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Awatch is a smallclock carried or worn by a person. It makes it easy to see the time. It is also considered to be afashion accessory, and expensive watches are designed for this purpose. A watch may be one of the few accessories worn by a person.
Awristwatch is designed to be worn on awrist, attached by astrap or other type ofbracelet. Apocket watch is to be carried in a pocket. There are other variations.Nurses often wear a watch attached to the front of theiruniform. It hangs down from a short strap: when lifted by the user, it is right side up.
A wristwatch has the advantage of being portable in comparison to traditional watches.
Watches evolved in the 17th century from spring-powered clocks, which appeared as early as the 14th century. In 1524,Peter Henlein created the first pocket watch. The first watches were strictly mechanical, driven byclockwork.
As technology developed, mechanical watches were largely replaced byvibrating quartz crystals, producing accurately timed electronic pulses.[1] Some watches useradio technology to correct the time and date.[2] The first digital electronic watch was developed in 1970[3]and theworld's first radio-controlled wristwatch with hands was manufactured 1991 by the German watchmaker Junghans.
Electronic movements, also known as quartz movements, have few or no moving parts, except aquartzcrystal which is made to vibrate by thepiezoelectric effect. A varying electric voltage is applied to the crystal, which responds by changing its shape so it works as anoscillator. Itresonates at a stable frequency, which paces a timekeeping mechanism. Most quartz movements are primarilyelectronic but are geared to drive mechanical hands on the face of the watch to give a traditional analog display of the time.
Some watches aresmartwatches,mobile devices similar tosmartphones but smaller.
