1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,360 Welcome to the Gilt Trips podcast. I'm your host, Kendra Lockhart. As a goldsmith and 2 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:17,560 gemologist, I'll be speaking 24 carat on all things jewelry, metals, and gems. Join 3 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:24,080 me plus a few friends to demystify both materials and designs as your private jeweler. Let's 4 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:35,120 tune in on these topics and get golden. The art and science of measuring time is not new. 5 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:40,960 The watch industry is constantly evolving. Today we walk through the history of gauging 6 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:48,920 minutes and hours, the origin of its study, known as orology or chronometry, and the progression 7 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:56,680 of time pieces from then to now. How long was the journey from the first time measuring unit to 8 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:03,680 today's versions? What are the main components of modern watches? Let's inform ourselves on 9 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:14,920 these answers and more. Chapter timestamps are in the show notes. The methods of measuring time, 10 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:23,040 called chronometry, take two shapes. The calendar, a mathematical tool for tracking intervals of 11 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:31,280 time, and the clock, a physical mechanism that counts time's passages. In daily life, the clock 12 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:37,000 assists periods less than a day, whereas the calendar is consulted for longer than a day. 13 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:44,480 Chronometry is the science of measuring time. Orology is the mechanical timekeeping device, 14 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:53,040 and we will cover both in that order. The word itself, chronometry, is from the roots of time 15 00:01:53,040 --> 00:02:00,760 plus measure. The root word is associated with the Greek god Kronos, who embodied the image of 16 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:08,600 time, birthed from the primordial chaos of the universe before order followed, known as the one 17 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:16,320 who spins the zodiac wheel, enhancing his role as the progression of time. However, ancient Greeks 18 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:23,240 make a distinction between two types of time, Kronos, the predictable progress of present to 19 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:30,960 future, and Kairos, a concept based in a more abstract sense, meaning the timing of events in 20 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:38,000 our lives. The history of our need for perceiving and relying on time was for more than just our 21 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:46,280 senses. It showed us our rhythms, seasons, and the ebb and flow of natures we needed to harness to 22 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:53,480 guarantee our survival. Our earliest artifacts of time measurement go back to the Paleolithic era 23 00:02:53,480 --> 00:03:00,840 of the broader Stone Age, where findings were fashioned from bones and rock with various markings 24 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:08,680 from tools. Mostly it was tracking lunar cycles of the moon for reference. As our species developed 25 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:16,400 and turned to the art of farming, seasons became very important, and moon tracking became less 26 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:23,160 reliable. The ancient Egyptians would shift to following the sun for help with time, which aided 27 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:31,640 their goals. This culture noticed that the star, Sirius, rose before sunrise every 365 days, 28 00:03:31,640 --> 00:03:43,080 which would seed a bigger picture around the need for a calendar. Now let's walk through the 29 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:49,360 evolution of the devices to measure time. The oldest on historical record is the Water Clock, 30 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:59,120 or Clopsidra. The name is derived from the Greek word klepto, meaning to steal, and hydor for water. 31 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:07,240 So this device translates to water thief. It consists of a vessel with markers that measure 32 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:13,920 inflow or outflow of water, where the amount is the measure. These date back to Babylon, 33 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:22,960 Egypt, and Persia around the 16th century BC. It's fascinating that an idea can pop up in many 34 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:31,840 cultures. How it works is as the water flows out of a hole of a marked container or into one with 35 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:39,560 markers, a witness uses that to see how much time has passed. Several societies made advancements on 36 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:47,320 this innovation, including India and China, as well as the aforementioned. It would develop into 37 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:55,520 escapement mechanisms and water wheels. In the medieval Islamic world, a water regulator would 38 00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:02,360 be created, and Correa would add in a feature where an object would be struck by an element to make a 39 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:11,840 sound. This would precede a chime alerting an observer to time intervals. Was this accurate? No, 40 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:18,280 it was not a precision piece, but it would be the origin of how we would arrive at that goal. 41 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:29,760 The next phase in urology was the sundial. Let's address the limitation of this device right away. 42 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:37,480 It only works in the daytime. A sundial is made of a flat plate upon which the sun casts the shadow. 43 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:45,560 As the sun appears to move across the sky, the shadow shifts across markers to show time 44 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:54,680 passing in increments. The earliest documentation of sundials dates to 1500 BC, thanks to Egyptian 45 00:05:54,680 --> 00:06:02,200 and Babylonian astronomy, which is the study of celestial bodies. There was possible mention of 46 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:10,400 it in the Old Testament around 700 BC, and by 240 BC, the circumference of the world had been 47 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:17,920 estimated in ancient Greece, as well as the latitude of cities using shadows at first and then 48 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:26,640 relative angles of the sun. Amazing. We would see the sundial used through to the 16th century. 49 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:33,600 There are modern versions that are tailored to specific functions, locations on the planet, 50 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:45,880 innovations in design, but let's continue the arc of progress in timepieces. An hourglass, 51 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:53,800 or sand clock, is comprised of two glass bulbs vertically connected by a narrow joint that 52 00:06:53,800 --> 00:07:01,480 permits a steady flow of sand from the upper chamber to the lower one due to gravity. The amount 53 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:10,080 of time it measures depends on the type of sand, the bulb size, and the joint width. There are no 54 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:18,920 records of its existence prior to a fresco painting dated back to 1338 in the Middle Ages. These were 55 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:25,880 used when on ships or out to sea since the grains would not be affected by the motion of the waves 56 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:35,160 upon the sailing vessel. You could find hourglasses in a variety of uses, churches, homes, and work. 57 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:44,840 It would measure sermons, cooking times, and labor breaks when at the job. As popular as they were, 58 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:54,000 by the time Europe entered the 1500s, mechanical clocks would eclipse the hourglass. The next generation 59 00:07:54,000 --> 00:08:02,200 of time measuring accessories would be more accurate, cheaper to make, smaller, and easier to work with. 60 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:10,400 As for mechanical clocks, large style format showed up in the 1300s with advanced features, 61 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:19,320 often combining astronomy or positional data for the planets visible to the eye. This was built 62 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:26,800 with an accompanying dial that could show sun and moon for the day and night hours. Accuracy was 63 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:34,640 increasing and this style would be found in cathedrals where the Salisbury Clock, built in 1386, 64 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:42,960 still strikes the hours. Smaller clocks presented a technical challenge due to the size of the casing 65 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:53,240 versus a larger cage. Yet the mission was accomplished and, again, accuracy improved. Spring-driven clocks 66 00:08:53,240 --> 00:09:00,880 appeared on the market. Early versions did not measure minutes or seconds yet. The next challenge 67 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:08,280 was to solve how to keep time running constantly as the spring ran down. The component known as the 68 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:18,200 barrel of a watch would be the answer. After 1656, the pendulum clock would be created. Galileo was 69 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:25,240 credited with the idea of a swinging bob to regulate the motion of the device itself, but he did not 70 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:33,240 execute it. The pendulum length would correspond to the passing of one second, which the inventor of 71 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:39,760 this determined from a mathematical formula. Eventually, this would become what we know as a 72 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:47,640 grandfather clock, with a long case made of wood and sometimes enameled or hand-painted for aesthetics. 73 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:56,040 Another achievement would be the anchor escapement. In 1670, this would be introduced, 74 00:09:56,040 --> 00:10:03,520 and it was a mini-pengulum with a gear that could push and stop the momentum to make seconds 75 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:12,360 more precise. Soon after, the balance spring, or hairspring, was designed to control a component 76 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:19,800 called the balance wheel. This would make pocket watches possible. The third and final element of 77 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:26,760 this era would be the repeating clock that chimes the number of hours so that you would know exactly 78 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:37,920 which hour the clock was striking. Why are these breakthroughs so important? Because they impacted 79 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:45,680 the certainty and safety of water transportation. If you love science, the formula of rate times 80 00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:53,360 time equals distance was critical in determining a ship's location. And now it's the advent of 81 00:10:53,360 --> 00:11:02,280 maritime or marine chronometers. One problem was that a clock with a swinging pendulum does no good 82 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:10,520 on the rough waters. So in 1714, the British government posed the offer of 20,000 pounds, 83 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:19,320 which would be 1.5 million pounds today for anyone who could gauge longitude with precision. 84 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:28,080 England was always strong on the ocean, so this was imperative to both trade and battle. John 85 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:36,520 Harrison would dedicate his life to refining the accuracy of a maritime chronometer. He built his 86 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:45,600 first one in 1735 and kept improving it for 30 years before submitting it to be examined. There 87 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:52,840 were many innovations, like bearings to cut the friction, weighted balances to correct for a ship's 88 00:11:52,840 --> 00:12:00,560 pitch and roll, and different metal alloys to reduce heat and reactions to that. The outcome? 89 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:14,320 In 1761, his model was accurate within 5 seconds per day. Even though pocket watches were wearable 90 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:22,160 items in 16th century Europe, the previous progress took these items from being fastened to clothing 91 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:29,560 or worn on a neck chain and having only an hour hand to the elevated level of being worn in waist 92 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:37,760 coats instead of externally by the next century. That would mean a flatter shape, rounded versus 93 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:45,120 sharp edges, and they were often wound up by a small key. Commonly, they featured hand-painted 94 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:54,280 dials, especially depicting the sea for selling to sailors. In the 18th century, a handful of 95 00:12:54,280 --> 00:13:00,120 watchmakers began implementing the lover escapement, and now a timepiece would lose only 96 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:07,920 one minute per day. The rise of railroading would rely on the widespread use of pocket watches. 97 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:17,160 So much so that in 1891, a major train wreck occurred due to an engineer's watch stopping for 98 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:24,600 four minutes. Naturally, stringent standards would become mandatory, and thus a railroad grade 99 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:32,440 version was birthed and used across our country. There were two major types, the key winding and 100 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:41,920 the stem winding. However, by World War I, the wristwatch made its debut. Some men preferred 101 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:49,200 the pocket version, as the wrist version was considered unmanly in society. That obviously 102 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:55,640 changed, and now the practicality of it being on the arm makes a world of difference, and not just 103 00:13:55,640 --> 00:14:00,880 in combat. Pocket watches still add an element of sophistication to the three-piece suit, 104 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:13,600 so they shine more in a fashion environment. Now we enter the modern era. Two significant 105 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:20,200 paradigm shifts happened in the 1900s. The first is the innovation of the automatic watch, 106 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:28,280 or self-winding system. Then the electronic watch, created by two American companies, 107 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:37,120 Elgin and Hamilton, would showcase these options in the 1950s. These were far from perfect, 108 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:45,040 as the contact wires would often misalign, but it opened the door for the quartz watch in 1969. 109 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:53,520 The Japanese company Seiko would put forth this version of a wristwatch. It became so well marketed 110 00:14:53,520 --> 00:15:01,080 that it concerned the Swiss, known for their luxury timepiece industry, as this model would 111 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:10,960 cause the quote-unquote quartz crisis in the 1980s. Why? Quartz is contemporary, quartz is accurate, 112 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:20,680 and quartz watches are affordable and easy to make. So it comes as no surprise that we would 113 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:28,880 finally arrive at the future. The smartwatch, launched in 1994, was a wireless model that 114 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:39,280 would data transfer from a PC or other digital technology device. Regarding the anatomy of 115 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:47,000 a watch, a simple overview starts with the case or shell of the timepiece, which determines its 116 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:54,360 size in millimeters. The lugs are what extend from the case to attach to the watch bracelet or 117 00:15:54,360 --> 00:16:03,280 its strap. The dial is where the hands and hour markers are found, whether those markers are 118 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:13,640 numeric, like Arabic or Roman numerals, or stick markers, or darts, dashes, or even gems placed 119 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:23,360 at all 12 stations. The knob, traditionally at the 3 o'clock position, is the crown. When it is 120 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:33,560 pulled out, you see its stem. This element helps either wind or set the watch, often both. Above 121 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:40,240 the dial is the crystal. This can be made out of plastic, glass, or white sapphire, 122 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:47,880 each with varying hardnesses. As for the bracelet, there are many styles of links, 123 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:56,360 or mesh if it's metal. If it's leather, several types of skins are used to create a strap. And 124 00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:04,440 lastly, the closure. On a metal bracelet, it is common to find a deployment clasp, which folds 125 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:12,720 over to click into place. A butterfly clasp is like French doors. Two halves fold to meet in 126 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:19,840 the middle and snap into locked position. And as for the strap, a simple buckle is called a tang, 127 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:27,200 and deployment is available too, with the advantage of preserving the leather from stretching the 128 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:36,600 punch holes versus buckling and unbuckling. This episode was part one on watches. Next week, 129 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:48,360 I will cover the top feats of engineering in the world of timepieces. Thank you for listening 130 00:17:48,360 --> 00:17:52,440 and learning with me. I would love you to share this project with people finding rear 131 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:58,200 beauty in today's world and throughout our times. Until the next episode, keep your own story sparkling.