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Since the beginning of civilization man has had ways of recording and measuring time. The earliest systems depended on the cycles of the sun and moon, and developed into measures of time that split the day into uneven segments such as the bells of a monastery.

The days began to be split more evenly with candle time and sundials, but these were hardly portable. The best an ancient traveler could hope for was a rough guess by looking at the position of the sun in the sky. By the thirteenth century large clocks were available on public display at places such as church towers. These were driven by large weights, and were not accurate, as we know the term today.

The need for a portable timepiece was driven by the need for accurate navigation of longitudes in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. An accurate measure of noon was necessary to calculate longitude and prizes were on offer for an accurate traveling timepiece. The first seas going clocks relied on pendulums, and were not all that accurate.

With the development of the spring driven clock in the slate fifteenth century clocks became smaller. They became more suitable for display inside homes, but were still a symbol of wealth. They were not portable in terms of what we think of today. The sixteenth century saw the development of portable timepieces that looked like the clocks from houses but were small enough to be carried in a pocket or around the neck. It is thought that a portrait of Henry VIII by Holbein the younger shows him wearing an early example around his neck. (The famous portrait of a mature Henry dressed in red and white and standing.) These early watches had only an hour hand.

The end of the sixteenth and start of the seventeenth century saw the development of more slimline pocket watches, with the more rounded shape we a re familiar with today. These pocket watches were still very large by today's standards however. The expense of these devices made their appearance important and many of these earliest pieces are richly engraved and decorated.

In the eighteenth century the use of diamonds as bearings in watches was introduced. This led to increasing accuracy, but also increasing price. During the same period oil was introduced as a lubricant, again improving accuracy.

The nineteenth century saw the further development and improvement of watches, until most gentlemen could afford one, and most were accurate. Mass manufacture and the interchangeability of parts began with the Waltham watch company in 1850. This was driven in part by the need of railway workers to be able to accurately tell the time to ensure that accidents didn't happen. This necessity also led to the introduction of standardized times and time zones.

The dawning of the twentieth century saw the first certificates of accuracy, and these soon became an expectation rather than a luxury. These watches wee still worn in the pocket on a chain, but were slim line and elegant unlike their earlier counterparts.

The introduction of the first wristwatch during World War one saw the beginning of the end of the pocket watch. Now every-one can afford an accurate wristwatch and they are no longer a sign of wealth and privilege, unless one counts the expensive lines produced by companies such as Rolex. One is far more likely to see a pocket watch only as a fashion statement, or in a museum.

Learn more about this author, Eve Redstone.
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