The mechanical watch was groundbreaking at the moment it happened some 400 years ago when time came to be measured anew. No longer just a device to measure hours and minutes, mechanical watches are now considered by many as the true embodiment of what mankind has achieved in his inventiveness or engineering marvels — one that is often interwoven with artistry. That revolution started in the late 13th century and is still affecting horology today.
Introduction — The Genesis: Clocks to Wearable Watches
Mechanical clocks date back to about the late 13th century and this is where mechanical watches originate from. Prior to these earlier, church clock-towers had an impact on timekeeping in their communities; providing a more valid method of measuring the day than by sundial and water-clock that could only work under certain conditions and with little precision. But it was still not wearable watches as we know today. For that we need to wait for the inventions of mainsprings that lead to Pocket-watches in the 15th century.
17th and 18th Century: When Precision & Complexity Rise
The 17th century marked an important advancement in the watchmaking field with a part called balance spring, or hairspring. This discovery, in combination with the verge escapement that was invented at a later stage, significantly increased the precision of clocks. By the 18th century, timepieces were also starting to introduce other features aside from just telling you what hour of day it is — there’s more in minute repeaters and perpetual calendars.
Other notable improvements over this time frame included John Harrison who created the marine chronometer. It’s only the solution to a problem developed over centuries by thousands of sailors, and answered with an instrument that finally helped determine longitude at sea. Harrison’s timepiece was groundbreaking, proving for the first time that mechanical watches could be used to measure distances further than just telling people what the time is.
The 19th Century: The Watchmaking Revolution
The industrialization of watchmaking began in the 19th century. This homage era saw the revolution of Swiss watchmaking, and brands such as Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet leading it. They were focused on making very complicated watches, physically—a lot of tourbillons and split-second chronographs—from the same brands.
Meanwhile, American watchmakers such as Waltham and Elgin developed manufacturing methods that made watches affordable for average Americans. The common person could now afford a watch for the first time, and this helped solidify mechanical watches as an essential item in day-to-day life.
The Quartz Crisis: 20th Century Rubicon
The Quartz era – 1970s The quartz crisis of the 70s was by far the greatest challenge that any industry had ever faced. Battery-powered quartz watches, which were more accurate than any people had ever worn on their wrists before, threatened to make mechanical watches passé. This phenomenon, later referred to as the “Quartz Crisis,” resulted in numerous traditional watchmakers closing up shop and a wholesale reappraisal of mechanical watches.
Answerable as they were, Swiss watchmakers simply turned their attention from accuracy to the craft of building watches — resulting in a run on heritage and luxury. Other brands like Rolex and Omega trumpeted the artistry of their mechanical watches, marketing them as luxury possessions rather than mere timepieces. This not only saved the mechanical watch industry but also breathed new life into it and helped usher in an era of rebirth that still carries on to this day.
Concluding Thoughts: Legacy of The Mechanical Watch Revolution
The revolution in mechanical watches had turned timekeeping from a mere utility into an art. But simply because quartz posed its challenges, mechanical watches have carried on (or even powered through), continuing to focus upon intricate engineering, historical implications, and a more human appeal. For their part, prospective buyers need only look so far as the continuing brio of horology in a post-mechanical watch revolution world. Discover the evolution of timekeeping with our timeline article but also the beginning of it with our Sundials and water clocks article
