Or the history of watchmaking seen by the steampunk movement.
Welcome vaporist. Like all fans of Steampunk Watches , we love beautiful mechanics. It is a central point of many books by Jules Verne, notably in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The Victorian era, cradle of the industrial revolution, is teeming with inventions with its steam engines and monuments that we love in the steampunk movement such as Big Ben or the Bridge Tower. In short, mixing the era of Sherlock Holmes with science fiction is conducive to all kinds of madness.
Besides steam engines, precision mechanics is just as fascinating. What could be more beautiful than watchmaking mechanics? The gears and cogs of all kinds used in DIY often come from old watches. So we wanted to trace a little of the history of watchmaking to better understand the codes and secrets of this exciting world.
Humans have always been fascinated with observing and measuring time. From prehistoric man to the modern technology craze, the world of horology has seen an abundance of different devices used to measure time. Sundials and water clocks were some of the most common methods of keeping track of time before the invention of the mechanical clock in the late 1200s.
The mechanics that make it possible to create timepieces.
The oldest clock is dated 1530. In 1275, the first mechanical clock was invented in England. Salisbury Cathedral, completed in 1386, houses one of the oldest working clocks. This clock has no dial and tells the time only by chiming. In the early 1300s, three mechanical clocks were built in Italy. One was an astronomical clock, the second struck a bell every hour, and the third tracked the hours, sunrise, and days of the month. Over the years, blacksmiths continued to build clocks with bells that rang loudly in manors and towns.
The 16th century saw the use of brass, bronze, and silver instead of the iron that had been used in the past. In the 1540s, the Swiss watch industry was born because reformer John Calvin banned people from wearing jewelry. This forced jewelers to learn another trade, watchmaking. In 1574, the first known pocket watch was made of bronze with religious images on the front and back.
The evolution and mastery of time.
The pendulum clock was patented by Christian Huygens in 1656 but was first studied in 1602 by Galileo Galilei. The pendulum clock reduced the deviation in time to about 15 seconds per day compared to the existing mechanical accuracy of 15 minutes per day. The motion of the pendulum helps measure the force of gravity. Scientists including Isaac Newton studied the pendulum and helped accurately measure the shape of the earth through the force of the motion. Over the years, the pendulum was not only used for scientific purposes but was also refined to optimize accuracy over time, reducing time lags. It foreshadowed future automatic movements and prepared for the future.
The advent of pocket watches.
Although pocket watches began to be produced in the late 16th century, they only showed the hours. It was not until 1680 that minute hands were added. Very expensive watches were unaffordable. The first second-hand watches appeared 10 years later, although this practice took a while to establish, it gradually popularized this type of watch. A few decades later, the pocket watch replaced the old pendant watch. This change is said to have occurred after Charles II of England introduced waistcoats. By wearing the watch in a pocket rather than a pendant, the shape was flattened and curved to prevent sharp edges from protruding and damaging clothing. The dial was first protected by glass in 1610.
Let us return to the use of the clock.
The 1700s saw the ownership of a clock become commonplace in almost every home. Manufacturers produced clocks in all shapes and sizes, including grandfather clocks and decorative table clocks. As clocks became more common, the technology developed over time. The escapement that George Graham invented in 1715, the lever mechanism, provided greater accuracy. The first self-winding mechanism was invented in 1770 by Abraham-Louis Perrelet. Jean-Antoine Lépine created a thinner movement in 1770 that also allowed watchmakers to make thinner watches that were easier to conceal. The lever escapement, although invented in 1759, was improved in 1785. This escapement was primarily used in Britain, as Swiss watchmakers used cylinder escapements until the late 1800s.
The industrial revolution and mass production.
With the Victorian era , its Industrial Revolution, and the technological advances of the 19th century, manufacturers were also able to develop their own systems for duplicating tools and machines. Mass production developed in the United States, primarily in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Cheaper materials allowed for the mass production of pocket watches that were first made available to ordinary people. Mass production also required a change in the way pocket watches were wound. From about 1860, key winding was replaced by keyless winding. This meant that the pocket watch was wound by turning the crown.
The wristwatch for you... ladies.
The first wristwatch was created in 1812, to fit the wrist of the Queen of Naples. It had already been introduced in the 1570s, but was described as an arm watch. Wristwatches were mainly worn by women, as they were prone to the elements, so men wore pocket watches. Wristwatches became more popular among men in the military. In 1880, Constant Girard of Girard-Perregaux mass-produced two thousand wristwatches for German naval officers. Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont was looking for a watch that would allow him to keep both hands on the controls while timing flights. He turned to his good friend Louis Cartier for an alternative. Cartier and his watchmaker Edmond Jaeger developed the Santos wristwatch, which Santos-Dumont popularized as he wore it during his flights.
The First World War and the advent of the wristwatch.
During World War I, a pocket watch meant that to keep track of the time, soldiers could not carry all their equipment. To keep their hands free, they were given wristwatches called "trench watches". These early wristwatches were made with pocket watch movements, some brands had the crown at 12 o'clock, others at 3 o'clock. They were worn on leather straps and allowed for precise coordination of maneuvers and attacks. Wristwatches were now part of the officer's kit for the front. They had to have a luminous wristwatch and an unbreakable crystal, which also had to be purchased individually rather than issued by the army. Because men had to buy their own watches, there were many advertisements seen everywhere, which helped popularize wristwatches.
The 20th century, modern development.
In 1930, the first chronometer was patented by the Breitling Watch Company, although it had been invented in the 1770s. The chronograph, although similar to a stopwatch, measured time in addition to recording time increments. The first electronic watches were introduced in the late 1950s. The hands were moved mechanically, but the balance wheel was powered by a solenoid, a thin wire wrapped around a metal core that produced a magnetic field when an electric current was passed through it. These watches foreshadowed the quartz watch, introduced in 1969. The quartz watch removed all the moving parts from mechanical watches and replaced them with a battery. This meant that watches became simpler and could maintain better accuracy without cleaning or oiling. These quartz watches were driven by a battery-powered circuit rather than a self-winding movement. Quartz watches used digital counters rather than a train of wheels to add up beats to keep track of time, which is still found in quartz watches today.
Non-quartz watches are still made today, mostly by luxury Swiss brands. Many are handcrafted and feature hand-polished surfaces, from the dial to the smallest screws. Producing these watches is a true art form that few people possess.
The future of watches.
Silver, stainless steel, and gold have all been common watch materials, with companies experimenting with titanium and carbon fiber in their case designs as well as aluminum and platinum. In recent years, watches have been made with even more high-tech materials like silicon and ceramic. Some of these materials are also found in watch movements, not just cases.
Watchmaking has always been inseparable from technology and inventions. We have really seen this in the last few decades with quartz watches and smartwatches. Now, with the expansion of technology in the computer and mobile phone industry, companies have been experimenting with the “smart watch”. These watches are not just reserved for watchmakers, as software companies have spent a lot of time researching these microtechnologies. Apple has introduced the iWatch, and you can also find the Google Watch and Android Wear. To keep up with these smartwatches, many luxury watch brands are now introducing their own smart technology. TAG Heuer has also announced its own collaboration with Google and Intel to create a smart watch. Brands such as Montblanc, Frederique Constant, Alpina, Mondaine, and Movado have also made smartwatch announcements.
But why use a mechanical watch these days?
The mechanical watch almost died with the quartz watch craze, but it has been brought back to life. Despite all the new technological advancements and novelties, open-heart mechanical watches are here to stay. There is a beauty in the craftsmanship and mechanical innovation of these watches that has a real charm. This is the case for vintage watch collectors, who strive to find classic watches made before the advent of the smart watch. These new technologies and smartwatches have a short lifespan and are prone to being replaced quickly. This is the complete opposite of mechanical watches that have survived the decades with panache.
In the steampunk movement this is what we like,skeleton watches orpocket watches that transport us to the Victorian period, to the novels of Jules Verne or Albert Robida. We are nostalgic for old, reliable and neat mechanics, a vestige of a time when the watch was an object passed down from generation to generation.
Here you go vaporist, see you soon.
Hoping to transmit to you a little of our passion for this watchmaking industry so close to steampunk.