It doesn’t matter if you’re an avid watch enthusiast and connoisseur or are just starting on your luxury watch journey, one clear thing is that the culture around these timepieces is just as interesting to dive into as the fashion industry is. Much like in the fashion world with brands like Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Versace, etc… watchmakers like Rolex, Audemars Piguet, IWC, Cartier, etc, have been in the business for centuries. They have continued to produce luxurious timepieces that not only fascinate but continue to create genuine interest as time goes on. For this reason, we decided to go back in time and put together a shortlist of facts that you may not have known about the watch industry that is sure to pique your interest! [wholesale watches]
1. Pocket Watches Used To Be The Preferred Method of Telling Time
The pocket watch may not be commonplace nowadays, especially not in this modern world, but at one point in time, it dominated the watch market with wristwatches only starting to be worn in the last century or so. And while they may sound to be very archaic and ancient, if we were still in the 19th century, they would be the equivalent of owning a smartphone!
2. The Egyptians Were The First People To Track Time
Several historians believed that the Sumerians were the first people to record time and create the first object that told the time in early 2000BC. However, the reality is that the Egyptians were the ones who first used a physical tool to keep track of time throughout the day and they did this, by carving a large stone obelisk and placing it somewhere where the sun’s shadow was reflecting. Using this tool, they managed to keep track of the day by looking at the length and direction of this shadow.
3. Expensive Watches Do Not Always Guarantee Quality
The reality is purchasing an overly expensive watch doest not mean that it is of fantastic quality. For instance, while cheaper timepieces use a quartz form of movement, luxury timepieces use a mechanical form. What this means is that while the mechanical watches tend to be better looking and more complex, they are often less accurate in telling time as compared to quartz watches. However, most people who enjoy collecting luxury timepieces aren’t bothered with the functionality but more with the watch’s design and craftsmanship instead. But, if you are looking to buy a nice watch that also accurately tells time, then the next time you are eyeing that overly-luxurious Cartier watch, for example, it may be better to consider a replica Cartier watch instead. Since you will end up with a timepiece that looks the same as the original but is set at a slightly more affordable price.[ Women Design]
4. Wristwatches Were For Women
These days, it’s pretty common to see people wearing wristwatches, whereas in the past, as we mentioned in the beginning, the industry was primarily dominated by the pocket watch. However, wristwatches were mostly made to be worn by women, who didn’t carry pocket watches. The adoption of wristwatches by men then followed a few decades later.
5. Luxury Watches Made It To Space and the Moon
There are a lot of things that are discussed when people look back to the first moon landing but if there is one thing that people forget is the type of watches that the astronauts wore. Fun fact, it was the Russians who made it to space first and they wore Strela watches. It was then later on that the Americans increased their development program and made it to the moon first with their astronauts wearing the Omega Speedmaster.
6. Luxury Watches Played A Part In The Wars
During the previous world wars, one of the most crucial elements during the fighting was being able to coordinate attacks and that wouldn’t be possible f you weren’t able to reliably and consistently keep track of the time. It was for this reason that soldiers in the war always had wristwatches on them at all times and some of the brands that helped ensure this were Swiss companies like Omega and IWC. It is for this reason that these luxury brands are still very popular even among the youth, as those who can’t afford to get the original pieces, end up purchasing a replica IWC watch instead.
7. Rolex Visited The Depths Of The Mariana Trench
Most luxury timepieces are built to be water-resistant and can generally go up to a depth of about 100-300m. However, Rolex exceeded those limits and made the Deep Sea Special watch which went as far as 11,000m to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, performing excellently even within the incredible pressure.
8. Someone Once Purchased A $17.8 Million Rolex
The world’s most expensive watch that was ever purchased was a Rolex Daytona, which costs roughly $30,000. However, this particular timepiece ended up being sold for over $17 million because it once belonged to Paul Newman and, as a result, many wealthy watch connoisseurs were eager to get their hands on it.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you found this article to be as fascinating a read, as it was for us to research. However, while these are pieces of information are quite insightful, they are only the tip of the iceberg. If you take the time to dig a little deeper into your favorite brand, whether it’s Rolex, IWC, Cartier, etc… then you are bound to be surprised by what other unique stories they have hidden!