Most watches are now digital watches, using a piezo-electric crystal, usually quartz, as an oscillator.

Watches may be collectible; these are often made of precious metals, and can be considered an article of jewellery.

The wristwatch was invented by Patek Philippe towads the end of the 19th century, when it was considered a woman’s accessory. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the Brazilian inventor Alberto Santos-Dumont, who had difficulty checking the time while in his first aircraft, asked his friend Louis Cartier for a watch he could read more easily. Cartier gave him a leather-band wristwatch from which Dumont was never separated.
Being a popular figure in Paris, Cartier was soon able to sell these watches to other men. During WW1, officers in the armies soon discovered that in battlefield situations, quickly glancing at a watch on their wrist was far more convenient than fumbling in their jacket pockets for an old-fashioned pocket-watch. In addition, as increasing numbers of officers were killed in the early stages of the war, non-commisioned officers, promoted to replace them, often did not have pocket watches (traditionally a middle-class item out of the reach of ordinary working-class soldiers), and so relied on the army to provide them with timekeepers.
As the scale of battles increased, artillery and infantry officers were required to synchronize watches in order to conduct attacks at precise moments, whilst artillery officers were in need of a large number of accurate timekeepers for rangefinding and gunnery. Army contractors began to issue reliable, cheap, mass-produced wristwatches which were ideal for these purposes.
When the war ended, demobilized European and American officers were allowed to keep their wristwatches, helping to popularize the items amongst middle-class Western civilian culture. Today, many Westerners wear watches on their wrists, a direct result of the first world war.

Mechanical timepieces are still used, usually powered by a spring wound regularly by the user, for example using a stem-winder.

The first self-winding mechanism, for fob-watches, was invented in 1770 by Abraham-Louis Perrelet; but the first “self-winding,” or “automatic,” wristwatch was the invention of a British watch repairer named John Harwood in 1923. This type of watch allows for a constant winding without special action from the wearer: it works by an eccentric weight, called a winding rotor, that rotates to the movement of the wearer’s body.
The back-and-forth motion of the winding rotor couples to a ratchet to automatically wind the watch. The spring drives an escapement, which consists of a lever that moves back and forth against a gear, keeping the gear moving at a specific number of times per second, usually four or five. That gear, in turn, drives all of the other gears of the watch that turn the hands on the dial.

Cheaper electronics permitted the popularization of the digital watch (an electronic watch with a numerical, rather than analog, display) in the second half of the 20th century. They were seen as the great new thing.
The first digital watch, a Pulsar prototype in 1970, was developed jointly by Hamilton Watch Company and Electro-Data. It had a red light-emitting diode (LED) display. Another early digital watch innovator, Roger Riehl’s Synchronar Mark 1, provided an LED display and used solar cells to power the internal nicad batteries. Watches with LED displays were popular for the next few years, but soon the LED displays were superseded by liquid crystal displays (LCDs), which used less battery power.
The first LCD watch with a six-digit LCD was the 1973 Seiko 06LC, although various forms of early LCD watches with a four-digit display were marketed as early as 1972 including the 1972 Gruen Teletime LCD Watch.
Digital watches have not replaced analog watches, despite their greater reliability and lower cost. In fact, because digital watches are so cheap, analog watches are often worn as status symbols. For others, analog watches are just easier to read.

With so many manufacturers and use of metals, there is without a doubt something for everyone. If durability and longevity is what you seek, it may be time to consider titanium watches. These timepieces are crafted using one of the strongest materials available to watch manufacturers. Titanium watches feature some of the lowest weight to strength ratios found in any metal. In short, this comes down to the fact that titanium watches have cases that are both lightweight and strong while maintaining an exceptional resistance to extreme temperatures. To give you an idea, Titanium weighs less than half of the weight found in steel, yet is a mere 60% heavier than aluminum. However, it is certainly much stronger.

Some individuals suffer from metal allergies, which means that they cannot wear certain pieces of jewelry without having some type of reaction. A discoloration of the skin is most common, but the reactions vary depending upon the individual s resistance to metal and the metals contents. Because of the properties in Titanium, watches made from this metal are shown to cause fewer allergic reactions than even gold or silver. In addition, Titanium watches are resistant to saltwater corrosion, which is valuable for divers, surfers or swimmers. Many of these watches are crafted to withstand virtually any environment, which provides for a good investment.

Titanium was discovered over 300 years ago, but was not used in the production of watches until the 1900s. A cost-effective process for working with titanium was founded in the 1940s and so began the era of a new style of watches. This new method provided users with a large variety of colors, including classic to extravagant.

Many of the worlds top watch manufacturers offer titanium watches, including Citizen, Seiko and others. Perhaps the widest selection of watches can be found online, but retail watch dealers may also carry a nice selection of products. Depending on your geographical location, a nice selection may be widely available at every corner. For those who do not have a large retail hub nearby, the internet or speciality catalog shopping may be a nice option. Prices range from several hundred up to several thousand, depending on the style and features that you choose.

When purchasing any timepiece, inquire about product warranties and guarantees. If your watch has a warranty card or information, follow the manufacturer instructions to ensure that your warranty is properly activated. If you need to return a warranty card, do so as quickly as possible. If the warranty information is simply tucked inside the box, always be sure to keep it in a safe place. It is a good idea to retain all warranty information, along with your original purchase receipt. This will aid in proper handling of future warranty issues, such as repair or replacements should they arise in the future.

About the author:

Peter Bishop manages the watches portal at www.llcwatches.com and is a true seiko watches fan himself.

Written By: Peter Bishop