As we near the end of the semester, and I begin to run out of things to talk about, I feel that it is about time I write about timepieces. Not only will I talk about wrist watches, but pocket watches.
Pocket watches first appeared in the 16th century and were the most popular timepiece until the wristwatch emerged on top after World War I.
Pocket watches were usually kept on a chain which was fastened to a belt loop or waist coat. In working conditions, people often used a leather strap wrapped around a belt loop to avoid dealing with the chain. The leather strap also wrapped around the watch face to protect the crystal.
Most watches have a hinged case, called a hunter case, which protects the face and back panel of the watch. This is held closed by a button that is part of the winding key, which is where the chain attaches. Pocket watch parts were made by hand until Henry Pitkin, an American watch maker, began producing machine-made watches in the late 1830s.
Pitkin, unfortunately, could not compete with the production of Swiss watches and stopped producing handmade watches entirely, only continuing with machine-made watches. Currently, the handmade watches are very expensive and are coveted by collectors.
During World War I, trench watches were manufactured; they featured both the attributes of a pocket watch, such as a hinged cover, and had lugs for attaching a leather strap to wrap around the wrist as found in wristwatches.
This was much more practical than a watch on a chain during the perilous battles in the trenches. Their popularity increased after the war and they evolved into the wristwatches we wear today.
Today’s wristwatches vary in type and presentation. There are athletic watches, for those who want an everyday watch that can take a beating; as well as fancier watches, such as skeleton watches.
Albeit mechanical, watches are not as accurate as their electric, digital counter parts. They are more attractive and worth more, mostly. There are some digital watches with abilities such as internet access that are impressive and expensive, but they are a discursion from my topic.
I find there to be something relaxing in winding a watch, which has always made them more attractive to me than digital watches. This is a bit ironic though, as I don’t normally wear a watch. I tend to use my phone as a timepiece, as it has a screen on the cover that will light up if I hit the volume control buttons.
I have a watch that I wear on very special occasions, a Tissot Classic Desire. This watch has a black leather band, white dial and gold piece. It’s a simple watch, but it was my first and was a gift given to me in junior high.
My brother has a very fancy Seiko Kinetic Two-Tone watch. It has a titanium body and band, and has gold on various parts of the apparatus and down the center of the band.
The face is unique because the dial is blue quartz, which has a luminous effect. He, unlike me, wears his watch constantly, which makes him look professional. I think his watch is perfect for the business world; it has a formal appeal but can still be worn casually.
My brother and I also have gold pocket watches that have our initials engraved on the reverse side of the hunter cases. I have only worn it during Christmas because I only have one, but if I had another that wasn’t as expensive, I’d wear it eagerly.
One important thing to do when handling watches with a hunter case is to push the pin in as the case is closed; otherwise, the metal clasp will wear down as it grinds against the pin. If the hunter case is poorly treated, it eventually will not stay closed.
I mentioned Skeleton watches earlier and would like to address them again. These are truly exquisite watches; the dial on the watch is missing so that the mechanism can be seen at all times, where, normally, one would have to remove the back panel to see the gears.
At Hopkins, you see all kinds of watches, ranging from analog to digital, athletic to formal. I can bet that several students have Seikos or Tissots, maybe a professor has a skeleton watch.
I know that TAG Heuer makes Hopkins watches with a small seal on the dial. However, these are fairly expensive.
Their Aquaracer looks very similar to my brother’s Seiko, but it lacks the blue dial; the color scheme on the band is accurate.
Albeit it has the JHU seal, the TAG Heuers aren’t very impressive when other possibilities for JHU watches are imagined.
I think it would be really awesome to have a watch with a face in the shape of the seal — a pointed oval.
I would gladly buy this watch, so that my good friend, who is irked by the amount of Hopkins gear I own, will be smitten whenever he asks me for the time.
