehistory, the environment and natural phenomena were observed, looking for ways to measure it, using the lunar phases, rotation movement, translation, tide, among others. In fact, some scientists still use certain natural events to measure time more precisely.
According to the first steps that were taken to measure time, was done through the movement of the stars, the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, and the Stars. In principle, the theory was that the Earth was immobile in space, and that the rest of the celestial bodies revolved around it. Today we know that this is not the case.
Thus they were established as astronomical units of time, the day, considered as the time it takes for the Earth to rotate around its axis; the year, this is the time that the Earth takes to travel its orbit around the Sun and the month, which is the time required by the Moon to describe an orbit around the Sun.
The speed of the Earth in its elliptical orbit around the Sun varies according to its position, being faster when it is closer to the Sun, and slower as the distance between them increases. For this reason, The orbital distance traveled by the Earth while completing a rotation varies throughout the year, which causes the length of the solar day to be not constant.
According to According to archaeological findings, the first clock that existed dates back to the time of the Egyptian civilization and its name was Clepsidra or water clock. It consisted of a container filled with water that was emptied at regular intervals thanks to a hole in the bottom of it.
Over time, for the year 1,000 a. C. the sundial was created in the middle east. It was a marked sphere, which had a vertical post with a pointing triangle, which moved with the passing of the day. In fact it was very famous in Asia.
The Anglo-Saxons also made their contribution through a watch-candle; which consisted of an irregularly marked candle, which allowed time to be measured as the wax melted.
For the thirteenth century AD. C. is when the famous hourglass appears, made with two glass containers joined by their narrowest part, through which the grains of sand passed. How could time be measured like this? Well, once the sand was finished emptying, this was equivalent to the passage of an hour.
As for the mechanisms of the first clocks, they were very rudimentary and used large amounts of weight, to be able to turn the needles or cranksfor this reason they were very inaccurate.
For this, in 1657 Christian Huygens created the pendulum, it worked as a regulating element of the minutes, which is why this clock managed to gain confidence and accuracy.
Now, the first wristwatch appears thanks to royalty in the year 1812as the queen of Naples, Maria Carolina of Austria requested that a watch be made for her and attached to a gold and precious stone bracelet. Nevertheless, The first design of a wrist or wrist watch was made by the Brazilian Alberto Santos Dumont and Louis Cartier in 1901. But, the production in large quantities was around the time of the first world war, in which soldiers and officers were forced to use them.
At the end of the First World War, in 1929, A watchmaker of North American origin, Warren Albin Marrison invented the so-called quartz watch. This type of watch was not entirely accurate. It is said that after a year it had a delay ranging from 30 to 0.3 seconds.
By 1957, the first electric watches appeared, the brand of these was Hamilton Electric. They worked thanks to small batteries that made the minute and second hands work, unlike traditional mechanisms. This type of clocks were more accurate, as it is said that their rate of delay was just 3 seconds a year.
Another type of watch that came to be developed was the atomic clock, was from 1946. It was of great accuracy and precision. In the case of this, its margin of error is 1 second every 300 years.
Therefore, depending on the type of mechanism and the time it was invented, you can find the analog, digital, sun, sand, pendulum quartz, cuckoo, pocket, parlor and tower clocks.
The watch has been such a present object throughout the history of the human being that famous and emblematic watches can be found around the world. What big ben clock, the most symbolic monument in London, it could even be said, in England, it is located in the heart of London. He has always been used to calling it Big Ben, but the truth is that the name is due to the sound of the bells, which were heard for the first time on May 31, 1859 and even today they tell Londoners and visitors of the hours.
Also, it is found the clock in times square in new yorkthe same, first launched in 1989is the most modern but without a doubt the one that informs more people on a daily basis about the time, since it is located in the most famous intersection in the world, Times Square (Manhattan) and one of the points of greatest tourist interest in said city due to to the screens that surround this square.
Another of the emblematic clocks is the Prague astronomical clock, located in the Czech Republic, in the old quarter of the capital, is a mandatory stop for all who visit Prague. This extraordinary astronomical clock is located on one of the city walls; it is a true gift of medieval mechanics that has marked time since 1490when the master watchmaker Hanus placed the last piece of the clock. This, in addition to giving the time, indicates the position of the moon and the sun, the zodiacal signs; as well as the months and days.
The most famous clock in Spain is the one in Puerta del Sol, it is an emblem of Madrid and its location is one of the busiest places in the capital, as it is kilometer zero that begins the country’s road network. the same It was the work of the watchmaker José Rodríguez LosadaIt is very popular due to the tradition of the grapes every December 31st and waiting for the chimes; This was placed on the post office building and is responsible for saying goodbye and starting the year since 1895.
Finally, this precious object, which allows you to locate yourself in space, organize yourself, plan appointments, distribute and take advantage of precious time, is the clock, a completely timeless object that, beyond simply giving the time, allows you to define a before and one after any fact.