Trivia about history, watch movements, and the business

I’ll make an effort to educate individuals who may not be familiar with wristwatches on the subject. I am a hobbyist in this field, and while I do not intend to write a scholarly treatise on the topic, I do want to tell individuals who may not be familiar with it about it. Any knowledgeable watch aficionados who read it will need to bear that in mind since this does not cover everything. The shortest history I can give is basically as follows. The first watches were mechanical clocks made of gears and springs. The movement is the term for the internal moving components that drive the clock or watch. Clocks are big, but ultimately they were shrunk down to the size of a pocket watch. For a few hundred years, people kept time with pocket watches. Initially used as a form of jewellery by kings and the wealthy, pocket watches eventually became accessible to the average person. The original wristwatches belonged to women. Because wristwatches were considered to be feminine accessories in the late 1800s and early 1900s, men wouldn’t have been seen wearing one. Ironically, the period of men’s wristwatches was brought about by World War One. Soldiers needed to know the time for timing all kinds of missions and wartime activities, and the wristwatch was portable and could go practically anywhere. The dive watch was eventually created when navy missions required watertight wristwatches. They were crucial to military aviators as well. For more details, please click here rolex super clone

The majority of timepieces on the market today can withstand water to varied degrees, from those that won’t be damaged when you wash your hands to those that can submerge deeper than any human can go without the protection of a submersible. In the past, watches were mechanical and contained a small engine with gears and springs that ran on the mainspring’s stored energy from winding the watch. Our grandparents and some of our parents can recall that these were formerly the only timepieces available. The automatic winding watch is a variation on the mechanical watch. It has the same sort of movement as the mechanical watch, but an additional spinning weight that rotates in tandem with the wearer’s wrist keeps the watch wound continuously for as long as it is worn. Overwinding is prevented by a mechanism. Some automatic watches have the same mechanism built in that prevents overwinding even from the crown as the earlier non-automatic models, and some automatic watches can be wound via the crown. Older non-automatic mechanical watches that need to be wound by hand lack this safety function, and if you try to wind it against resistance, you’ll break the watch, which will need to be repaired. To prevent overwinding, mechanical timepieces that require manual winding should only be wound once day at the same time every day. Children frequently wish to keep these watches fully wound since they do not fully grasp that they only need one daily winding. As a result, these watches commonly break when in their care. There are a few mechanical timepieces that require manual winding that only require one full wind every eight days, but they are uncommon.

For a limited time, non-quartz battery-operated electric timepieces were fashionable. Similar to modern quartz watches, these were powered by a battery, but they didn’t rely on the quartz crystal’s oscillation; instead, they used alternative techniques that are outside the scope of this article. These timepieces were sold alongside conventional mechanical manual wind and automatic wind watches from the late 1950s to the 1970s. Although the quartz watch was created in Switzerland in 1962, it was first sold in Japan in 1969. This sounded the death knell for many Swiss and American mechanical watch companies and signalled a crisis in the Swiss-dominated watch industry. The Swiss then released their own quartz versions, but the Japanese behemoths Seiko, Citizen, and others would go on to dominate the watch industry with their low-cost, even disposable, battery-operated quartz watches. For affluent aficionados, a select few stalwarts continued to produce mechanical watches. Companies like Rolex and IWC, among others, never stopped making mechanical watches, but occasionally they did also produce their own quartz models. You see, when electronic and quartz watches initially became available, they stood for new technology and were therefore very popular. Some commercials boasted that the battery-operated watch could function solely on its own power, independent of the wearer. A mechanical movement can never be as exact as they are, and they are far more so. The common observation that the typical very inexpensive quartz watch maintains better time than a very expensive Swiss mechanical timepiece is both a running joke and occasionally an uncomfortable truth. However, at this level, there are many additional considerations that go into the decision of which watch one chooses to wear. Those of us who are realistic may not understand why someone would pay thousands for a less accurate watch.

Beginning in the 1990s, mechanical wristwatches experienced a kind of revival that is still going on today. The market for mechanical watches is thriving, even if inexpensive quartz watches continue to outsell expensive and other types by a factor of ten. In reality, larger conglomerates with portfolios of many watch brands under their wing own the majority of European watch companies. One of the biggest is Swatch. Omega, the old American brand Hamilton, Swatch, and a number of other brands are all owned by Swatch. Additionally, Swatch owns the ETA firm, which produces the majority of the Swiss watch movements used in numerous independent brands in addition to Swatch. Although some other smaller businesses have begun producing Swiss movements for sale to other businesses, ETA is the big dog, and Swatch is quite potent as a result. There are mechanical watches for every market niche. The market for less expensive mechanical timepieces has mostly been monopolised by the Chinese. The tiny mechanical motors that power mechanical watches are called movements, and the Chinese have started creating their own as well as copying well-known Swiss movements. Compared to the Europeans or even the Japanese, they can create them for a very low price. China participates on both sides of the trade. Many trustworthy watch brands outsource to China in order to reduce labour costs and operating expenses. This has a double-edged effect because the Chinese have learned a lot from their outsourcing projects, including how to construct and run ISO-certified facilities, among other things. This applies to everything that is outsourced to Chinese companies, not just watches. To their credit, the Chinese are extremely intelligent and cunning. Unfortunately, a lot of dishonest businesspeople and government figures have used this information to create fake goods. China not only manufactures a large number of fake watches that are difficult to tell apart from the real thing, but they have also copied the internal mechanisms that power the timepieces. Even while there are variances and the knockoffs aren’t as nice as the originals, some of them almost make it hard to believe how similar they appear to be. It is also thought that several high-end Swiss watch manufacturers have taken advantage of the loose Swiss Made standards to outsource as many component manufacturing jobs to China as they can, then perform a predetermined legal amount of assembly in Switzerland in order to utilise the Swiss Made name. While not all Swiss watches or brands are like this, many consumers who wear Swiss-made watches would be startled to learn how much of their watch is actually Chinese-made.

The Japanese have successfully outsourced some of their watchmaking operations to China and other nations, including as Thailand, but they maintain strict control over what they do and where they do it. Few Westerners are aware of how old the Japanese watch business is. Seiko, Citizen, and Casio are the three leading Japanese watchmakers, with smaller subsidiaries and other watchmakers capturing the remaining market share. In addition to producing a staggering number of quartz watches, Seiko and Citizen also produce a respectable number of mechanical watches. The Grand Seiko label, which is on par with Swiss manufacturers like Rolex, with pricing to match, is one of Seiko’s many high-quality mechanical timepieces that are within reach of the average consumer. Quartz-powered timepieces of the Campanola series from Citizen are handcrafted and manufactured. In a village that specialises in such art, the dials and ornaments are painted on according to an extremely old artisan technique. Each watch costs a few thousand dollars in the US. Like the Swiss watchmaker Swatch (ETA), Citizen also operates a subsidiary under the name of Miyota, which sells its watch movements to other businesses for use in their timepieces. Quartz- and mechanical-powered movements are produced by both ETA and Miyota. I am aware that I am hopping around a bit, but if I were to tell the entire story and all of the interrelationships, this wouldn’t be an essay but a book instead due to the amount of complexity. I should also point you that a growing number of quartz watches are now powered by rechargeable lithium cells in addition to batteries. Others are recharged using a conventional mechanical rotating weight attached to the back of the watch movement, similar to how mechanical automatic watches are wound. Some recharge by solar electricity that passes through a particular watch dial material. The Citizen Eco Drive brand of solar quartz watches is the most popular, while Seiko produces the Kinetic line of solar quartz watches that are charged by the previously described mechanical spinning weight. Also participating are the Russians. A fascinating watch business exists in Russia. Long before the Soviet Union collapsed, the Russians were manufacturing their own Swiss-derived but distinctively developed Russian movements and watches for the Russian and Soviet Bloc markets using gear that the Swiss had long since sold to the Kremlin. Since then, there have been a few mergers, adjustments, and privatisations in the Russian watch sector.

Although components are difficult to find and unless you’re ready to send the watches to Russia for repair, you’ll typically have to throw away broken Russian watches. The watch business in Germany has a long history, but nowadays most German companies employ Swiss-made ETA movements, with the exception of higher-end companies that have their own in-house operations. Again, there are so many unique circumstances that I am unable to discuss them all here. To fully learn it, you must take an interest in watches and put in the necessary time. The Rolex watch firm is the pinnacle of luxury watchmaking for the majority of middle-class people who aren’t watch lovers. All I wanted to do was pop that bubble. Superb timepieces are produced by Rolex, a fantastic corporation. Depending on the precious metals and gemstones used in their creation, they can cost several thousand dollars to several tens of thousands of dollars or even more, but there are upscale boutique brands that create handcrafted works of art that can cost anything from many luxury cars to the average person’s home. In fact, there are watches on the market that cost a million dollars or more. For the typical individual of average resources, who would never pay more than $20 for a cheap watch to tell the time, this may be difficult to accept, but there are several layers to this industry. While other people drive Lamborghinis, one man drives a beat-up Honda. All of them travel from A to B. The same is true with watches and numerous other items.

Cases
The cases and bands of contemporary wristwatches are frequently constructed of metal or plastic. Cheap metal ones are made of inexpensive base metals that have been coated with chrome or another outer layer. These layers typically wear off, exposing the underlying base metal, which then corrodes and turns green and develops an unpleasant odour when repeatedly exposed to the wearer’s oils and perspiration. At the very least, good metal timepieces are made of surgical-grade stainless steel. You can purchase a watch made of titanium, a high-tech aviation metal, for a little bit more money. Although titanium is significantly lighter than steel, it is also stronger and less prone to corrosion from other corrosives and salt water. For individuals who even have skin responses to steel, it is preferred because it doesn’t contain the nickel that stainless steel does. Some people like steel because, in their minds, it is of superior quality and therefore heavier weight. Despite being a real metal that is stronger and more resilient than steel, titanium has a plastic-like feel. Although it is more fragile than steel, it doesn’t matter because no one can break it. They use titanium alloys to create high-tech aircraft. Some watchmakers create steel versions using somewhat more specialised stainless steel alloys. Rolex is known to utilise 904L stainless in their steel models since it is rumoured to be stronger and more corrosion resistant than standard surgical stainless steel. I am aware of at least one watch manufacturer, the German firm Sinn, which manufactures watch bezels and maybe cases using a type of German U-boat hardened steel. While more expensive dress watches can also be constructed of precious metals like gold, platinum, and other exotic alloys, they are typically made of steel.

Crystals
The crystal is the piece of glass that covers the watch dial. Crystals for watches used to be made of acrylic or plastic. This is seen on old watches. Plastic is readily scratched, but it is simple to polish with polishing rouge and a cloth or sponge. In the event of a heavy hit, plastic might also crack. Later, the industry shifted to more tougher mineral glass, which is extremely durable and shatterproof but easily scratches. The mineral glass used in the majority of low-cost watches today must be replaced once it becomes scratched, as many of you are aware. On an inexpensive watch, replacement costs are simply not attainable. The other type of crystal is sapphire glass, which is typically seen in more costly watches but is also increasingly being used in mid-range watches. Although it is not as shatterproof as mineral glass, the artificial sapphire is almost scratch proof. Only a diamond, sapphire, or, I suppose, a ruby can scratch it. However, beware of diamond dust in some sandpapers and stonework. Although it takes time and expertise, some talented individuals have been able to polish scratches off mineral or sapphire crystals. I own various more affordable watches with mineral crystals, but sapphire crystal watches are what I choose for my money. For instance, the majority of Seiko watches have mineral crystals, but they are such excellent watches that no true watch aficionado can claim to be one without having one or more. For sheer toughness and durability, I would compare a Seiko mechanical to any high end Swiss or German mechanical.

Servicing
The battery of a common quartz watch will expire after three to five years. Some models have 10-year batteries, and solar and kinetics, which use rechargeable lithium cells, claim to have 40-year cell life. However, these products haven’t been on the market long enough for us to determine whether this is true or just marketing speak. Mechanical watches—those that need to be wound or that wind while you wear them—can operate for three to five years before needing to be disassembled, cleaned, and lubricated at a reputable servicing facility. This can cost up to several hundred dollars depending on the watch brand. Well, you don’t just throw away a watch that costs several thousand dollars when it stops working or starts working poorly because it needs repair. There was a time when people watched their lives very closely, and it was worthwhile to fix. Most individuals today just pay to have a new battery inserted in their quartz timepiece or dispose of the cheap quartz watch in favour of a new one. Only watch addicts or affluent watch owners are willing to put up with such charges. This is wasteful, and I’m curious how many tonnes of batteries and watches that have been abandoned fill our landfills. Consider this. However, unless you can do it for a very low cost, you won’t want to pay to have a cheap Chinese or Russian mechanical serviced. Due to a lack of skilled mechanical watch repair professionals, many owners choose to ship their watches far distances in order to receive adequate maintenance. I should mention that Seiko, a Japanese firm, is well known for producing inexpensive mechanical watches in their well-known Seiko 5 line. These clocks have been known to last 20 to 30 years without a servicing and still maintain accurate time. I praised them earlier for this reason.

Summary

When non-watch experts hold up an ancient mechanical watch that merely needs winding and declare that it is broken because it is not “functioning” or that “the battery must require replaced,” watch lovers find it amusing. Some of these folks are old enough to recall a time before batteries were used in timepieces, but they have forgotten that time. I often expect to come across a jewel amid the baubles at a yard sale, but I haven’t been fortunate enough to do so yet. I’ve heard accounts of watch collectors who were fortunate enough to find antique timepieces at yard or garage sales that, with some restoration, could fetch thousands of dollars. However, we collectors tend to wear our finds rather than put them up for sale. The range of collectors is wide. Some people amass vintage digital timepieces. Some people choose dive or military watches. Some people stick with vintage works, while others favour the most cutting-edge objet d’art. A historical replica of an old wartime watch, or if they are lucky, an original that has been well preserved, can transport some people to a simpler era. Watches have a long history. Some people pass them down as priceless family treasures, while others, who are fortunate enough to make a livelihood by engaging in a passion, make a living by serving the many hobby segments. I hope that this was a decent introduction to watches and that I was able to educate some people about the fact that watches are more than just disposable accessories and batteries. Perhaps reading this will inspire you to buy a real watch that will last you a lifetime for a real sum of money.