The history of watches and the watchmaking trade.
From tower clock to wristwatch and digital time
People have always wanted to measure time. The sun, water and sand came first, but it was the mechanical watches that made time something you could read precisely anywhere. The watchmaker profession grew around precisely this precision — and it is still the profession's core.
§The large clocks
The first mechanical clocks were large and stood in towers and churches. They were based on a drive work a gear train and a regulator that kept the pace steady. Many of the basic principles you learn today can be recognized all the way back from these clocks.
§The watch gets smaller.
Over time, watches became smaller: pocket watches and later wristwatches. This required ever finer mechanics and increasingly greater precision in each individual part. The watchmaker became a craftsperson working at a very small scale with very high demands for accuracy.
| Period | Development. | Significance for the trade |
|---|---|---|
| Early time | Sun, water and sand watches | Time is measured but imprecisely |
| The beginning of mechanics | Large mechanical tower clocks | Gear drive, gears and regulation arise |
| Smaller watches | Pocket and wristlet watches | Fine mechanics and high precision |
| Modern times | Electronic and quartz watches. | Watchmakers work with both mechanics and electronics |
§Mechanics meets electronics
With electronic watches came a new kind of precision and new tasks. Today the watchmaker works with both old mechanics and modern electronic modules — from restoring an old watch to servicing a new one.