History of watches (interesting facts). Interesting facts about wristwatches: we bet you didn't know this? Interesting facts about watches

1. In one of the cities of Brazil called Para, residents use the so-called “rain clock”, that is, they interpret time according to precipitation. This happens because here several times a day short-term tropical rains are poured, almost regularly repeated.
2. It takes more than 20 workers to make one copy of a watch.
3. American film actor Bruce Willis often wears his watch incorrectly: with the dial facing down. This is clearly seen in some films, such as "Die Hard", "Mercury in Peril" and many others.

4. The shadow that leaves the shaft of the sundial moves throughout the day from the western side of the dial to the east, that is, from left to right. This is where the clockwise direction came from.
5. To date, the very first clock is solar, which was a stone statue. The direction and length of his shadow just helped to determine the time. One of these watches was found in ancient egypt in the fifteenth century BC. e.
6. In one of the cities of the Czech Republic - Trutnov - a clock was built, the deafening ringing of which warned the townspeople that the pubs were closing. Fines were imposed on disobedient residents. By ignoring the second call, a person could be banned from visiting beer bars for a whole year.
7. The first science of time is astrology. Chronology (from the Greek logos (logos) - teaching, chronos (chronos) - time) and history are somehow connected with the concept of “time”.
8. In the cold, sand in an hourglass crumbles faster than at higher temperatures. This is because lowering the temperature of the environment reduces the volume of the body. The walls of the hourglass in the cold become thinner, and the grains of sand are smaller, which makes the clock go faster.
9. Watches in advertisements very often show the same time: ten hours and ten minutes, or eight hours and twenty minutes. The reason for this is simple: otherwise the arrows cover the title. Moreover, the position of the hands at 10:10 is like a smile, which has a positive effect on customer loyalty.
10. On watches with Roman numerals on the dials, the number IV is often written as four units (IIII).
11. In total, a person created or used as many as ten types of clocks: fire, electronic, water, electric, solar, mechanical, wheel, atomic, and sand.
12. In a watch called “atomic”, the smallest error is one second. in 6 million years, while the mechanical error ranges from minus ten to plus fifty-five seconds per day.
13. The most expensive this moment the watch cost over $25 million. The dial of this watch is almost indistinguishable, it fades before the huge diamonds that crown the entire strap.
14. Approximately one billion watch movements are produced annually around the world. Japan accounts for about 60% of this amount.
15. Since the hourglass was not afraid of pitching, they were often and for a long time used in the navy.
16. When Nepal gained independence from India, then, as a confirmation of its position, changed the time to fifteen minutes.
17. There are several versions of the appearance of the name "Big Ben". The first is that the largest of the 6 bells is named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw the construction work. According to a less common belief, Big Ben was named after Benjamin Count, a famous wrestler.

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The very first clock on earth was solar. They were ingeniously simple: a pole stuck into the ground. A time scale is drawn around it. The shadow of the pole, moving along it, showed what time it was. Later, such clocks were made of wood or stone and installed on the walls of public buildings. Then came the portable sundial, which was made of precious wood, ivory or bronze.

There were even watches that can conditionally be called pocket watches.

found during excavations ancient city. This sundial, made of silver-plated copper, was shaped like a ham with lines drawn on it. The spire - the clock hand - served as a pig's tail. The hours were small. They could easily fit in a pocket. But the inhabitants of the ancient city have not yet invented pockets. So they wore such watches on a cord, chain or attached to canes made of expensive wood.

The sundial had one significant drawback: it could only "walk" on the street, and even then on the sunlit side. This, of course, was extremely inconvenient. That's probably why the water clock was invented. Drop by drop, water flowed from one vessel to another, and by how much water flowed out, it was determined how much time had passed. For many hundreds of years, such watches - they were called clepsydras - served people. In China, for example, they were used 4.5 thousand years ago. By the way, the first alarm clock on earth was also a water one - both an alarm clock and a school bell at the same time. Its inventor is considered the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who lived 400 years before our era. This device, invented by Plato to call his students to classes, consisted of two vessels. Water was poured into the upper one, from where it gradually flowed into the lower one, displacing air from there. Air through the tube rushed to the flute, and it began to sound. Prchem alarm clock was regulated depending on the time of year. Clepsydras were very common in the ancient world.

In addition to water clocks, sand and fire clocks (most often alarm clocks) were also known. In the East, the latter were sticks or cords made from a slowly burning compound.

And at the end of the 16th century, a new discovery was made. The young scientist Galileo Galilei, observing the movement of various lamps in the Pisa Cathedral during the service, found that neither the weight nor the shape of the lamps, but only the length of the chains on which they are suspended, determines the periods of their oscillations from the wind breaking through the windows. He owns the idea of creating clocks with a pendulum

Many inventors tried to improve watches, and at the end of the 19th century they became an ordinary and necessary thing.

curator of belles-lettres

Even in the era of smartphones, wristwatches do not remain on the sidelines in our personal collection of accessories. Let's check the clock? It's time to learn more about them!

The first clocks appeared among the Sumerians and the ancient Egyptians

And it was a sundial. The shadow falling from a pole stuck in the sand or earth, crossing the drawn circle - the prototype of the dial, indicated the time of day. Mankind has been using such clocks since the 3rd millennium BC. e.

Pocket watches became famous in the 15th century

And they called them "Nuremberg eggs." Firstly, because they were invented by Peter Henlein, a master watchmaker from the German city of Nuremberg, approximately in 1503, having reduced the table clock. Secondly, because Henlein's watch was rounded, like a modern fish can. The mechanism was placed in a brass case, and only one hand, the hour hand, walked around the dial. The minute hand appeared later, in the middle of the 16th century, and the second hand appeared in the middle of the 18th century.

Hours SL: ; with colored dial(order)

The first wristwatches were designed for women

The dispute about who was the first to make women's watches is being fought by two respected and world-famous brands: Breguet and Patek Philippe. Breguet has documents confirming that in 1810 for Caroline Murat, sister of Napoleon Bonaparte and Queen of Naples, a watch with a silver dial on a gold bracelet, with a fight was created. And Patek Philippe in 1868 completed an order for a bracelet watch from the Hungarian Countess Koskovich (according to another version, Kotsevich). The difficulty is that both rarities have not survived to this day, so it is difficult to give the laurels of the first ladies' watchmaker to one person.

And men until the 1930s used pocket watches, considering the watch on the wrist as a female adornment. Military actions "helped" to force out the accessory on a chain from the favorites of the strong half of humanity late XIX century and the first World War: on the front line, using a watch securely fastened on the arm was more convenient and safer. Such clocks even became known as trench clocks.

The first waterproof watch was made in 1926

And they were created by Rolex watchmakers. The model was water and dust resistant hermetic case, thanks to which it received the name Oyster, which means “oyster” in English. To convince all doubters of the unique characteristics of the movement, Rolex presented a couple of watches to the English swimmer Mercedes Gleitze, and on October 7, 1927, she crossed the English Channel in them. After ten hours in the water, the watch worked flawlessly.

SL watch: with colored dial; on a yellow strap(order)

Quartz watches are more accurate than mechanical ones.

In 1657, the Dutch inventor Christian Huygens first assembled a mechanical pocket watch, and in 1675 he patented it. The daily error of his watch did not exceed 10 seconds, similar to modern mechanisms. The first quartz watch, that is, a battery-powered rather than a spring watch that does not require daily winding, was released in 1957 by the American company Hamilton.

Each type of watch has its advantages and disadvantages, but in terms of accuracy, quartz is confidently ahead of mechanics: the accuracy (error) of a quartz watch is from 5 to 15-20 seconds per month, and mechanical - from minus 20 to plus 40 seconds per day.

"Happy Time" on the watch face boosts watch sales

For watches displayed in shop windows, the time is set so that the location of the hands on the dial resembles a smile: for example, ten hours ten minutes. Such a “smiley face” arouses subconscious sympathy among buyers, which means it has a positive effect on watch sales. Marketers call this technique happy time, or "happy time."

SL watch: on a red strap; on purple strap(order)

The first electronic watch "declared itself" in the 1970s

In 1971, the Swiss company BWC made the first watch with four digit windows on a liquid crystal screen instead of a dial with arrows. The technology turned out to be expensive and imperfect, but the interest in the novelty was great, and the research of watchmakers continued. In 1972, the Hamilton company already mentioned by us introduced the Pulsar P1 watch with an LED display and in a case made of ... 18 carat gold. Electronic watches entered mass fashion thanks to the Japanese company Seiko, which since 1973 has been producing budget and practical watch models with liquid crystal indicators, that is, with an LCD display.

The smartwatch era began in the 1980s

A modern digital watch is a mini-computer with a touch screen and the functions of a chronometer, mobile phone, navigator, organizer, camera, and so on and so forth. The "grandfathers" of the Apple Watch, Sony SmartWatch and other smartwatches in the usual sense, released after 2013, were Seiko and Casio devices in the 1980-1990s and Linux Watch, created in 1998 (however, at the end of 2001, the project was rolled up). So, the first watch with a calculator appeared back in 1975, with a TV - in 1982 (the Guinness Book of Records marked Seiko TV Watch as the smallest TV in the world), with an external keyboard for data entry - in 1983.

The history of watches with built-in games is also interesting. The first such model (Unitrex Monte Carlo) was released in 1977. It had three games: jackpot, dice, roulette - and they did not have their own visualization, but were a random number generator on the display. The full graphics gaming watch was introduced by Casio in 1980. Models GM-10, GM-20, GM-30 and GM-40 pleased owners with the opportunity to have fun with a couple of shooting games and a game similar to Tetris.

Watch: SL with transparent dial; Ceramic Okami (to order)

An anti-clock is a clock that goes backwards

Clocks run from left to right (clockwise) because that is the direction the shadow of the sundial moves. But! This fact is true only for the Northern Hemisphere; in the Southern Hemisphere, the shadow of a gnomon (pole or column of a sundial) moves the other way around.

Until the 20th century, the inhabitants of both hemispheres used watches with both directions of the arrows. In Europe there are tower clocks with reverse movement, for example in Prague and Munich. But in the end, the “northern”, the course of arrows familiar to us today, won.

However, pocket, wrist and wall clocks, going against the sun, from right to left, and therefore having an “inverted” dial, do not stop being produced. Even the Soviet industry, the legendary factories "Lightning", "Chaika", "Rocket" had their own anti-watches. This unusual accessory, which adds originality and style to its owner, by the way, time shows as expected, you just need to get the hang of it quickly.

Today, the world produces more than 1 billion watches a year

The leader of the world watch market is Japan: its manufacturers account for 60% of sales. In the premium segment, Switzerland traditionally rules the show: the products of its firms are the most expensive. The number of sold mechanical, quartz, electronic and digital (touch) wrist movements, which has exceeded one billion, suggests that many of us have in our personal collection not one or two pairs of watches, but much more - for all occasions.

SL watch: on a pink strap; in aluminum alloy case(order)

History of watches for children.Conversations about time.

Let's talk about the types of watches.

What is the name of the device that counts the time within a day?- Such a device is called a clock.

The oldest clocks used by people to roughly know the time are solar clocks. The dial of such a watch was placed in an open place brightly lit by the sun, and the clock's hand was a rod that cast a shadow on the dial.

From antiquity came to us and hourglasses. Maybe some of you have seen them? After all, the hourglass is still used in medicine, when you need to measure a small, but very specific period of time.

An hourglass consists of two small cone-shaped vessels connected at their apexes to each other, with a narrow opening at the junction of the vessels. The upper vessel contains sand, which seeps in a thin stream through the hole into the lower vessel. When all the sand from the upper vessel is in the lower, a certain time passes, for example, one minute.

Now let's talk about modern watches. Each of us has a clock in our home. Maybe not alone. This is a home clock.

Try to talk about them. Where are they located? What is their shape?

Watches are wrist. They are worn on the arm with a bracelet or strap.

Fashionistas like beautiful watches in the form of a pendant or a ring. A pendant on a chain is worn around the neck, and a ring is worn on the finger.

Some men prefer massive pocket watches. They are attached by a chain to a belt and worn in a trouser pocket.

You probably have an alarm clock at home.

Why do we need such hours? - The alarm clock can be set at a certain hour, and with its bell or melody, it will wake us up at the right time.

A clock that is usually placed on a desk is called a table clock, a clock hanging on the wall is called a wall clock.

Where do you think the grandfather clock is? - This clock is on the floor. They are tall, massive, with heavy weights attached to chains, and with a melodic fight. Mantel clocks adorn indoor fireplaces.

Listen to the poem "Clock with a fight."

Once upon a time there was an old woman
(For a long time already at rest),
And the old woman had
Clock carved with a fight.
"Ding dong, ding dong!" —
Beat every hour
Rumble filled the house
And they woke us up at night.
Of course, we were not silent
We knocked on the old woman's door:
"Save our ears,
Stop the clock fight!"
But the old woman answered us
She answered: "No and no!
The clock speaks to me
I love their gentle fight.

Ding dong! Ding dong!
How beautiful is their chime!
Even though he's a little sad
But transparent and crystal!
Days, weeks passed.
But the clock suddenly rattled
The arrows shuddered and stood up,
And the clock stopped striking.
It became quiet. Even creepy!
We have long been accustomed to the fight,
(But this is not a joke!)
There was something alive in him!
We, of course, did not remain silent,
There was a knock on the old lady's door.
"Why can't you hear the fight?
We need a watchmaker!"
Here comes the watchmaker
Wise, experienced old man,
And he said, "That's it!
Here the spring is weakened,
The mechanism will be lubricated
And the clock - love and affection!
He changed the spring.
And the bell rang again
Silver chime:
"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!",
Bringing the whole house to life!

What kind of clock "can cook"?- Cuckoo-clock! A "cuckoo" is hiding in a clock made in the form of a patterned wooden hut. Every hour the door of the house opens and the cuckoo appears on its threshold. She loudly sings: "Ku-ku, ku-ku", reminding us of what time it is now.

Listen to the poem "The Cuckoo Clock".

Lives in a carved hut
Cheerful cuckoo.
She cuckles every hour
And wakes us up early in the morning:
"Coo-coo! Coo-coo!
It's already seven in the morning!
Ku-ku! Ku-ku!
It's time to get up!"
The cuckoo does not live in the forests,
And in our old clock!

There are also clocks on city streets and squares. They are installed on towers, buildings of stations, theaters and cinemas.

The most famous clock in Russia is the Kremlin chimes, installed on the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin.

The first clock on the Spasskaya Tower appeared at the beginning of the 17th century. They were created by the English master Christopher Galovey. For his work, he received a royal gift - a silver goblet and, in addition to it, satin, sable and marten furs.

After some time, the Russian Tsar Peter I ordered another watch from Holland. At first they were transported by ship by sea, then delivered on 30 wagons to the Kremlin.

Master Galoway's old clock was removed and replaced with a Dutch clock. When this clock also fell into disrepair, another large chiming clock, stored in the Armory, was put in its place.

For several centuries, the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin has been decorated with clocks. A whole team of experienced watchmakers maintains their work, making sure that the clock does not lag behind and does not rush. 117 stone steps lead to the chimes. Behind them, the cast-iron steps of the spiral staircase begin, leading to the eighth floor. Here is the mechanism of the chimes.

"The iron colossus is all shiny, oiled. The polished copper disks of the dials shine, the levers are painted with red paint, the gilded disk of the pendulum, similar to the circle of the sun, shines. It reigns over this system of shafts, cables, gears that form a complex mechanism for counting time" (L Kolodny).

On December 31, with the first strike of the Kremlin chimes, the country enters New Year. Hearing the beat of the famous clock, we wish each other happiness and Happy New Year!

Watches he uses modern man, are mechanical. Then they need to start at certain intervals.

The mechanical clock was invented in the 17th century. scientist Christian Huygens, since then they have faithfully served us.

In the second decade of the XX century. electronic and quartz watches appeared. They run on batteries or mains electricity.

And the most accurate clocks are atomic.

Do you know what kind of clock is called natural or living?

In the old days in the village, of course, Petya the cockerel was such a living clock. The peasants noticed that the first time the rooster crowed at about two in the morning, and the second time at about four in the morning.

Listen to the poem "Cockerel" about this.

Crow crow!
The cockerel sings loudly.
The sun lit up the river
A cloud floats in the sky.
Wake up, animals, birds!
Get down to business.
Dew sparkles on the grass
July night has passed.
Like a real alarm clock
The cockerel woke us up.
He fluffed his shiny tail
And straightened the comb.

Have you heard of the flower clock?

In the morning on a sunny meadow where dandelions grow, you can find out the time even without a wristwatch. Dandelions unanimously open at five in the morning, and by two or three in the afternoon they extinguish their golden lanterns.

Listen to a poem about dandelions.

By the river there is a green meadow,
Dandelions all around
Washed with dews
Opened up friendly.
How the lanterns burn
We are told to you:
"It's exactly five o'clock,
You can still sleep!"

Dandelions are meadow clocks .. But water lilies are river clocks. No wonder they are called "hours of tourists." At seven o'clock in the morning, they open their snow-white petals towards the sun's rays and turn after the sun throughout the day.