The ability to mark the passage of time is one of the more unique developments that are exclusive to the human species as a whole. Much as it looks easy to tell that day is turning into night and vice versa, being able to consciously tell at what rate we cycle between the light and the dark, wouldn’t be possible without realisation of time. It the course of finding something that would assist in telling the time, humans, being the intrepid creatures invented ways of marking the passing of hours, minutes, and—eventually—seconds, milliseconds, etc. that were more reliable than our own estimations. Today, according to Gallantry, an online shop with a penchant for well-crafted everyday carry gear, people wear much more complex miniaturised versions of those time-telling devices on their wrists. But the question remains, how did we arrive at this? Reports indicate that to fill the gap in time-telling between when the sun sets and when it rises again, people began to tinker with alternative methods of measuring the passing of moments. After several measures, in 1100 CE, mechanical clocks began to replace their water counterparts. They began to pop up all over the world, but they were not any more accurate than the water clocks that they had replaced. Gallantry estimates that they could lose half an hour or more on any given day. And they stayed inaccurate until Galileo discovered the pendulum in 1594. His mechanical clock, which only lost up to 15 seconds a day, was the world’s first reasonably accurate clock. While the pendulum clock exploded in popularity, it was still too unwieldy to ever be considered even remotely portable. The development was followed by many other attempts, including Peter Henlein’s pocket-sized clock, among others. In particular, the original wristwatch was overlooked in the majority of countries as a trend for women. They were thought to be inaccurate partly because of their size. This was changed drastically after the outbreak of World War 1 (WW1) in 1914. American soldiers and aviators, whilst fighting through Europe, realised an intriguing commonality with their European counterparts; they had begun strapping their old pocket watches to their wrists for easier and quicker access. This, reports indicate, would help them keep a close eye on the time was—and still is—a very important thing for an aviator or soldier, as it ensures that they are carrying out their mission as planned. Up until now, the pocket watch began to fall out of fashion and the wristwatch grew into the standard means of time-keeping for both men and women alike. Needless to say, the current globalisation of the marketplace and the increased availability of quality technology has led to a multitude of designers and watchmakers that have popped up in recent years. From tactical military watches to the finest luxury watch, any style is available depending on what you are looking for.
