Watches
The beginnings of portable time-keeping began in 1480 - 1511
in Nürnberg, Germany. Peter Henlein creates the first pocket
watches. It is made of gilded brass and has only one hand giving
the approximate time.
in 1485 Leonardo da Vinci sketches a fusee for a clock. This
system would later be used in watches.
In 1541 Jean Calvin moved to Geneva and turned it into the center
for the production of watches. As word of this spread, makers
from Paris and other watch making centers fled to Geneva. At this
time there had imposed many strict laws banning theater, dancing,
and other forms of art and entertainment. This included a ban
on wearing elaborate clothing and jewelry. Initially this seemed
like doom for Geneva's many fine jewelers, but one loophole in
the laws gave them opportunity. Watches were considered an item
of practical use, therefore allowed in his new strict Protestant
Geneva. Geneva's jewelers then collaborated with the watchmakers
who had recently fled there to make watches with jewels, enamels,
and engravings. This collaboration spawned the beginning of the
watch industry.
So many people today wear watches and the watch industry is massive.
Watches have come a long way from there humble beginnings, they
come in all shapes and sizes from the cheap $1 wristwatch to the
jewel encrusted platinum Rolex watch costing $300,000 worn by
many a pop or soccer star, essentially they all do the same thing,
tell the time.
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