Interesting facts about Swiss watches. Interesting facts about wristwatches: bet you didn’t know this? Pocket watches became famous in the 15th century

Since the 16th century, Swiss watchmakers have been producing the most accurate, sophisticated, beautiful and reliable watches. On the website haroldltd.ru you can choose the right model for yourself, but for now here are some interesting facts about Swiss watches.

Where did the history of Swiss watches begin?

When Louis XIV banned the wearing of precious metals in Europe in 1541, he could hardly have imagined what this would ultimately lead to. And this led to the creation of the Watchmakers Guild in Geneva, which included the best masters in your business. They began producing exclusive watches of the highest quality, matching works of art, so that they could replace jewelry.

As a result, models from Switzerland have become a global standard, and continue to maintain their brand, improving and each time offering the consumer something new. To get acquainted with the latest innovations, you can visit Harold Ltd showrooms in Moscow or St. Petersburg.

The Russian market is one of the most attractive for the Swiss industry, along with the Chinese market, where the demand for exclusive products is growing at a particularly fast pace. In Russia, we note once again, you can purchase watches in Harold showrooms.

Some interesting facts about Swiss watches

• Each Swiss brand deserves a separate mention, but if we recall, we note that these watches were especially loved by top-level politicians - Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the Republic of Sudan Omar Al-Bashir, Ronald Reagan were fans of this brand.
• The world's first quartz watch was released under the Longines brand.
• In 1953, Jaeger Le Coultre revolutionized the industry with the release of the self-winding Futermatic model.
• The most complex watch model is the Caliber 89 from the Patek Philippe brand (released in 1989), it took about nine years to manufacture, the model consists of more than 1,700 parts. Note that regular instances use about 300 elements.
• The most expensive piece of Swiss watchmaking is The 5 Million model, created by the Hublot brand. The cost is five million dollars (hence the name), the body of this luxurious accessory is encrusted with 1,300 diamonds.
• Watches from the Omega brand “lit up” not only on James Bond’s hand, but also on the moon, and much earlier. They were the ones who accompanied the astronauts on their landing on the planet. Note that this popular brand can be purchased at Harold stores.
• Recently, Swiss craftsmen presented a model compatible with the iPhone 5S; if necessary, it can be easily connected to the device’s body.

Time is the most valuable resource in a person’s life, as it cannot be returned. Time helps us better navigate our lives, and the main carrier of time is the clock. In this topic we would like to touch on some fun and interesting facts about time and clocks.

1. The time zone system appeared only in the 19th century, thanks to railway transport. The fact is that until that time, everyone determined time by the sun, and due to the lack of high-speed transport, there was no need for time zones. But with the advent of railway transport, this measure became simply necessary, since it became difficult to create a schedule in cities.

2. A little more about time zones. It is known that each time zone differs from the previous one by one hour, but there are countries that are located, so to speak, at the junction, so they have to live on half time. For example, the time shift in India compared to its neighbors is not one hour like everyone else, but half an hour. But the strangest situation is in Nepal. The difference with Greenwich (the starting point of time zones) is 5 hours and 45 minutes. They fundamentally introduced exactly this time (with a difference of 15 minutes from Indian) to show their independence.

3. Scientist Stephen Hawking said back in 2009 that time travel is not possible, as he organized a huge party for time travelers, and announced it only the next day.

4. is located in an area of ​​4 time zones, but the Government of this country has issued a decree according to which the same time applies throughout China, i.e. the same as in Beijing.

5. The name of the domestic company 1C translates as “1 second”. By this, the authors wanted to say that it takes only 1 second to perform any operation in the program.

6. Now the word “Moment” means something instantaneous, although originally it was an Old English measure of time and was equal to 1.5 minutes.

7. Previously, the word “Week” was used to refer to Sunday—the day when nothing is done. But later they began to generally call seven days that way. Despite this, in some languages ​​(for example, in Ukrainian) this name has not changed.

8. All clocks run from left to right (clockwise). This became the case due to the fact that the shadow of the sundial follows exactly the same trajectory.

9. The countdown of years after the Nativity of Christ did not appear immediately after his birth, but only in 525.

10. The most accurate clocks in the world are atomic ones. Their maximum error is no more than 1 second over millions of years. The clock was invented at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. They calculate time using vibrations of cesium atoms.

11. For some reason, on all watches where Roman numerals are indicated on the dial, 4 o'clock is indicated as IIII, not IV.

12. We all know such units of time as year, century, month, week, day, hour, minute, second. But besides these standard units, there are several more that are rarely used in everyday life:

— Gigayear — 1 billion years

— Megayear — 1 million years (megayear and gigagod are used only in cosmology and geology)

— Indict — 15 years

— Ten days — 10 days

— Third — 1/60 of a second (not a generally accepted unit of measurement and is already outdated)

— Ioctosecond — 10^-24 seconds

13. Due to the fact that China introduced a single time for the entire country (despite 4 time zones), when crossing Afghanistan-China, the clock must be set as much as 3.5 hours!

14. The first alarm clock was invented by Levi Hutchence in 1787 and each alarm clock rang at the same time - 4 am. Actually, it was invented to wake you up at 4 o’clock in the morning.

We come across watches almost everywhere: on the street, at work, at home. It is difficult to imagine our life if clocks had not been invented. Interesting facts about this thing will prove how useful and important it is.

1.The first clocks were created by the Egyptians around 1500 BC.

2.The most popular color of watches is black.

3. The first water clock became known more than 4000 BC, and was used in China.

4.On a cuckoo clock, you need to change the time without touching the hour hand, because this can disrupt its mechanism.

5. In European countries, watches were usually used to lure people to prayer.

6. You will never be able to find a watch in a casino, because neither the waiters wear them there nor hang them on the walls.

7. There are clocks that move counterclockwise.

9.More than 1 billion watches are created every year in the world.

10. In cold weather, the hourglass will run much faster than in warm weather.

11.The first wristwatch was created for the Queen of Naples in 1812.

12. For a long time, watches were only a women's accessory, but during the First World War, men also appreciated them.

13. The clock goes from left to right, because this is exactly how the shadow of the sundial goes.

14. Interesting facts about watches confirm that many people in the world consider Swiss watches to be the most accurate.

15.Today there are watches without a dial and hands.

16.Wristwatches appeared in everyday use in the 18th century.

17.The most accurate clocks are atomic.

18. Mechanical watches were founded by H. Huygens, a scientist from Holland.

19.The hourglass appeared after the sunglass.

20.Pocket watches were used back in Ancient Rome. This thing was like an egg cup. This is evidenced by the facts about watches.

21.The first sundial had the only drawback: it only worked outdoors, especially in the sun.

22. People know fire watches.

23.James Joy, who is a famous and popular writer, liked to wear 5 watches at a time.

24.Tag Heuer is considered the most prestigious watch brand. The results of the Olympic Games and Formula 1 were measured with such a clock.

25. A Swiss corporation has created a watch with the image of Mario, who is a popular hero of the game.

26.The clock tower is considered the most visited place in Venice.

27. The most expensive watches are those that were bought for 11 million at a Sotheby’s auction.

28.Switzerland is considered the birthplace of watchmaking.

29. The Hermitage has a famous exhibit - the Peacock clock, which was created in England. This watch was custom-made by Catherine the Second's favorite.

31.Germany is considered the birthplace of clocks.

32.The first walking clock had only 1 hand.

33. In Great Britain there is the largest museum, which houses a cuckoo clock.

34.The first mechanical table clocks were brought by Dutch traders to Japan.

35. Traditional Japanese watches looked like a lantern.

36.The dial, divided into 10 sectors, is called the “French Revolution” watch.

37.An analogue of a clock in China was an oiled rope with knots tied.

38. Design engineer Andy Kurovets created a unique and creative watch that represents fertilization.

39. A modern gadget is considered to be a watch that is worn on a finger, like a ring.

40. In New York there were clocks that showed not time, but .

41. There are clocks that show time for dogs. They're called dog watches.

42.Watches for nudists were produced in Holland.

43.Shops in Japan sold watches “for love.” According to them, thanks to a special program, couples could make love exactly as much as they themselves had planned.

44.Water clocks were widely used in the Far East.

45. Today, hourglasses are used for medical purposes when a patient undergoes a physical procedure.

46.Modern electronic watches are over 50 years old.

47. Cuckoo clocks appeared in the 19th century, and their price was not cheap.

48.More than 13 types of sundials were used.

49.A mechanical watch has only 4 main parts.

50.There are flower clocks on the streets of many cities.

1. The first wristwatches were created in early XIX century for Eugene Beauharnais, but at that time the idea was not appreciated. At the end of the 19th century, due to the inconvenience of using pocket watches in combat conditions, the military began to wear watches on their wrists (the so-called trench watches), and wristwatches received final recognition only at the beginning of the 20th century. Currently, they are also used as an accessory due to the widespread use of mobile phones.

2. If you take a ticking wristwatch between your teeth and plug your ears, the ticking will turn into strong, heavy blows - it will intensify so much.

3. It takes more than 20 people to make a wristwatch

4. As a rule, most of the manufacturing of watch parts is carried out in Switzerland using automated equipment and modern CNC machines. Only a few manufacturing companies that create products worth tens of thousands of dollars or more allow themselves to manually assemble mechanisms, and even more so - to refine and polish every part of the watch by hand.

5. The history of the Tissot brand dates back to 1853, when the father and son Tissot founded a watch company in Le Locle, Switzerland. It was a small workshop in which the owners themselves worked. The increase in production occurred after a large order of pocket watches from the Imperial Court of Russia for Russian officers. Later, after the loss of this customer due to the revolution of 17, mass production was launched. The workshop provided work for farmer watchmakers. The latter brought the finished products a few weeks later to the Cret-Vaillant family house. The watch was examined by TISSOT and a sign was given that the watch met the watch quality criteria. Hours that did not meet these criteria were eliminated.

6. Since 1974, when Tissot sponsored the Le Mans motor race in France, the company has repeatedly participated as an official partner or "time keeper" in major sporting events, including Formula 1 racing, the Mountain Bike World Cup, the FIM Motorcycle World Championships. sports and others.

7. It is believed that the name of the Swiss watch brand Swatch comes from the phrase “Swiss Watch” (Swiss Watch), but Nicholas George Hayek argued that in fact the name came from the phrase “Second Watch”, that is, a watch for every day, as an affordable accessory.

8. Today, more than 1 billion watch movements are produced in the world per year. Of these, about 60% comes from Japan. The most expensive watches are Swiss, so Swiss companies, while inferior to Japanese ones in terms of the number of watches produced, are significantly ahead of them in terms of revenue.

9. Chopard's is the most expensive watch in the world. The total number of carats of diamonds is 201. Their value is $25 million.

10. The Sultan of Brunei's younger brother, Prince Jefri, paid $5.2 million for 10 diamond-studded wristwatches.

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A watch is an indispensable part of human life, without which it is almost impossible to imagine existence in the world. modern world, even if you do not take into account the abundant presence of all kinds of technologies. Most people know very little about watches: for some it is just an accessory with a useful function, and for others it is simply a must-have item for everyday use.

It is customary to choose the type and appearance of a watch based on plans for its future purpose, by brand and cost - on social status, as well as individual tastes, but when it comes to functional qualities, people almost never can understand what to start from choosing a potential purchase. Any information about such an unchanging thing (both historical and practical) will undoubtedly be useful for every person.

The oldest clock in the history of mankind was discovered in Egypt and was a solar clock.

Officially they are the most expensive and highest quality in the world. In addition, the vast majority of Swiss watches always have their own, elegant design, which always distinguishes them from fakes. The brand of this production is used on olympic games, recording the times and records of athletes.

The time of the most accurate atomic clocks on the planet has a microscopic error in its operation.

According to various ratings, CES electric watches are recognized as the most high-tech in the world. Taking into account the diversity of aesthetic preferences of each person and the rapidity of technology development, the first place in this rating may vary, but this brand was recognized as the best based on the results of 2016.

There is a type of clock called a water clock. The principle of their operation is vaguely similar to a sundial; they were used in ancient times, and in the present time there are no analogues left.

In ancient China it was used to tell time fire clock. Later, something similar appeared in Europe, but with a different principle: they began to use candles on which marks were applied. As the candle burned, the elapsed time was determined, measured in units of these same marks.

Were named in a similar way long after its creation. Their distinctive features usually this means increased strength, water resistance and resistance to increased loads. Modern models often have built-in heart rate meters, stopwatches and other functions.

A mechanical watch has four main elements, and if one of these parts is removed, the operation of the device will be useless. Namely, they consist of: a spring or weight that serves as the engine of the device, a wheel with uniform toothed grooves for the main operation of the mechanism, a regulator that ensures uniform operation and a distributor - the basis for starting the watch.

The operating principle of quartz watches is directly related to the material of the same name – quartz.

In some large cities you can find on the streets flower clock, designed both to tell time and to create a pleasant experience for foreigners and locals alike. As a rule, such watches have a simple mechanism located underground, they are made in large dimensions and real, fresh flowers are used as decoration, in the form of a circle, numbers and decorating details.

1. Scientists have proven that the human biological clock does not correspond to generally accepted standards. The experiment looked like this: two scientists voluntarily went to live in an equipped cave, without access to a clock or sunlight. A couple of weeks later, the biological rhythm of their lives went astray from the usual, which was documented.
2. A watch is the only accessory that is considered absolutely universal. It is customary to wear wristwatches regardless of gender, age, social status and other factors.
3. Almost every so-called fashion house produces its own collection of watches with individual designs depending on the show. The work of creating such specimens is usually carried out by Swiss workshops and factories.
4. When creating women's watch models, attention is paid not so much to the functional part, but to external aesthetic beauty.
5. The official name for wall clocks of a simplified type, with a pendulum and usually large in size, is walkers.
6. Sometimes, on watches with Roman symbols, you can find the following symbol instead of the usual and correct spelling of the four “IV”: “IIII”.
7. The first commercial for a clock mechanism showing the passage of time was released in the United States.
8. A minute in medieval times was designated by the concept of “moment”.
9. In China, from ancient times to this day, there has been one, unified time zone valid throughout the country. Thus, regardless of external changes in nature and transitions of solar illumination, the inhabitants of every city in China live according to the same time.
10. Previously, the mechanism of all watches involved only one hand, moving along more precisely marked marks as smaller units of time.
11. On advertising posters, photographs and during video filming, watches generally show the same time for the reason that the arrows do not obscure the logo of the advertised product.