My first memory of watches was a Timex television commercial in the 1950s. In the commercial, a Marlin wristwatch was strapped to an outboard boat motor, and then the boat would take off into the water. At the end of the commercial, they would show that the watch was still running, and the announcer would say the classic line, “Timex, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.” The first watch I remember wearing was a Timex strapped on a fancy tooled leather band. At twenty-two years old, I thought I was styling and profiling that Western-style band. Looking back, I realized that those early memories illustrate some of the primary reasons we wear watches in the first place. We all want a reliable timepiece that is accurate in all types of weather, and some of us want our watch to look cool and make a statement about our individuality. This article will mainly focus on wrist watches, but it is important to include a few words on their predecessor: pocket watches. The first mention of a timepiece designed to be worn comes in the late fifteenth century. The earliest examples were likely attached to a pendant or chain. By the seventeenth century, watches were designed small enough to be carried in pockets. In these early days, a watch was exclusively a luxury item. Read more…
