Watchs

Watches are portable timepieces designed to be worn on the body or carried for easy timekeeping. Most wristwatches display hours and minutes with analog hands or a digital readout, and many models also track date, power reserve, or other data. Beyond telling time, watches can serve fashion and status roles.

The history of watches stretches from early portable clocks in the 16th century to the modern mass market. Early timepieces were large and worn as pendants or in-pocket devices. Wristwatches gained popularity in the 20th century, aided by military use and advances in miniaturization, mass production, and quartz technology.

Watch movements fall into mechanical and electronic categories. Mechanical watches use mainsprings and gears, with manual-winding or automatic (self-winding) mechanisms. Quartz watches use electronic oscillators powered by batteries. Some watches combine analog displays with digital readouts or include chronographs, moon phases, or other complications.

Design and construction vary by purpose. Cases are fashioned from stainless steel, gold, titanium, or ceramic and fitted with sapphire, mineral, or acrylic crystals. Water resistance, bezel types, and crown mechanisms influence durability and function. The term Swiss Made, a quality label, highlights certain regulatory standards.

In recent decades, smartwatches have extended the role of watches beyond timekeeping. They integrate sensors for health and fitness, GPS and communications, and operate on platforms such as watchOS or Wear OS. Interchangeable straps and digital apps broaden customization and functionality.

Care and maintenance include servicing mechanical movements every few years, replacing batteries in quartz models, and checking water resistance. Proper storage, strap maintenance, and occasional regulation help preserve accuracy and longevity. Collectors value condition, rarity, provenance, and the presence of original parts.