Advantages of Digital vs analog watch technology
Ranked #1,505 in Arts & Design, #19,712 overall
Time telling through the ages
A huge advance occurred in the 1300's when mechanical clocks, which used weights or springs, began to appear. At first, they had no faces, and no hour or minute hands; rather, they struck a bell every hour. Later, clocks with hour, and then minute hands began to appear. These early mechanical clocks worked by using an escapement, a lever that pivoted and meshed with a toothed wheel at certain intervals. This controlled the movement, or "escape" of either the weights or the springs that were powering the clock, in order to regulate the speed at which the gears and wheels which measured the time turned.
In the 1400's, another important discovery in timekeeping was made: it was learned that coiled springs, which used small coiled springs unwinding at a speed controlled by an escapement, were able to move the hands on a clock as well as weights or springs of previous, larger clocks. This discovery made smaller clocks, and later watches, possible.
Then, in 1656, Christiaan Huygens invented the pendulum clock, which used weights and a swinging pendulum. These clocks were much more accurate than previous clocks, off by less than a minute a day, compared to the 15 minutes a day of earlier clocks. The bigger the pendulum, the more accurate the clock was.
In 1714, the British Parliament offered a cash reward to anyone who could invent a clock accurate enough for use in navigation at sea. Thousands of sailors died because they were unable to find their exact position, because the exact time was needed to find longitude, and pendulum clocks would not work at sea. For every minute lost by a clock, it meant that there would be a navigational error of 15 miles, and sailors died because they were lost or smashed against rocks because they were unable to figure out their exact position. Then, in 1761, after 4 attempts, John Harrison finally succeeded at inventing a small clock accurate enough to use for navigation at sea. This tiny pocket watch lost only 5 seconds in 6 and ½ weeks.
In the early 1800's, one of the most important events in clock making occurred. Eli Terry developed machines, patterns, and techniques that produced clock parts that were exactly alike, so they could be mass-produced and interchanged from one clock to another. This drove the price of clocks way down, and allowed common people to own at least one, if not many, timekeeping devices.
At the dawn of the 20th century, only women wore wristwatches. No self-respecting "real man" would wear one. However, in the first World War, soldiers wore wristwatches because taking out a pocket watch to check the time was difficult or impossible in battle. After the war was over, it was considered "socially acceptable" to wear wrist watches, and they became popular. Half a century later, digital watches, which used electrical currents running through quartz crystals to cause vibration and tell the time very accurately, began to appear.
In the 1400's, another important discovery in timekeeping was made: it was learned that coiled springs, which used small coiled springs unwinding at a speed controlled by an escapement, were able to move the hands on a clock as well as weights or springs of previous, larger clocks. This discovery made smaller clocks, and later watches, possible.
Then, in 1656, Christiaan Huygens invented the pendulum clock, which used weights and a swinging pendulum. These clocks were much more accurate than previous clocks, off by less than a minute a day, compared to the 15 minutes a day of earlier clocks. The bigger the pendulum, the more accurate the clock was.
In 1714, the British Parliament offered a cash reward to anyone who could invent a clock accurate enough for use in navigation at sea. Thousands of sailors died because they were unable to find their exact position, because the exact time was needed to find longitude, and pendulum clocks would not work at sea. For every minute lost by a clock, it meant that there would be a navigational error of 15 miles, and sailors died because they were lost or smashed against rocks because they were unable to figure out their exact position. Then, in 1761, after 4 attempts, John Harrison finally succeeded at inventing a small clock accurate enough to use for navigation at sea. This tiny pocket watch lost only 5 seconds in 6 and ½ weeks.
In the early 1800's, one of the most important events in clock making occurred. Eli Terry developed machines, patterns, and techniques that produced clock parts that were exactly alike, so they could be mass-produced and interchanged from one clock to another. This drove the price of clocks way down, and allowed common people to own at least one, if not many, timekeeping devices.
At the dawn of the 20th century, only women wore wristwatches. No self-respecting "real man" would wear one. However, in the first World War, soldiers wore wristwatches because taking out a pocket watch to check the time was difficult or impossible in battle. After the war was over, it was considered "socially acceptable" to wear wrist watches, and they became popular. Half a century later, digital watches, which used electrical currents running through quartz crystals to cause vibration and tell the time very accurately, began to appear.
Current digital watches
eBay
With the launch of its first watch in November 1974, Casio entered the wristwatch market at a time when the watch industry had just discovered digital technology. As a company with cutting-edge electronic technology developed for pocket calculators, Casio entered this field confident that it could develop timepieces that would lead the market.
A brief history of time keeping thru the ages
Time is considered one of our most valuable assets.
The keeping of time goes all the way back to the beginning of civilization. Both historians and archeologists believe that stationary and portable sun-dials were probably developed in Egypt or Mesopotamia.
The oldest extant sun-dial can be found in Egypt and dates back to 1500 BCE. We know that the early Egyptians used the pyramids as well as the obelisks as a forerunner to the sundial.
It is said that one of the first watches was created in Italy around 1524 CE. The main problem for portable time keeping before the 1600s was the lack of driving power. Timepieces of that era were typically driven by weights making it very difficult for portable use. The inaccuracy of timepieces in this era were very common and most watches only had one hand that had to be wound at least twice a day.
It was not until 1675 CE that the implementation of a spiral balance spring changed timekeeping forever by taking timekeeping accuracy from fractions of an hour to fractions of a minute. It was then a second hand was added to the watch. At this time Roman numerals were added to mark the minutes. Eventually, due to rapid development, a watch would only have to be wound once a day instead of every twelve hours.
The keeping of time goes all the way back to the beginning of civilization. Both historians and archeologists believe that stationary and portable sun-dials were probably developed in Egypt or Mesopotamia.
The oldest extant sun-dial can be found in Egypt and dates back to 1500 BCE. We know that the early Egyptians used the pyramids as well as the obelisks as a forerunner to the sundial.
It is said that one of the first watches was created in Italy around 1524 CE. The main problem for portable time keeping before the 1600s was the lack of driving power. Timepieces of that era were typically driven by weights making it very difficult for portable use. The inaccuracy of timepieces in this era were very common and most watches only had one hand that had to be wound at least twice a day.
It was not until 1675 CE that the implementation of a spiral balance spring changed timekeeping forever by taking timekeeping accuracy from fractions of an hour to fractions of a minute. It was then a second hand was added to the watch. At this time Roman numerals were added to mark the minutes. Eventually, due to rapid development, a watch would only have to be wound once a day instead of every twelve hours.
eBay
In 1714, the British Parliament offered a cash reward to anyone who could invent a clock accurate enough for use in navigation at sea. Thousands of sailors died because they were unable to find their exact position, because the exact time was needed to find longitude, and pendulum clocks would not work at sea. For every minute lost by a clock, it meant that there would be a navigational error of 15 miles, and sailors died because they were lost or smashed against rocks because they were unable to figure out their exact position. Then, in 1761, after 4 attempts, John Harrison finally succeeded at inventing a small clock accurate enough to use for navigation at sea. This tiny pocket watch lost only 5 seconds in 6 and ½ weeks.
Sundials as time keeping devices
The sundial is the oldest known device for the measurement of time and the most ancient of scientific instruments. It is based on the fact that the shadow of an object will move from one side of the object to the other as the sun "moves" from east to west during the day.
5000-3500 BC
The first device for indicating the time of day was probably the gnomon. It consisted of a vertical stick or pillar; the length of the shadow it cast gave an indication of the time of day.
3500 BC
Sumer becomes the world's first civilization. (Sumer is an ancient region of southern Mesopotamia - which is now southeastern Iraq.)
2500-2000 BC
Babylonians and Egyptians build obelisks (slender, tapering four-sided monuments). Their moving shadows formed a kind of sundial, enabling citizens to divide the day into two parts by indicating noon. They also showed the year's longest and shortest days when the shadow at noon was the longest or shortest of the year. Later, marks around the base of the monument would show further time divisions.
800 BC
More precise sundials are built in Egypt. The earliest known sundial still preserved is an Egyptian shadow clock of green schist dating from at least this period. It consists of a straight base with a raised crosspiece at one end. The base, on which is inscribed a scale of six time divisions, is placed in an east-west direction with the crosspiece at the east end in the morning and the west end in the afternoon. The shadow of the crosspiece on the base indicates the time.
300 BC
The earliest description of a sundial comes from Berossus, a Babylonian priest and author. His sundial is a cubical block into which a half-sphere is cut. A small bead is fixed at the center. During the day the shadow of the bead moves in a circular arc, divided into twelve equal parts. Because the length of the day varies with the season, these hours likewise vary in length from season to season and are thus known as "temporary hours." ("Equal hours" were decided upon about 1300 AD, when mechanical clocks were invented.)
290 BC
The first sundial is set up in Rome. It has been captured from the Samnites.
250 BC
The Greeks develop and construct complex sundials using their knowledge of geometry:
- Apollonius of Perga develops the hemicyclium by using a surface of conic section upon which the hour lines are inscribed; thus providing greater accuracy.
- Ptolemy uses the analemma, a device that enables shadows to be projected geometrically onto flat surfaces inclined at various angles to the horizontal.
164 BC
The first sundial is constructed for the city of Rome designed by architect and engineer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio. He mentions many types of sundials, some of which are portable, in his great work De architectura.
100 BC
The Tower of the Winds is constructed in Athens. It is octagonal in shape and contains eight sundials. Sundials facing various cardinal compass points were in use at least since then.
5000-3500 BC
The first device for indicating the time of day was probably the gnomon. It consisted of a vertical stick or pillar; the length of the shadow it cast gave an indication of the time of day.
3500 BC
Sumer becomes the world's first civilization. (Sumer is an ancient region of southern Mesopotamia - which is now southeastern Iraq.)
2500-2000 BC
Babylonians and Egyptians build obelisks (slender, tapering four-sided monuments). Their moving shadows formed a kind of sundial, enabling citizens to divide the day into two parts by indicating noon. They also showed the year's longest and shortest days when the shadow at noon was the longest or shortest of the year. Later, marks around the base of the monument would show further time divisions.
800 BC
More precise sundials are built in Egypt. The earliest known sundial still preserved is an Egyptian shadow clock of green schist dating from at least this period. It consists of a straight base with a raised crosspiece at one end. The base, on which is inscribed a scale of six time divisions, is placed in an east-west direction with the crosspiece at the east end in the morning and the west end in the afternoon. The shadow of the crosspiece on the base indicates the time.
300 BC
The earliest description of a sundial comes from Berossus, a Babylonian priest and author. His sundial is a cubical block into which a half-sphere is cut. A small bead is fixed at the center. During the day the shadow of the bead moves in a circular arc, divided into twelve equal parts. Because the length of the day varies with the season, these hours likewise vary in length from season to season and are thus known as "temporary hours." ("Equal hours" were decided upon about 1300 AD, when mechanical clocks were invented.)
290 BC
The first sundial is set up in Rome. It has been captured from the Samnites.
250 BC
The Greeks develop and construct complex sundials using their knowledge of geometry:
- Apollonius of Perga develops the hemicyclium by using a surface of conic section upon which the hour lines are inscribed; thus providing greater accuracy.
- Ptolemy uses the analemma, a device that enables shadows to be projected geometrically onto flat surfaces inclined at various angles to the horizontal.
164 BC
The first sundial is constructed for the city of Rome designed by architect and engineer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio. He mentions many types of sundials, some of which are portable, in his great work De architectura.
100 BC
The Tower of the Winds is constructed in Athens. It is octagonal in shape and contains eight sundials. Sundials facing various cardinal compass points were in use at least since then.
Selection of Luxury Designer Watches
Currently available at Amazon:
eBay
At the dawn of the 20th century, only women wore wristwatches. No self-respecting "real man" would wear one. However, in the first World War, soldiers wore wristwatches because taking out a pocket watch to check the time was difficult or impossible in battle. After the war was over, it was considered "socially acceptable" to wear wrist watches, and they became popular. Half a century later, digital watches, which used electrical currents running through quartz crystals to cause vibration and tell the time very accurately, began to appear.
Amazon
The next great advancement in timekeeping was in 1967, when the atomic clock, which used the oscillations of cesium-133 atoms to tell time, was invented. This clock had an error ratio of 1 second for every 1.4 million years. Recently, in 1999, scientists developed the cesium fountain atomic clock, which is off by only one second every 20 million years. This clock is the most accurate in the world.
Outstanding watches
Amazon
Then, in 1656, Christiaan Huygens invented the pendulum clock, which used weights and a swinging pendulum. These clocks were much more accurate than previous clocks, off by less than a minute a day, compared to the 15 minutes a day of earlier clocks. The bigger the pendulum, the more accurate the clock was.
by louseedman
Born on June 2, 1949, in Washington, D.C., attended public schools, joined the Army, and then worked for Bulova for 22 years
- 1 featured lens
- Winner of 6 trophies!
- Top lens » Advantages of Digital vs analog watch technology
Feeling creative?
Create a Lens!
Explore related pages
- How to Make a Wooden Gear Clock How to Make a Wooden Gear Clock
- Steampunk Tattoos Steampunk Tattoos
- Kids Sleep Clock - Sleep Training Clock For Kids Kids Sleep Clock - Sleep Training Clock For Kids
- Black Wall Clocks Black Wall Clocks
- How to Scan Photographs, Negatives and Slides How to Scan Photographs, Negatives and Slides
- The Mouse Ran Up The Clock The Mouse Ran Up The Clock
