If you are here, probably you also feel strongly about watches, as many people around the world do. But why is that? And why do watches matter? To try to answer these questions and provide a glimpse of some of the reasons why I fell in love with the world of watches, let’s start from the very reason why humans created watches in the first place: to measure time.
Time is complicated, elusive and mysterious (have a look at this post, if you don’t believe me). Yet it is also a fundamental part of our everyday lives. We rely on it to make plans, set appointments, organize events. We count in trepidation the months, the weeks, the days that separate us from our future, and we nostalgically recall the days, the months, the years that sparate us from our past. And, most of all, we try so very hard to follow Horace’s wisdom and seize the present, most of the time — at least in my case — failing miserably.
As important and all-pervading as time is, it is not surprising that humans have been looking for ways to measure it since the very beginning of civilization. The first device built to keep track of time is believed to be the gnomon, a simple version of a sundial, and it dates back to about 3500 BC. Since then, examples of timekeeping devices can be found all over the course of ancient history, across all cultures. From water clocks to hourglasses and burning candles, from China to the Americas, the quest for the best instrument to measure time had begun.
Fast forward to medieval Europe, and the first mechanical clock was born; although we have to wait until much later — 1656 to be precise — to see the first pendulum clock, far more accurate than other contemporary kinds of mechanical clocks. The creation of this sophisticated mechanism was made possible by the studying and understanding of the quasi harmonic oscillations of the pendulum, an achievement of the the genius, among others, of da Vinci, Galileo and Huygens. As precise as it was, however, the pendulum clock is a delicate system, which can be affected by many external factors. These issues, together with the need for a reliable way to determine the longitude at sea — crucial challenge at the time — fuelled in the 18th century another wave of horological innovations, which led to the creation of extremely precise maritime chronometers. And that, of course, was still just the beginning.
It would be impossible to summarize here all the historical events, all the inventions, all the personal adventures and stories of ingenuity and genius that make up the history of timekeeping, an epic journey that eventually led — among the rest — to the modern mechanical wristwatches, accurate and precise tiny marvels, that rest reliably on our wrists.
In today’s world, it could be easy to believe that that journey is finally over, but that would be a great mistake. It’s true: nowadays, time and precision timekeeping are subjects mostly discussed in labs and theoretical physicists’ offices, while watch brands concentrate instead more on design and marketing. But also in the mechanical wristwatches world the strive for excellence and innovation is far from dead. New materials, new escapement architectures for greater accuracy and efficiency, not to mention the world of complications and the engineering challenges that they pose. Year after year, the likes of Patek, Lange, Vacheron, F. P. Journe, Jaeger, Grand Seiko, MBF, Rolex — and the list could go on and on — push the innovation forward, and write a new fascinating chapter of the horological history.
And, of course, talking about watches is also talking about the expert work that goes into the creation of a timepiece, from the design of the movement and the production of the components, to the decoration, assembly, and final testing. One could say that in a fine watch, the sharp minds and skilled hands of the watchmakers bring together past and future, in a still too rare marriage of science and art.
While holding a watch in my hands, hypnotised by the sweeping second hand, or lost in the spectacular intricacy of the movement, those are the images that dance in my mind and that make it an almost magical experience.
When you put a watch on your wrist, you are not wearing only a shiny accessory that tells the time; you are wearing an important part of human history, a symbol of our collective journey through the complicated mystery that is life; a memento of what it really means to be human: to wonder, to explore, to find one answer and thousands other questions in the process, and to never stop going forward, in time, with time; to borrow an expression form Walter Lange, to never stand still.
These are only some of the reasons why I care about watches, but of course, there are many more, and I’m sure that each one of you could talk at length about their personal reasons. If you have some time, I’d love to hear about some of those in the comments below!
