The Men's Wristwatch

For centuries clocks were a status symbol of their owner. Their elegance and precision were clear indicators of the craftsmanship that went in to making the time piece. Functionality started creeping in to the design and that is when the wristwatch was born. Time pieces are often purchased solely on aesthetics alone but for some the accuracy of the timepiece is more important. These factors have carried over to wristwatches and are clearly seen in men\'s watches of today.

The first portable timepiece was fashioned in the 1500\'s and slowly evolved in to the wristwatches of today. The first wristwatches were made in the mid 1800\'s. Even as recent as a 100 years ago, clocks were mostly mantle clocks and pocket watches. While there are many very stylish mantle and pocket watches their functionality was set by the style of the watch. With the onset of improved manufacturing process and higher levels of precision the pocket watch evolved in to the men\'s watch.

World War I and II both played a role in making men\'s watches as much of the everyday attire as socks. The wars demanded the timing of events so the ability to tell time was important. The pocket watch was frequently damaged by rigors of everyday infantry work and taking it out of the pocket and opening the case proved to be cumbersome. Wristwatches had been around for about 50 years by this point but it was worn only by the wealthiest and seen as an extravagance. With the advances in technology that the war was driving, innovations men\'s watches led to them being put in good use. They became smaller, cheaper to make and much more reliable.

Louis Cartier is given credit for inventing the modern men\'s watch. It was created for an aviator named Santo\'s Dumont. Just after 1910 the same type of watch was made available to the general public and it was a hit. The watch had the classic round face that equate to wristwatches. Over time the round face has evolved to an oval shape and then to rectangles and squares. The rectangular face was invented by Patek Phillipe in 1953 and was given the name of "clock reference".

In the 1920\'s the quartz watch was invented. This was one of the first uses of the electronic time keeping circuits. Watches remained largely unchanged from a technology perspective until the 1970\'s when Japan broke through with the digital watch. For the next 20 years watches moved towards a digital display. Over the course of the next 19 years watches moved back towards the traditional round face with analog displays. While the display has moved back towards a more traditional look the technology that drives the watch has continued to move forward. Today, watches are more precise and can do everything from playing MP3 recordings to calculating tips or fuel consumption to being a GPS. Men\'s wristwatches are more reliable and accurate than ever. Watches come in more designs and styles than ever and you can select a watch that fits yours budget whether that be $10 or thousands.