Early Egyptians were some of the first cultures to create a mechanical way of measuring time by running water. Some of the earliest accurate clocks were built by monks in Italy to simply tell you what time to pray. Theses clocks told time audibly with bells and had no hand indicators.
In the 16th century pocket watches were invented in England. The watches were bulky and were generally worn around the neck because of their size. It is rumored that in the famous painting of Henry VIII, it was not a medallion around his neck, but a watch he owned. While pocket watches were invented in the 16th century, it was not until the 17th century that they became more common and accurate.
In the 1700s, Queen Anne of England wanted to extend her vast maritime power and offered a huge reward of 20,000 pounds for anyone who invented something that reliably calculated longitude.
A watchmaker by the name of John Harrison discovered that a precise reading of a ships longitude could only happen if you knew the exact time. Harrison decided that he needed to create a watch that was far more accurate then what was available at that time. He worked for more then ten years to create 4 versions of the Harrison Marine Chronometer. He presented his plate sized watch to the royal academy and had his chronometers tested by people like Captain Cook. Harrisons Marine Chronometer went through many trials and eventually was accepted by the Queen who then paid him his prize money of 20,000 pounds.
It took until the 19th century for the wrist watch technology really began. The wrist watch was invented by Patek Philippe. From the time of its invention until the Great War, the wrist watch was mainly considered something that a woman would wear. Men, to that point had generally used pocket watches. In the midst of war, some armies soon realized that it was much easier to glance at your wrist to check the time, than it was to fumble around in your jacket to find your pocket watch. When the war ended, the soldiers got to keep their army issued wrist watches. They must have gotten used to wearing a wrist watch everyday, because soon after the war ended, it became common to see civilian men wearing wristwatches in public. Some might argue that the Great War was the one single event that spurred the entire wrist watch industry.
The Native American jewelry revolution started during the late 1800s. With the importance of trade and the changing of times this gave Native Americans the opportunity to innovate and create beautiful jewelry to trade and and provided a way of income to participate in the changing of times. The Native American cuff watch bracelet has become an extremely popular timepiece in the fashion industry.
Here at Jewelry of the Southwest we have a variety of Native American watches. These styles range from sterling silvermens watches, sterling silverwomens watches, and a wide selection of southwestern cuff watches. We have watches for all occasions. We carry turquoise cuff watch, coral cuff watch bracelets and many inlaid watches.
