From the pocket watch to the wristwatch
The watch is a historical object, for a long time, the perception of the passage of time has been a key element of humanity. It was in the early 1500s that Peter Henlein succeeded in miniaturizing the clock mechanism with the first pocket watches, which gradually became the wristwatch.
The pocket watch
It is in the 19th century that the pocket watch really starts to be democratized. Previously, it was a luxury object promised to the most fortunate families. This democratization goes hand in hand with new technologies and new modes of production which allowed both to miniaturize, but also to produce in larger quantities. This availability, combined with affordable prices for the working classes, has allowed these generations to acquire pocket watches. Usually attached to a jacket and linked by a chain, it was hidden in the jacket when not in use.
The beginnings of the wristwatch
It was at the dawn of the 20th century that the first wristwatches made their appearance. The result of a co-creation between the Frenchman Louis Cartier and the Swiss Hans Wilsdorf, it constitutes an essential revolution in the world of watchmaking.
The wristwatch gradually became part of the habits of all people. It even became, little by little, an object of fashion with a shape and an aestheticism always more worked.
Although these first wristwatches did not yet have the autonomy that they have today, with an average of one day of power reserve, their mechanism is very similar.
It was in 1926 that the first automatic watches were born, which became one of the first responses to this lack of autonomy.
This was followed in 1969 by the creation of the first quartz watch.
The history of the watch has profoundly marked our technological progress, from the mastery of gears to the need to miniaturize them, it is one of the markers of technological progress of the last millennium.
Beaubleu is part of this technological and aesthetic progress by offering you watches with circular hands. Do not hesitate to consult the latest collection!
