The Origins of The Eterna Logo

One can never mistake an Eterna Watch. On the dial are five dots below the 12 'o'clock. But what are the dots? Do they mean something? Why did Eterna choose a seemingly random dot pattern?

Eterna's logo hints at a certain technological improvement to a certain watch movement. Read more and you will find out.

In 1856 Eterna began strictly as a company manufacturing blank movements. Not unlike hundreds of such watchmaking workshops dotted around Switzerland. In time Eterna's supreme quality of work became widely recognized. Urs Schild, who co-founded the company with Dr Josef Girard, had a vision of producing a watch from start to finish . The company bore the name of Schild Fréres, and manufactured small ladies wrist watches adapted from pocket watches. In 1905 the company changed its name to Eterna. By 1925, Eterna watches were being advertised in US newspapers such as the Southtown Economist 12/01/1925. By then Eterna had made history. In 1914, at the Swiss National Exhibition in Bern, Eterna introduced the first alarm wristwatch - 6 years after Eterna had patented it. Eterna watches were coveted for their slimness and precision. In 1930, Eterna unveiled the smallest Baguette Calibre Watch, which was manufactured in series production. Still no logo marked the dial. However in 1948 Eterna's dial would change forever. The logo marks a huge technological milestone unveiled in 1948. Eterna introduced the Eterna-Matic which comprised of a low friction ball bearing used to support the rotor of the automatic movement. This led to a great increase in the efficiency of the rotor. The invention of the Eterna-Matic with its ball bearings had such an overwhelming effect on Eterna, it fashioned its logo after five ball bearings.

The five ball bearings grace every dial of an Eterna timepiece.

Eterna
Kontiki Men's Watch 1210.69.43.1183

Now Genuine Eterna Men and Womens Luxury Watches are available at The Watchery. Purchase now and receive your gift for the Holidays.

Piaget's Millionth Watch: Piaget Emperador Full-Set Coussin Perpetual Calendar

Its certainly an awe inspiring feat to deliver the one millionth watch baring the mark of the manufacturer - Piaget. More so since Piaget is not known for prolific mass market watch production, but rather painstakingly meticulous craftsmanship creating mechanical masterpieces of exceptional quality and extreme precision, not to mention the combination of intriguing complications and dazzling diamond displays.

The Piaget Emperador Full-Set Coussin Perpetual Calendar does great tribute to the Piaget legacy which began in simple settings. In 1874 Georges- Edouard Piaget set up his workshop on his families farm in La Côte-aux-Fées, a small town nestled in Jura mountains of Switzerland. He devoted himself to making fine mechanical clock movements for renowned watch manufacturers. It was not long before it became apparent that his craftsmanship surpassed that of other watchmakers of that time, and orders came pouring in. In 1911, his son, Timothee Piaget took over the family business with the same fortitude and success. In 1943, the Piaget brand was created. The brand was an instant hit and people from all over wanted a Piaget timepiece. Piaget strove for perfection, and when perfection was reached, strove for perfection in areas where perfection was almost ,but not quite, impossible. For example, in the late 1950's and 1960's Piaget created exceptional ultra-thin mechanical movements , such as the Caliber 12p movement. Just 2.3mm thick, this watch achieved the feat of being the slimmest self-winding movement in the world, since the rotor itself usually increases thickness.

In 1957, Piaget's iconic watch collection was unveiled - the Emperador. Piaget's one millionth watch stems from this collection. Only 20 such watches shall be released in 2010, heightening the collectibility. Incorporated in the mechanical movement is a perpetual calender - a watch complication accounting for leap years until the year 2100. A 5.66 mm thick, in-house automatic, mechanical, Calibre 856P movement beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour. Other iconic Piaget features include circular-grained and bevelled mainplate and bridges; hand-draw flanks, accented with blued screws and circular Côtes de Genève.

Yet it is the dazzling exterior of the watch that will catch the eye of watch collector and novice alike. 60 baguette-cut diamonds set on the bezel exquisitely frames the dial. The dial is a vision unto itself baring no less than 263 diamonds, 12 elegant dial markers and five sub dials. An hour and minute hand sweep across the dial while a sub dial placed at the 4 'o'clock position marks the seconds. The sub dial at the 12 'o'clock position reflects the intricate inner workings of the perpetual calender with the display of months and leap year as well as a unique date display at the 3'o'clock position overlapping the second sub dial. A retrograde day of the week display occupies the area between the 9 and 10 'o'clock. A final sub dial boasts a dual time zone two hands display: one hand for the second time and one hand to indicate the day and night. The final sub dial is quite a distinct feature on a perpetual calender timepiece. Turn the watch over and an exquisite surprise meets the eye. The jeweler not wanting to be limited to the dial and bezel has added 25 diamonds on the oscillating weight completely discernible via the clear case back.

Piaget's Millionth watch incorporates the exceptional craftsmanship of the company and honors its legacy.
Alas, as I mentioned only 20 pieces will be released; however, you can still wear a high-end genuine Piaget timepiece on your wrist. THE WATCHERY has a large selection of Piaget luxury timepieces for reduced prices, some slashed as much as 50% off the list price.
Wear a Piaget timepiece on your wrist and let it be known that your Piaget watch is one in a million.

The Effect of War on Watches

The demands of War has shaped the Watch Industry in countless ways. In the early, 1700's, tracking the inevitable passage of time was a matter of life and death. The intense need for an accurate timepiece was magnified on October 22, 1707, when four British Men 'O War sank just off the Cornish Coast and 2000 men were lost. This was not as a result of enemy fire, but rather human error. The fleet had no idea where they were, as they had no precise chronometer to decipher how far off the Longitude they were. The British Parliament , aggravated by this obviously needless catastrophe, passed the Longitude Act of 1714 whereby: A huge sum of money would be awarded to anyone who could invent a way to determine the precise longitude of a ship's location to within less than one degree. Click here learn more about the Longitude Act of 1714. John Harrison's marine chronometer was the first timepiece to successfully determine longitude at sea and his was awarded his prize, after much dispute, in 1773.
A pocket watch belonging to Abraham Lincoln recently turned up with an ancient engraving referencing the American Civil War - click here to read more.
In 1880, German Emperor Wilhelm I visited the Berlin Trade Fair and spotted some prototype wristwatches designed by Constant Girard , he ordered 1000 for the German Imperial Navy wristwatches, and by 1880, 2000 had been produced and delivered. The cage protected the watch face in battle. Although, wristwatches were more handy than the popular pocket watches, they still did not hit the general market until Santos-Dumont ,a Brazilian aviator and popular icon, began wearing one. He approached Louis Cartier to fashion a watch so that he could keep both hands on the aircraft controls during flight. Being the trendsetter of the early 1900's, he popularized the wrist watch. Click here to learn more about Santos-Dumont

During World War I, in the dark trenches, soldiers were not able to see their time pieces, and so luminescence was applied to the dial. Unfortunately, the luminescence used was comprised of highly radioactive Radium. While the lume was highly effective in reading the numbers of the dial in the dark, the young girls who had painted the lume on the dials, died from the results of the exposure.
Click here to read their story - The Deadly Dials and Glowing Girls

Many Watches were designed with protective grills such as the
WWI British Air Force Military Watch depicted here.
Watches on today's market, are fashioned after military vehicles. The Cartier Tank was created by Louis Cartier in 1917, and inspired by the new Renault tanks which Cartier saw in use on the Western Front. The first Cartier Tank was presented to General John Pershing of the American Expeditionary Force. The lines and proportions are similar to those of tanks found on First World War battlefields. The bracelet represents the Tanks treads.
An entire company "U-Boat" is named after the German submarines from World War I and World War II. U-Boat is short for the German word "Unterseeboot" which literally means "undersea" boat.

Bell and Ross fashion its watches after the dials on a military aircraft. On March 18th, 2009, Bell and Ross became the official supplier to the French Air Force. The French Air Force requested that Bell and Ross create a watch specifically designed to meet the timepiece requirements of fighter pilots - the BR 03 Type Aviation. In addition, in Basel World, Bell & Ross unveiled the Limited Edition BR 01 Airborne which bares the skull motif on the watches dial. The motif originated in World War II and is accompanied by US Airborne motto, "Death from Above". A reminder of the courageous military paratroopers who jumped into enemy territory. The skull symbolized their incredible bravery . The skull motif was used by the military on fighter jets and patches. It was a symbol of strength and defiance of defeat even in the face of death. Today the skull is a tribute to all those brave men and women in combat who serve to defend this country. On March 18th, 2009, Bell and Ross became the official supplier to the French Air Force.

Many other brand Name Watch companies have become official suppliers for Army's. Breitling is the official supplier to the Royal Air Force, where the impeccable craftsmanship and exceptional endurance was tested in extreme atmospheric conditions.
Ebel supplied the British Royal Air Force with watches from 1939-1945.
Elgin (former watch company) issued this Canteen Watch to the U.S Navy during world war two. The crown flips off like the top of a canteen. (see inset)
In 1938, Longines crafted “Anti-magnetique” for the Czech Air Force.


Bremont, a British Luxury Watch Brand has taken history to a new dimension. Its EP120 pilot’s watch, depicted on the right, is made with parts from the famous RAF 1942 Spitfire Mk V fighter plane which shot down six enemy planes in a single day in World War II. Original parts of this plane has been featured in films such as the Battle of Britain. Pieces that were salvaged during the planes restoration have been incorporated into the EP120’s dial and movement.

In war, tracking time is a matter of life and death.

Today is Veterans Day. We salute all those who have put their lives on the line, and fought for this country.

The survival of Luxury Watch Companies in the 1970's?

In this troubling economic times, I have decided to write about watch companies and their survival at the time of the quartz scare. A trying time for watch companies, who prided themselves with carefully crafted mechanical movements. Read Newspaper Article priding the New Longines Quartz Watch as being more accurate than the sun itself. Many Mechanical Watch Companies fearful of becoming mere historical artifacts fought for survival in different ways.

As I was tracking Harry Winston's Stock on the Dow (HDW), it was deeply troubling to me that it had dropped from $31.00 a share in May of 2008 to a gut wrenching $2.48 a share today. As I was staring at the graph, I realized that the mechanical watches had been through a scare like this, "the quartz scare" in the 1970's and many not only pulled through, but flourished. I decided to blog about a company every week who took the blow and survived. How did they survive? What did they do? How were they impacted? These stories of survival and hope are crucial in our times of economic duress where the future seems bleak and uncertain.

My first choice is IWC (International Watch Company) . A remarkable company, founded in 1868 by an American, Florentine Ariosto Jones, and saved a town of Schaffusen who had paused in its industrial development. In 1888 IWC installed electricity in its factory. Ironically, in 1944 its factory was bombed by the American air force, a fatal error. In 1957, Hans Ernst Homberger, the founder's son added a new wing to the factory and bought new more efficient machines to keep up with the constant demand of highly predictable and precise mechanical watches. Hans ensured that the latest technologies were implemented in the watch manufacturing. IWC embraced the latest quartz technology and became co founder and shareholder in the "Centre Electronique l"Horlogerie Suisse" (CEH) making monitory contributions to the development of the Beta 21 quartz wristwatch movement, which was unveiled at the 1969 Basel Fair. This movement accounted for 5-6% of the total sale of quartz watches. With this success, IWC was able to expand its collection to jewelery watches with mechanical movements for ladies. In post war period, 1973 was IWC's most successful year.

Then a period of hardship struck. In 1974 gold prices rose to astronomical proportions - over 3 times the previous price, and the value of the Dollar fell 40% against the Swiss Franc so that the price of watch exports rose to 250%. To make matters worse Japan was now bombarding the market with cheap precise quartz watches.

IWC realized that drastic changes had to be implemented if the company was to survive. IWC kept its traditional watchmaking, but at the same time grew extremely technologically advanced, feeding the consumers more of what they wanted, one innovation after another. In 1978, the first compass watch was introduced followed by the introduction of a new material - titanium.

The man of the moment was Otto Heller, Director and Chief Executive Officer. In 1978 he secured venture capital from Swiss Banking Corporation. Otto retired and Gunter Blumlein stepped in, he strove for quick implementation of planned changes, upped the existing advertising campaign, and targeted a young and free-spending customer base, placing the company on the path to success. He founded the LMH group in 1991 with 100% stake in IWC, 60% in Jaeger-LeCoultre and 90% in A. Lange and Sohne. In July 0f 2000, the LMH Group was acquired by the Richemont Group guaranteeing the Independence and future of the LMH brands as a closed unit under the current management.

Today IWC is widely popular with a large young customer base. The watch depicted to the left is a best seller at THE WATCHERY.
IWC Big Pilot's Men's Watch 7 Day Power Reserve 18K White Gold Grey Dial on Brown Leather Strap IW500402

It has a large case - 46mm, and a dial with bold clear numbers.
The large screw down crown is instantly recognizable. The hand indicators are luminous. The automatic movement has a 7 day power reserve. It is a large watch meant to be worn. This watch is 30% off the List Price saving you a chump of change.

THE WATCHERY has a large selection of IWC timepieces including the Aquatimer and Aquatimer Chronograph; Big Ingeniour Collection and Big Pilot's Watch; Men and Ladies IWC De Vinci; Grande Complication Collection and highly popular Portugese Collection.

Wear your watch to success.

Harry Winston and the Oscars.

As the glamorous and famous walk down the red carpet amidst flashing camera bulbs and awestruck onlookers, one can be sure that glinting in the lights will be jewelry from Harry Winston. This year we are treated with pieces inspired by the exotic gems of India, vibrant bold gemstones and diamonds that need no description. Harry Winston has been adding to the razzle dazzle on the red carpet since the 1943 Academy Awards when Harry Winston adorned Jennifer Jones, Best actress for "The song of Bernadette", in glamorous jewels. Each year, on the night of the Academy Awards, Harry Winston lends $200 million worth of exceptional jewelry. Harry Winston is known as jeweler to the stars and has outfitted numerous celebrities including Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Halle Barry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Renee Zellweger, Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson, and Salma Hayek.

It is hard to believe Harry Winston came from humble beginnings. Son of Jacob Winston, a Ukrainian immigrant, Harry used his incredible wit and exceptional sense of fine gems to surge ahead. His father opened up a small jewelery store in which Harry worked as a boy. He was just 12 years old when he spied a two carat emerald in a pawn shop, recognizing the gem for what it was, he bought it for 25 c and sold it two days later for $800. Harry Winston became legendary in the jewelry business and a part of the legend of "The Hope Diamond". Towards the end of its long journey from hand to hand, the Hope Diamond was sold by Pierre Cartier to U.S. socialite, Evelyn Walsh McLean. After her death in 1947, her grandchildren sold the Hope Diamond,,in 1949, to Harry Winston. It is said the Hope Diamond cursed those who owned it, but Harry Winston never believed the curse, and died from a heart attack at 82 on December 28th, 1978. Harry died long after he had donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institute in 1958 as a gift to the American People, sending it to its final destination via the U.S Mail in a plain brown bag. He probably figured it could take care of itself as it did keep popping up throughout history.



In 1989 Harry Winston successor, his son, Ronald, establishes Harry Winston's first series of watches, The Ultimate Timepieces. Currently Harry Winston has five main timepiece collections:
The Avenue Collection, The Ocean Collection, The Premier Collection, The Signature Collection, and The Ultimate Collection. Harry Winston has 80 years of jewelry making to apply to its watches, so that the bracelets and bezels are provided with the art of jewelry making, bearing the best possible gems, and the movement is crafted by hand. Harry Winston has introduced incredible complication crafted with the utmost perfection that has carved a niche in the world of watchmaking.

(Watch depicted above)
Harry Winston Lady Avenue Ladies' Watch 18K Rose
Gold White Mother-of-Pearl Dial Diamond Bezel
Diamond Bracelet 310-LQRR-M-A04-DP0-1

Finally I have posted the song, by Marylin Monroe, "Diamonds are a girls best friend," Listen close and Harry Winston will be mentioned.

The Legend of Daniel Jean Richard

Jean Richard is a Luxury Watch Company baring the name of a legend. Daniel JeanRichard. He was born in 1665 in an emerald green valley of La Sagne in a place called "Les Bressels" (a product line Bressel is dedicated to his birth place).

In 1679 a horse dealer rode through town with a pocket watch which had ceased to work. He spotted a young boy of about 15 who was working on some filigreed iron wares. He stopped and watched the boy for a minute, intrigued by the boy's obvious talent. The man fingered his valuable pocket watch, thinking. He got off his horse and came towards Daniel JeanRichard. Their was something about the boy that made the man trust him, and he pulled his English pocket watch out of his baggage.

The boy stretched out his hand and the man placed the watch in the boy's eager hand. The boy had never before laid eyes on a watch. He slowly opened it mesmerized. In that instant as he held the watch, his fate was sealed and a legend was born.

"Can you repair this watch," the man asked.

The boy captivated by the watch did not answer. The man repeated his question and the boy nodded.
"I will return in a few weeks on my way back from Geneva. Do you think you can repair it by then?"
The boy who had never beheld a watch before replied, "Yes sir, I can."

Daniel JeanRichard gently placed the English pocket watch on his work bench. He had no tools to repair the watch, but he was not deterred. He studied the watch with intense concentration, memorizing every detail. He made a set of primitive tools and he repaired the watch.
While the winter snow piled high against the wall of the blacksmith's shop, Daniel JeanRichard built ,from memory, an exact replica of the English pocket watch, the first watch ever to be made in this region. Up until this day no one had achieved this remarkable feat of building a watch from memory.

Documentation is scant in terms of the exact details of the legend, and their are some conflicting reports in regard to Daniel JeanRichard's age at the time he held his first watch.

Until his death in 1741, Daniel JeanRichard invented machines and tools essential for watchmaking, as well as the basic principles of the apprenticeship of the watchmaking trade.

What is the Geneva Seal?

I recently purchase a Patek Phillipe Luxury Watch with the Geneva Seal. What is the Geneva Seal?

Known as Poinçon de Genève in French or Genfer Siegel in German , the Geneva Seal is the quality seal of the City and Canton of Geneva. It is a certification exclusively reserved for mechanical wrist watch movements made in the City or Canton of Geneva. It is a mark of extreme excellence, quality, precision, endurance and horological expertise.

When was the Geneva Seal created?

November 6, 1886 an enabling statute was enacted, Loi sur controle facultatif des montres (law on the voluntary inspection of watches (from Geneva)) An office for the voluntary inspection of the watches from Geneva ,at the School of Horology, was established. The function of the office was to examine and mark watch movements. Today it is primarily concerned with the finishing and decoration of the watch movement. Presicion testing is available but optional in the inspection process. The enabling statute is constantly being revised, the most recently in 1993.

Why was the Geneva Seal created?

In the late 1800's forgeries were flooding the market. The Geneva Seal was created to protect the unsurpassed quality of Genevan timepieces.

Why would a Watch Manufacturer want the Geneva Seal?

The Geneva Seal is a extensively sought after stamp with movements requiring 40% more work than other movements.. The Seal is held in high regard in Haute Horlorerie circles. The Geneva Seal is extremely difficult to obtain, only an exclusive circle of manufacturing watchmakers are admitted to its use provided they fulfill three conditions.



What are the three conditions required for issuance of the Geneva Seal?

1. Exclusively mechanical movements which at the very least must be assembled and adjusted within the borders of the Canton of Geneva.
2. Each caliber is required to meet the Regulators' 12 technical and aesthetic criteria. These criteria define the movement design, and characteristics, production quality and finishing operations.
3. The Luxury Watch Movements must be approved and Certified by the eight sworn members of the Commission of the Office for the optional inspection of Genevan watches of the Canton of Geneva, acting under the authority of the Department of Public Education.
   

What are the Regulator's 12 technical and aesthetic criteria?



Compliance with the standards outlined by the Office for the Optional Inspection of Genevan Watches must include the quality of all parts and components of the movement including those used in auxiliary mechanisms.

1. All steel parts of the movement must display polished angles, sides parallel file strokes, visible face smoothed and polished. All screw heads must either be polished or circular grained. (This type of finishing reduces friction ensuring no metal filings effect the movement)
2. Movements must be fitted on the going train with ruby jewels in polished holes. On the side of the bridge, the ruby jewels must be semi-mirror-polished. In addition their sinks must be polished. (This ensures that the lubricating oil will spread more evenly increasing the longevity of parts and components.)
3. A sliding stud cap with a round head and neck must secure the balance spring. (This particular condition creates a huge challenge for the watchmaker; however, it does improve the centering of the balance spring and thus improving the adjustment.
4. Fitted or split regulators utilizing a fastening system is required. (This condition prevents the shifting of the index assembly in the event of jarring and thus eradicating any impact on the adjustment of the movement)
5. Geartrain wheels must be beveled on their upper and lower sides and feature polished sinks. If the wheels are 0.15 mm or less in thickness , one-sided (bridge side) bevelling is accepted. (Durableness is increased)
   
6. Pinion shanks and faces must be polished. (Providing a marked reduction of friction within the movement and protect it against stray filings which may effect the longevity of the movement.)
7. The escape wheel must be lightweight. Larger wheels must be no more than 0.16 mm thick and 0.13 mm for wheels less than 18 mm across. The locking faces must be polished.
   
8. The ratchet wheel and crown wheel must be finished according to the prescribed models. (Only a select handful of watchmakers today are able to meet this condition.)
9. The use of wire springs are prohibited.
10. It is imperative that the lever's angle of travel must be contained by solid banking, excluding pins or studs.
11. Shock absorbers on movements are acceptable.
12. Regulating systems with a balance wheel with variable radius of rotation is acceptable.

Is the Geneva Seal the same as the Hallmark of Geneva?

The Seal of Geneva is the actual Seal of the Canton of Geneva which is seen punched into the movement of the watch. Hallmark is an official mark proving the quality and fitness of a product. Both names are referring to the same mark of approval.

Which companies have the Geneva Seal?

Only a select few companies submit all their movements to obtain the Geneva Seal. Vacheron Constatin and Pateck Phillipe are two examples. Other watch manufacturers submit a single collection or a single movement like Chopard's L.U.C collection and the much publicized Cartier's Calibre 9453 MC which obtained its first Geneva Seal.



Where is the Geneva Seal located?

The Geneva Seal is punched on the on the main plate and one of the bridges. The site varies according to the caliber.

Can my watch be called a Chronometer?

No! Unless the title Chronometer has been awarded by the C.O.S.C after the movement has undergone rigorous testing by the C.O.S.C.

Do all watches that display the word Geneva on its dial have the Geneva Seal?

Geneva Seals are specifically punched on the watches movement, having the name Geneva on the dial does not mean that the watch has the Geneva Seal. The name Geneva is governed by the "Bureau de controle des Montres de Geneve." The criteria for this are not nearly as demanding as the Geneva Seal. To display Geneva on the dial, a watch must be:
a) Swiss made and
b) Have at least one of the major operations in manufacturing, either in assembly of the movement or placing the movement within the watch case to be performed in the Canton of Geneva resulting in 50% of the total cost of production to be within the Canton of Geneva.

Some Watch Manufacturers like Vacheron Constantin display an additional Geneva Seal on its dial.

The Longitude Act of 1714. The desperate struggle for precision.

John Harrison's Marine Chronometer - H4

Timepieces don't really keep time; they just keep up with it, if they're able.

-Dava Sobel, "Longitude"time

Finding a precise timekeeping instrument was a matter of life and death.
Mans struggle to determine longitude spanning four centuries, fueled the inventions of precise timekeepers. Timepieces which lost time, lost men at sea, as they were unable to calculate their location and wandered among invisible lines of longitude weaving in and out of degrees.

The 1600's and 1700's were perilous. Fleets of ships' sent out by hungry sovereigns on world exploration and to trade silks and spices were unable to determine their location. Some found land, some were too late spilling their scurvy riddled sailers onto an unmarked shore, others wandered aimlessly 20 degrees off coarse, some sunk in dark unforgiving waters. On October 22, 1707, four British Men 'O War sank just off the Cornish Coast. 2000 men were lost. In 1714, The British Parliament , aggravated by this obviously needless catastrophe, passed the Longitude Act: A huge sum of money would be awarded to anyone who could invent a way to determine the precise longitude of a ship's location to within less than one degree.

Latitude, the parallel lines circling the earth, mapped by Ptolemy in AD150. The equator at zero-degrees , derived from astronomers observing the sun, moon and planets passing directly overhead and the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, assigned by the sun. Ships following the lines of latitude would guide the vessel by the length of the day or by the height of the sun or the heavenly stars that shone in the nights sky. Christopher Columbus"sailed the parallel" on his 1492 journey.

Lines of latitude are governed by nature - the sun, moon and stars; however, the lines of longitude move like waves on the waters edge. Lines of Longitude are changed by time. The longitude are lines that thread from the North Pole to the South Pole.

To know ones Longitude at sea, one must know the time at home port and at the same time knowing the time on ship. Once the time difference is known, the difference by degrees is known and thus the crucial longitude. The world spins on it axis 360 degrees in a 24 hour period thus in one hour it turns 15 degrees. If the navigator resets his ship's clock local at high noon, and refers to his clock representing time at the home port, every hour difference translates to 15 degrees from the home port. A precise watch was imperative to know the ships course and save it from potential destruction.

Sir Isaac Newton weighing in on the timekeepers approach to Longitude:

One method is by Watch to keep time exactly. But, by reason of the motion of the Ship, the variation of Heat and Cold, Wet and Dry, and the differences of gravity in different latitudes, such a watch hath not yet been made. And he implied - not likely to be either.

The Longitudes Act was passed to solve the puzzle of Longitude. Many great watchmakers, craftsman, astronomers and inventors dedicated their entire lives to come up with a solution. Galilao used the moons of Jupiter . Huygens, one of the first great horologists, crafted a marine timekeeper which used a pendulum; however the great rolling waves confounded its accuracy and changes in temperature and humidity thickened its oils. Huygens, then patented the spiral balance spring as alternative to the pendulum.

Discovering the Longitude, even with rewards of huge sums of money (20,000 Pounds translated into one million Dollars today) became synonymous with achieving the impossible, and the brunt of many jokes. Jeremy Thacker of Beverly, England developed a marine timekeeper which he coined the chronometer - a term adopted by horologists and still used today. The chronometer was placed in a vacuum, to protect the watch from atmospheric pressure and humidity, and had implemented a pair if winding rods to keep the machine going while being wound. However, he did not account for room temperature which exerted a huge influence on the accuracy of the watch. Although a success in its own right, the constant supervision needed to ensure the chronometer would maintain accurate time as well as the loss of six seconds a day was the chronometer undoing. The Board of Longitude did not approve his chronometer,
Sir Isaac Newton grew impatient , his Universal Law of Gravitation had gained much interest; however; determining longitude still remained a mystery. In 1721 Sir Isaac Newton wrote:

"A good watch may serve a recconing at Sea for some days and to know the time of a Celestial Observation: and for this end a good Jewel watch may suffice till a better sort of Watch can be found out. But when the Longitude at sea is once lost, it cannot be found again by any watch." Sir Isaac Newton died in 1727 and missed the Longitude prize that was awarded 40 years later to the self-educated maker of a large pocket watch...

JOHN "Longitude" HARRISON

Born: March 24, 1693
1713: Built first pendulum clock constructed entirely of wood.
1722: Built Tower Clock in Brocklesby Park running for 286 years. No oil is needed as the clock is carved from lignum vitae, a tropical hardwood that exudes its own grease.
1725-1727: Built two long-case grandfather clocks utilizing his own invention - the grasshopper escapement.
1730-1735 developing his first Chronometer the H1, at 75lbs it still works with daily winding at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. The H1 set sail and returned with triumph of having kept impeccable time. Harrison on the other hand was not much pleased with his first attempt, and told the Longitude Board he needed to improve on the H1. Thus for the next two years he set about making the H2 which never set sail as he disregarded this watch too, as a result of a series of imperfections. Although the H2 had the backing of the Royal Society and had faired very well in tests of temperature, John Harrison became closeted in his workshop working on the H3,
For the next 20 years he concentrated on the watch, those that surrounded John Harrison could not understand what could be taking him so long. No one suggested he slept on the job. John Harrison never slept on the job he had created the H3 with 753 separate parts including a bi metallic strip which compensated for any temperature change as well as caged ball bearings - an anti friction device still used in almost every machine with moving parts. Although this edition had shrunk dramatically since the H1 it was still too large.

By chance Harrison met John Jeffreys, a freeman with The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, who in 1753 made Harrison a pocket watch. According to Harrison's specifications, Jeffrey fitted the watch with a tiny bi metallic strip to keep the watch precise in hot or cold weather. In addition, this watch kept ticking while being wound. Some horologists today consider the Jeffreys timepiece as the first true precision watch.

Harrison set to work on the H4 a much smaller version than the first two chronometers and resembling an over sized pocket watch. Harrison was awarded the prize, as the H4 kept time, three times more than the Longitude Act demanded. However, the Longitude Board kept changing the rules, and now Harrison ,who was already in his mid-seventies was required to build two more watches like the H4 , and an additional year of testing. Although this watch kept time it was too complex for ready reproductions and very expensive. Thus his watch was never widely used by navigators at that time.


Although in his life time, he did not see the real fruits of his labor, he did make a large contribution to the world of horology. After Harrison's success with the H4, marine timekeeping boomed in a nation surrounded by water. It is said as a result of Harrison's advancements in timekeeping, he spearheaded Britain on successful voyages with the aid of chronometers thereby leading to the creation of the British Empire.

Harrison successfully crafted a watch that kept time with precision even in less than perfect climates. Such precision Sir Isaac Newton had deemed impossible.

Adapted from "Longitude" by Dava Sobel

The constant quest to measure time. Luxury Watch Makers strive to impress.

For centuries, great minds sought to create instruments to measure the passage of time. The oldest, of which, is the sundial dating back to 1500 BC. Earlier than that, men looked at the sun and stars , and the glowing horizon to determine time. The main problem was the driving force - the everlasting constant characterizing time. Weights were use prior to the 1600's, but unless one was thinking of opening up the earliest "Crunch" chain, then this was not the option. Weights were heavy and bulky. Henlein was our first glimmer of hope, he received 15 florins for his gilt musk-apple with a watch in 1524. Thanks to Henlein, the door opened, and innovations and advancements in watch making increased.
At first, the watch movements were made of steel, and then brass. These watches had straight verge movements with no balance springs. They were quite inaccurate "to put it mildly", and had only an hour hand. In addition, they were quite a handful having to be wound twice a day. However, they were the stepping stone to the precise "to the 10,000th of a second determined by the Tag Heuer time-keeping of today.

The movement and the display of the following centuries of watches were quite similar. The watch face, with the traditional hour, minute and second hands, rotating round a central axis and indicating the time on the circumference of the watch face.

A new wave of telling time has infiltrated the watch market, unique and ingenious ideas, confusing our earlier Kindergarten knowledge. Scrap the idea of Ms Hobbs standing before the the class in her sunny yellow dress dappled with tulips, holding a large poster of the watch face with bold red hands.

Now, look at this watch...


The Urwerk UR-202 series. A different way to tell the time. Confusing at first, but once one gets used to the idea, it actual is more simple than the traditional watch face. In the center of the watch is telescopic minute hands which operate through the center of the revolving and orbiting hour satellites. (Kind of like the planets revolving around the sun, spinning on there own axis- I wonder if Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei had such galactic thoughts when designing this watch- I have no doubt) The telescopic hands adjust their length to follow three vectors marking the minutes. The dial is large and easy to read , and since the telescopic hands retract, the size of the case is minimized to provide the wearer with absolute comfort. In addition, this unique watch houses an innovative new winding system regulated by compressing air utilizing miniature turbines. This watch is a re-invention of an old concept.

Another unique watch created by Urwerk, is the 103 collection. Within this collection is the Titanium Aluminium Nitride Urwerk, this TiLAN coating, is the hardest know material known to the World of Watches. This coating , only 4 microns thick, increases the resistance of the underlying metal to scratches, oxidation, shocks and even acids. The coating turns the watch a burnt plum color which is quite appealing. The time display is unique to the 102 collection; however,I think, not as effective as the 202 series.

These watches , although, available in the present, hold a hint of taste to the future.