| Over the centuries clocks have been used as a | | | | with the "Polyplan" shaped watch. Then came the |
| status symbol by those who wear them. Their | | | | famously and cryptically called "clock reference n. |
| precision, elegance and convenience are just some of | | | | 1593" by Patek Philippe which was a rectangular |
| the attributes that clocks and watches represent. | | | | shaped watch.From 1913 onwards more and more |
| Often they are bought purely for their aesthetic | | | | watches started to be developed in all shapes and |
| looks. and at other times they are bought because | | | | styles. From the "gondola" watch of Patek Phillipe to |
| of their technical attributes like being precise to the | | | | Louis Cartiers' "Tank"; named thus because it was |
| last second or even millisecond. This is what makes | | | | inspired by the shape of English armored cars of the |
| clocks and watches so collectible and in some cases | | | | time. These are watches which are very much |
| they can command high sums of money.Whether | | | | sought after. There were other numerous watch |
| you collect the new high precision watches or ones | | | | makers like Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin |
| that come from a past era, the fact is that over the | | | | who along with Patek Philippe and Cartier came out |
| years this hobby has become a high turnover | | | | with many other designs which added other features |
| business. And collecting watches is in a lot of circles | | | | to the watches like lunar phases, month and day |
| regarded as a wise form of investing.At the start of | | | | most of which are found in modern watches now.Of |
| the last century the clocks that were available for | | | | course we could not mention wrist watches without |
| men or women were firstly pocket clocks, and then | | | | mentioning the most famous of them all: the Rolex |
| clocks that held by a pendant attached to the lining | | | | watch. In the 1920s Rolex debuted in the world of |
| of jackets or corsets. The advent of war, | | | | wrist watches with the elegant Rolex Prince and its |
| industrialization, and the development of the sport | | | | revolutionary "dual time" feature made famous for |
| activities, brought over new trends which extended | | | | having the "seconds sector" larger than that of the |
| to not only the way we dressed, but also how we | | | | minutes. At the same time Jaeger Le Coultre |
| carried our clocks.It is said that it was a nanny who | | | | produced an even more advanced piece called the |
| invented wrist watches at around the end of the | | | | "Reverse", also very revolutionary in that it could be |
| 19th century, who fixed a clock around her wrist by | | | | turn 180 degrees within its case, thus protecting the |
| using a silk band. The first watches to be made were | | | | crystal and dial. It became incredibly popular and was |
| in fact smaller models of pocket clocks that were | | | | only prevented from achieving even greater success |
| fitted with a leather strap. Once this product hit the | | | | by the recession of the 1930s and the advent of |
| market newer designs started to be produced based | | | | world war 2.These early watches of the 1910s to |
| around this same concept.It was Louis Cartier who | | | | 1930s are what define all the makes of watches that |
| first made the kind of watches we see today when | | | | we see and wear today. This short article has only |
| he created a watch for a flying pioneer hero by the | | | | scratched the surface of what is a very vast subject |
| name Santos Dumont. By 1911 this same type of | | | | which has many more watch makers with diverse |
| watch was on general sale. That same type of | | | | and revolutionary designs. However it is makers like |
| watch became the blueprint of what wrist watches | | | | Rolex, Cartier, Jaeger Le Coultre and the others |
| look like to this day.Soon after the design of wrist | | | | mentioned that are amongst the most valuable and |
| "clocks" began to diversify away from the classical | | | | collectible, and should you ever be so lucky to get |
| round shape that had been in vogue up until that | | | | one then make sure you hang on to it - preferably |
| time. From the Cartier classical wrist watch other | | | | to your wrist.James Ross is the web master of |
| makes of watch started to emerge which were | | | | AntiquesAppraisal.info - The Number One Site For |
| characterized by their shape. Movado is the perfect | | | | Antiques a website totally dedicated to antiques and |
| example of these new designs when it came out | | | | antique furniture. |