Wrist Watches - Then and Now

Wrist Watches: Then and Now

That day I was returning from Shanghai. The air hostess was strolling shopping trolley after serving meals. There were lot of items stuffed on trolley like cosmetics, perfumes, jewelry, watches – I saw watch with brand name TRESSA which took me back in the past to my school days…

I had a watch of that company – TRESSA – it was an egg shaped dial- something unique shape in those days and I was really very much fond of that watch which was gifted to me when I was just in standard VIII.

This triggered further old memories and I tried to re-collect watches used in those good old days during the decade 1965-75. I could re-collect the famous brands of those days like HENRY SANDOZ, FAVAR LUBA etc. These imported swiss made brands were famous in those days. I remember CAMY also was one of the brands which were common household name in those days.

Most of the wrist watches used to have steel belt with which the watch was wore tightly on the wrist. People used to keep bus ticket (by making thin fold of it) in the belt so that the ticket could be easily retrieved and produced on arrival of ticket checker. Wearing a watch used to be matter of honor or pride as it was luxury in those days. Parents and relatives used to give watch as rare precious gift on passing important examination. Presenting son-in-law with costly watch during engagement or marriage ceremony was also common affair in those days.

The value of a watch was decided by jewel movement it had. Higher number for jewel movement costlier the watch! Some costlier watches used to have radium coating on its numbers and hands and we children were curious to see those shining numbers and hands in dark and we used to create artificial darkness just to see those shining things in that circular dial.

Those watches were not automatic! Everyday winding was must. If you forget winding whether it is wrist watch or table alarm watch you were sure to find that clock stopped next day! I still remember that we had a watch with roman numbers and a long chain..Similar to what Gandhiji used to have with him. One of my schoolmates had a theory that when you wind the “key” it turns back slowly and we cannot see its movement by our naked eyes. To prove his theory his advise was to put a ink blot in the slot of the “key” and watch if that blot moves back. And yes, it used to “move back”. That was fun to do that kind of experiment in those very young days.

I also remember the clocks with pendulum were common, especially in shops. These clocks had special wooden cabinet with glass in front and special compartment to keep the “key”. The key used to be similar to those used to run the moving toys. Offices had watched running on electricity. But with voltage fluctuations those were running either fast or slow and with power failure they used to die and stop working showing the time when power went off. The office attendant then was required to set time back when power resumed.

There were watch repairers also- the used to have small TAPRI type shops. The shop owner normally was seen wearing small telescope on one eye looking into the opened watch doing something with small forceps into the gears of the opened watch surrounded by glass bottles with different cleaning solvents kept into them and special smell of those solvents filling his small shop.

In Science we used to get questions – like – “why the pendulum watch run fast in summer and why slow in winter?” or “If one forgets winding why the watch stops next day?” Then giving reference of kinetic and potential energy the later question used be answered.

Monopoly of Swiss watches came to end in and around 1975 when Japanese watches like RICHO, SIEKO, CASIO, CITIZEN invaded market. Those watches were attractive, with day and date in it and most important they were automatic! There was no need to wind them daily! They were running on small battery cell! They were equally accurate and precise and there was no relation between jewel movement and accuracy. This was then extrapolated to all watches. Then came watches running on AA cells. These were fairly accurate. When cell gets over simply replace it and set the watch again and that too once in 2 or 3 months.

Watches became cheaper. Even stationary or cloth merchant started gifting watches on festive occasions. Even in photo shops one can get watches with his or with family pictures. At the same time expensive brands like TISSOT, FOSSILS flooded the market for corporate clients. Watches with eco drive were introduced.

There was a time when if somebody raise left writ and ask with right palm – it was sure that he is asking “what is the time?” Now we have mobiles, i-phones, i-pads in the market. They serve the purpose of telling time. Today wrist watches are no more luxury neither necessity. Even then today there is lot of people using wrist watches. Will future generation use wrist watches?  Only coming time will answer this question!

This all came in flash into my mind when I saw that TRESSA watch in the trolley of air hostess.  I jotted it down as my blog. Hope it took you also back in time into flash back.

Prakash Sawant