Date Added: November 26, 2012 03:46:26 PM

Once upon a time there was...this is how many stories describing the past begin, and the story of the watch is no different. Our story actually begins in ancient Egypt where they developed a shadow clock based on a simple design. The Egyptians were already dividing the day into different periods, the length of which varied depending on the season. This was followed by the development of a water clock and a sundial. In the oriental countries, there was even an elephant clock. In addition to the candle clock, which was invented in our part of the world in the Middle Ages, there were many other inventions in other countries that helped people tell time. These efforts to develop a timekeeping device made use of the ever-expanding knowledge of astronomy. However, it was mostly the wealthy and the nobility who could afford it, whereas the ordinary people had to rely on the position of the sun to tell time, and it is safe to say that there were no childrens watches available at the time.

From gunsmith to watchmaker

Even before any of the variations of our basic clock as we know it today was developed, the city of Nuremberg was an important trading centre. Apart from merchants selling nice things such as fabrics, jewellery and similar, the local sand deposits proved to be useful for the development of clocks. Hour glasses were used to time ships' bells, which played an important role in ship navigation until the 19th century. At the time, the metal clock cases were made by gunsmiths and locksmiths, who were also responsible for their repairs. Later, they became watchmakers and the special guild was born. They have then taken the timepieces in many directions, and even today's boys watches can be traced back to these roots.

Contemporary clocks and watches

From the mid-19th Century, the increasing industrialization has led to the mass production of clocks. Especially in Switzerland and the German Black Forest, there were manufacturers who became famous for creating certain clock models. When wristwatches were brought out, this marked the emergence of various watch movements. Thanks to the ever-accelerating progress they have evolved into today's modern girls watches, women's and men's watches and pocket watches.