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History

The first pocket watch was invented by Peter Henlein in the early late 1400's when mechanial engineering technology advanced so that the simple spring device could be used. The pocket watch is a time measurement device that was part of Western culture for an unuaually long period of time. Its popularity began in 1524 when it became regularly produced and continued until the time of World War I in the 20th  century.

 

In 1872, a new style of the pocket watch was introduced by Charles II of England, which was small enough to be work in the pocket instead of as a pendant. This more convenient style caused the popularity of the watch spread rapidly throughout Europe and North America. It also caused the watch to receive attention from fashion designers. The only problem still plaguing the watch was its lack of accuracy largely due to the unstandardized time system.

 

Once World War I erupted, the pocket watch went out of style and was replaced by the more convenient miniatruized wrist watch. 

Pocket Watch

In 1868, Patek Phillipe created the first wrist watch. The new watch included the perpetual calander, the split-second watch, the chronograph, and the minute repeater.

 

In 1880, Constant Girard invented the most commonly known design of the wristwatch, which is still used today. He created the design to be used by German Naval officers. This was the first commercialized version of the wristwatch, and became common for military use throughout the world. 

 

The wristwatch did not become pupular until World War I when soldiers were given "trench watches" that were worn on the wrist so that they could easily view the time, even with their hands full. These watches were large and bulky and were made out of the pocket watch. Once the war ended, soldiers returned home wearing their trench watches, which ended the association of watches with femininity, and caused the popularity of the wristwatch to skyrocket in North America. 

Analog Wristwatch
Digital Wristwatch

In 1972, Hamilton created the first commercial electronic digical wristwatch. It was an 18-carat gold Pulsar watch that retailed for the pricey sum of $2,100. When the user pressed a button on the watch the time would be displayed by a light emmitting iodide (LED) light. Many believed that the new digitalized watch was doomed for failure because of its high price tag.

 

However, in the late 1970's the price of the digital watch trastically decreased and was being sold for less than $10. There were now over 70 different versions of the digital wristwatch available.

 

By the 1980's, the digital wristwatch had become such a novelty that it was being given out in cereal boxes and fast-food kids meals as a cheap give-away. Advancements were made to add features to the watch such as the stopwatch and the alarm, which caused an even greater increase in popularity of the digital wristwtach. 

Apple Watch

On April 24, 2015 the watch industry changed forever when Apple Inc.'s  CEO Tim Cook released the Apple Watch. The new smart watch is not only a timepiece, but is also a way to communicate through your wrist, a fitness and activity tracker, a calander, and a new way to access social media. The watch is available in four varieties: Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch, Apple Watch Hermés, and Apple Watch Edition. It works by connecting to wifi or bluetooth of the users iPhone, and therefore has access to all of the applications that have been downloade onto the users iPhone, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Email. The predominant idea behind the Apple Watch was to free people from their iPhones, and the constant preocupation of the iPhone screen so that they are able to be more engaging in their lives. 

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