Who invented the watch and in what year ?

Today, it is very easy for us to access the time, whether through our watch or through technology. But first that Until the first watch was invented, it wasn't easy to know the time. You had to wait until you went to a town to consult the single clock hanging on the church steeple. But then, who invented the watch and in what year? In this article, we'll look back at its origins. the first watch in order to answer this question.

Peter Henlein, the inventor of the first watch

While clocks have existed since the 13th century, it was only from the 16th century onwards that they were miniaturized to become the first watches.. It should be noted, however, that the first watch could not have been invented without the mainspring, a metal ribbon that stores energy and releases it by gradually unwinding. As it unwinds, it drives a gear system that allows the hands to rotate on the dial. The mainspring thus replaced the weights and pulleys that powered clocks of the time. Early attempts were unsuccessful; the watches would lose their accuracy after a week. This is why it wasn't until the 16th century that a more reliable timepiece was developed. century around 1510, so that the first watch sees during the day, thanks to Peter Henlein (1479-1542), a German watchmaker from Nuremberg, created pocket watches that bore little resemblance to the timepieces we wear today. These early watches were designed to be carried in pockets and were egg-shaped, unlike the relatively flat discs that fit comfortably on our wrists. They were known as Nuremberg eggs, reflecting the origins of their creator, Peter Henlein. As they gradually became flatter, they acquired the name "pocket watch," the term referring to the pocket designed for this purpose.

Watches first became popular among women by being attached to their necklaces, and then, in the 19th century, by being miniaturized into rings. Reading the time while wearing a watch around their neck wasn't very practical; a stiff neck was almost guaranteed. As you can see, women used watches more as fashion accessories than as actual timekeeping devices.

The first watches Straps

The first watch Strap It originated at the end of the 16th century, when the Earl of Leicester had the idea of ​​hanging a Strap to a watch to present to Queen Elizabeth I^D. At the end of the 19th^th century the watch Strap It is starting to gain popularity because it is significantly more practical than watches worn around the neck. However, this accessory remains almost exclusively reserved for women, because the watch Strap was considered too effeminate by the men of the time. It wasn't until the Boer War (1899-1902) and the First World War that the watch Strap be adopted by men. Indeed, the watch Strap has proven its practicality during combat and has therefore generated great enthusiasm.

Manual winding watch, automatic watch and quartz watch

The first watches were naturally hand-wound. Every day, you had to wind your watch to rewind the spring and thus allow the watch to work.The self-winding mechanical watch (originally called a perpetual watch) was invented in 1778 by Abrahal Louis Perrelet, eliminating the need to wind your watch every night! This mechanism remained a technical marvel for its time but did not become widespread. It wasn't until the 20th century, with the arrival of the watch, that it truly took off. Strap that the automatic watch become more democratic and are adopted in all watchmaking. The first quartz watch (battery-powered watch) was created by Seiko in 1969; this technology increased the accuracy of watches and was a true revolution in the world of watchmaking.