Some people are really good at tapping their foot to keep time. Other folks can get within a second or two if you ask them to estimate when they think a minute has gone by. Even the very best of us, though, makes mistakes. Seconds add up to minutes, and these missing minutes made a difference even in the ancient world.
Nice one, Andrew.......I can't recall a first watch, but I must've had something fairly functional (I was 10 in 1965, as a point of reference) on my left wrist. In our house, growing up ('60s, early-'70s), I vividly recall a huge clock we had hanging in our living room, to the left of the TV:
It looked exactly like a massive pocket watch....It was, easily, 12-15 inches in diameter, and had what looked like a turning setting knob at the top! It featured Roman numerals on its glass-covered face, and even had about a 3-foot-long chain (replicating the chain from pants to vest pocket, say) that would require us to pound a nail into the wall to hang one of the loops about half-way, so that the other chain half could hang down, to form a graceful 90-degree angle!
But, in the '80s, all Swatch hell broke loose! I collected about 20 of the colorful, plastic, rubbery watches, and I believe Swatch is still in business. At the time I was collecting (late '80s), I was a professional (with a B.A.) youth minister at a southern L.A. county Lutheran church. My high school youth groupers were transfixed with the collection, as they wondered which one I'd show up to youth night with!
I'm trying to remember the maker's name it had on its face....Seth Thomas? It stayed in our family thru the '90s, when I sold off a lot of my Mom's possessions.
My history of collecting is legion: rocks, stamps, coins, baseball cards in the '60s (I turned 15 in 1970); records (LPs and 45s), videos, and books in the '70s; Swatches in the '80s (did you collect 'em, Kristen?); baseball cards (again!) with players' autographs on them (in person and by mail!) in the '90s, and Bath and Body Works body care the last two years!! I need help....................................collecting more!!!😉
Swatches were so cool! I don't think I ever had one, but I certainly thought they were super duper cool.
I collected comic books, cards (to a lesser extent), stamps, and coins (and, to a lesser degree, records and tapes, and VHS tapes eventually too). I've managed to leave behind SOME of my packrat genes, but not yet all!
I forgot about comic books......and MAD Magazines! In the '60s, while my bro was reading all the 'man comics...Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Manman (where was HE?!?), I was all Archie, Richie Rich, Little Lotta, Li'l Devil, and of course, Peanuts paperback collections! This was a fun one, Andrew!
My brother and I were only 10 months apart in age (my mom said she found out what caused it, and stopped)! In fact, for 6 weeks out of every year, he and I were the same age! Between March 18 (when I reached his age) and May 1 (when he "suddenly" gained a year!), we liked to play tricks on the newly-met: "So, how old are you and your brother?" "15." "Oh, so, then you're twins. You don't look at all alike!" SURPRISE!
Being so close (in age......only), it's amazing how incredibly different the two of us were! But, thankfully, my love of and for music (and records) was not at all duplicated by my brother! He couldn't care less ("woo-hoo....Daddy's got more Warner Bros freebies!") Thankfully, that gave us one LESS thing over which to fight!!! I got all the promos!
I never had Swatches, but my best friend did. They were super cool. I did the baseball card collecting thing very briefly when I was a teenager and obsessed with the Atlanta Braves. And I also loved Mad Magazines! I never got a subscription but I'd buy them with my allowance every time a new one came out. I somehow ended up with a ton of Archie comics that one of my mom's friends was getting rid of, and I loved those, too. Once cds were a thing, I started collecting and never stopped, although I have purged my collection a fair few times. I love to hit up thrift stores for those, and records, too!
This is making me wonder whether I should just write about collecting. I bet our readers here could easily make up an extra full piece just in the comments! Collecting meant so much to me as a kid.
We were looking at some fancy watches in a jewellers the other day and my son asked me what my favourite ever watch was. He didn’t look overly impressed when I told him it was a Casio watch that was also a calculator. However, it turns out you can still buy them!
Thanks, Daniel! Kids will not realize how cool it was to play Pac-Man or Snake from one of these watches, too. I remember being able to "unlock" that from a watch, maybe circa late 80s.
The watches are slowly becoming small computers like everything else, similar to the more significant change happening around us where most companies are becoming technology companies in the business of something (building cars, consumer products, etc.).
Your timing for the above post was good. Here is what WSJ thinks about watches in an article today:
Today’s power watches take almost any form. Rolexes and Patek Philippes remain marks of achievement, but humbler models—from G-Shocks to Citizens—can signal an active lifestyle or understated confidence.
The key to rocking one is authenticity. An accessory that conveys your distinctive taste and personality can accentuate your image as a creative thinker, fitness buff, or overachiever. If your main goal is to show off wealth, then you’re doing it wrong. Clasping a trophy around your wrist can get you pegged as pretentious in no time.
I remember being incredibly fond of a Casio watch I got on a trip around Europe in my early teens. I bought it for my allowance and it had a fitness function that could automatically set the time for a workout based on what type of exercise you wanted to do, your weight, height, etc.
But I was sorely disappointed to later find out that there wasn't a simple timer that allowed you to just input the exact countdown time directly. I wanted a watch like Schwarzenegger had in "Commando" (where he sets the timer for 11 hours after jumping off the plane), and this wasn't it. So I had to make do with approximating the time by adjusting my weight and exercise type if I wanted to time something.
Also, imagine inventing an amazing contraption that allows societies to track time and coordinate activities only to be associated with something you use to flush your poop down the drain? Then again, that's arguably an equally important invention.
What is worth mentioning is that time changes in places where gravity is different. It slightly differs even in Earth’s orbit, so we need to adjust the clocks running in our satellites. For example, if you are in orbit with GPS satellites, your day will be shorter by 37 microseconds, which gives us on Earth some time advantage over people in space.
Definitely worth mentioning. At the end, I debated going in some depth about the quartz and then atomic clocks, but opted to just quit while I was ahead, and save those for another day.
Time dilation is endlessly fascinating to think about.
So interesting! I had not heard of the water clock. My favorite timepiece was a Timex wristwatch that had the phases of the moon as a part of its display. It looked very retro. I left it in a locker at gym one day and that was the end of it. Now I do not wear a watch, though I have been tempted by Apple Watch. After several years of using my phone as my watch, I'm not sure I'd enjoy something on my wrist again.
Time is matter in uniform motion. The more uniform, the more accurate. And we need a way to observe and record it. Early modern sailors, trying to use time and speed to track longitude, looked at the motion of Jupiter's moons.
You can as a Note (you can tag me there if you want), or you can actually just respond to the email you got this morning (it goes straight back to me).
Once I had carpel tunnel surgery done on both wrist I couldn’t wear my cool watches…I still have them…30 yrs old. My husband would buy me the ones I loved…with beads…lol
Very well done and similar to what I explored last year in "A Waste of Time."
https://www.polymathicbeing.com/p/a-waste-of-time
Ooh, I was gonna write about DST eventually. For now, I'll just reference your piece!
Nice one, Andrew.......I can't recall a first watch, but I must've had something fairly functional (I was 10 in 1965, as a point of reference) on my left wrist. In our house, growing up ('60s, early-'70s), I vividly recall a huge clock we had hanging in our living room, to the left of the TV:
It looked exactly like a massive pocket watch....It was, easily, 12-15 inches in diameter, and had what looked like a turning setting knob at the top! It featured Roman numerals on its glass-covered face, and even had about a 3-foot-long chain (replicating the chain from pants to vest pocket, say) that would require us to pound a nail into the wall to hang one of the loops about half-way, so that the other chain half could hang down, to form a graceful 90-degree angle!
But, in the '80s, all Swatch hell broke loose! I collected about 20 of the colorful, plastic, rubbery watches, and I believe Swatch is still in business. At the time I was collecting (late '80s), I was a professional (with a B.A.) youth minister at a southern L.A. county Lutheran church. My high school youth groupers were transfixed with the collection, as they wondered which one I'd show up to youth night with!
That clock sounds amazing! And I was wondering if anyone was going to bring up Swatch watches. 😁
I'm trying to remember the maker's name it had on its face....Seth Thomas? It stayed in our family thru the '90s, when I sold off a lot of my Mom's possessions.
My history of collecting is legion: rocks, stamps, coins, baseball cards in the '60s (I turned 15 in 1970); records (LPs and 45s), videos, and books in the '70s; Swatches in the '80s (did you collect 'em, Kristen?); baseball cards (again!) with players' autographs on them (in person and by mail!) in the '90s, and Bath and Body Works body care the last two years!! I need help....................................collecting more!!!😉
Swatches were so cool! I don't think I ever had one, but I certainly thought they were super duper cool.
I collected comic books, cards (to a lesser extent), stamps, and coins (and, to a lesser degree, records and tapes, and VHS tapes eventually too). I've managed to leave behind SOME of my packrat genes, but not yet all!
I forgot about comic books......and MAD Magazines! In the '60s, while my bro was reading all the 'man comics...Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Manman (where was HE?!?), I was all Archie, Richie Rich, Little Lotta, Li'l Devil, and of course, Peanuts paperback collections! This was a fun one, Andrew!
I picked up some Archie comics from the 50s when I was figuring out how to work for myself, probably around 25 years ago. That was GOLD.
My brother and I were only 10 months apart in age (my mom said she found out what caused it, and stopped)! In fact, for 6 weeks out of every year, he and I were the same age! Between March 18 (when I reached his age) and May 1 (when he "suddenly" gained a year!), we liked to play tricks on the newly-met: "So, how old are you and your brother?" "15." "Oh, so, then you're twins. You don't look at all alike!" SURPRISE!
Being so close (in age......only), it's amazing how incredibly different the two of us were! But, thankfully, my love of and for music (and records) was not at all duplicated by my brother! He couldn't care less ("woo-hoo....Daddy's got more Warner Bros freebies!") Thankfully, that gave us one LESS thing over which to fight!!! I got all the promos!
I never had Swatches, but my best friend did. They were super cool. I did the baseball card collecting thing very briefly when I was a teenager and obsessed with the Atlanta Braves. And I also loved Mad Magazines! I never got a subscription but I'd buy them with my allowance every time a new one came out. I somehow ended up with a ton of Archie comics that one of my mom's friends was getting rid of, and I loved those, too. Once cds were a thing, I started collecting and never stopped, although I have purged my collection a fair few times. I love to hit up thrift stores for those, and records, too!
This is making me wonder whether I should just write about collecting. I bet our readers here could easily make up an extra full piece just in the comments! Collecting meant so much to me as a kid.
Sure, do it! I've often considered writing about my thrift store music hauls. It just makes sense to write what we love.
We were looking at some fancy watches in a jewellers the other day and my son asked me what my favourite ever watch was. He didn’t look overly impressed when I told him it was a Casio watch that was also a calculator. However, it turns out you can still buy them!
So now I know what I want for Christmas 😁
Great article, Andrew 👍🏼
Thanks, Daniel! Kids will not realize how cool it was to play Pac-Man or Snake from one of these watches, too. I remember being able to "unlock" that from a watch, maybe circa late 80s.
how would one pronounce "Ctesibius" so I can thank him properly?
Not at all how I would have guessed: https://youtu.be/dd7M2Bx7HU0
Thx every time I set down on the toilet I’ll remember I have time on my hands! Nice article learned something new!
The watches are slowly becoming small computers like everything else, similar to the more significant change happening around us where most companies are becoming technology companies in the business of something (building cars, consumer products, etc.).
Most really big companies, anyway. I think most mom and pop shops are still just doing what they do.
Now, more and more companies consolidating into Big Tech... that's its own little rabbit hole.
It would be interesting to see how the next ten years will be with AI, Climate change, political climate around the world, etc., in the mix.
I'll keep you posted! I own (parts of) several small businesses.
Your timing for the above post was good. Here is what WSJ thinks about watches in an article today:
Today’s power watches take almost any form. Rolexes and Patek Philippes remain marks of achievement, but humbler models—from G-Shocks to Citizens—can signal an active lifestyle or understated confidence.
The key to rocking one is authenticity. An accessory that conveys your distinctive taste and personality can accentuate your image as a creative thinker, fitness buff, or overachiever. If your main goal is to show off wealth, then you’re doing it wrong. Clasping a trophy around your wrist can get you pegged as pretentious in no time.
My timing to write about timing was timely!
I remember being incredibly fond of a Casio watch I got on a trip around Europe in my early teens. I bought it for my allowance and it had a fitness function that could automatically set the time for a workout based on what type of exercise you wanted to do, your weight, height, etc.
But I was sorely disappointed to later find out that there wasn't a simple timer that allowed you to just input the exact countdown time directly. I wanted a watch like Schwarzenegger had in "Commando" (where he sets the timer for 11 hours after jumping off the plane), and this wasn't it. So I had to make do with approximating the time by adjusting my weight and exercise type if I wanted to time something.
Also, imagine inventing an amazing contraption that allows societies to track time and coordinate activities only to be associated with something you use to flush your poop down the drain? Then again, that's arguably an equally important invention.
I'm going to write about poop drainage very soon. In fact, I have 90% of that written!
Oh yeah, if you get a chance to share a pic of the Casio (if you find it), please post on Notes and tag me so I can see it!
Nah, that Casio is long, long gone now. I just tried to Google a 1990s Casio workout watch and I think it might've been close to this one: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Casio-Men-s-Black-Sports-Timer-Digital-Watch-WS1600H-1AV/1974544918
The attached is a modern remake of the "vintage" original, which has more bells and whistles, but the general look and feel seems about right.
That looks really familiar, and I think there's a very good chance I had a similar model. Damned if I can remember for sure!
What is worth mentioning is that time changes in places where gravity is different. It slightly differs even in Earth’s orbit, so we need to adjust the clocks running in our satellites. For example, if you are in orbit with GPS satellites, your day will be shorter by 37 microseconds, which gives us on Earth some time advantage over people in space.
Definitely worth mentioning. At the end, I debated going in some depth about the quartz and then atomic clocks, but opted to just quit while I was ahead, and save those for another day.
Time dilation is endlessly fascinating to think about.
Time dilation definitely deserves an additional post .
Recently I wrote a piece related to time and date. You may like it: https://poczwardowski.substack.com/p/on-concepts-of-date-and-time
That was good! I wrote a bit about time dilation here:
ttps://goatfury.substack.com/p/simultaneity-not
So interesting! I had not heard of the water clock. My favorite timepiece was a Timex wristwatch that had the phases of the moon as a part of its display. It looked very retro. I left it in a locker at gym one day and that was the end of it. Now I do not wear a watch, though I have been tempted by Apple Watch. After several years of using my phone as my watch, I'm not sure I'd enjoy something on my wrist again.
I know what you mean about the phone/watch thing. We have one device today that does the job of, what, 15 devices in the past? 20? More?
Yes and it seems my eyes are glued to it most of the time. Technology helps us until it owns us!
I have to go for little walks to stop staring at screens.
Time is matter in uniform motion. The more uniform, the more accurate. And we need a way to observe and record it. Early modern sailors, trying to use time and speed to track longitude, looked at the motion of Jupiter's moons.
Can I attach a photo?
You can as a Note (you can tag me there if you want), or you can actually just respond to the email you got this morning (it goes straight back to me).
Great article!
Thank you!
I’ll do a picture
Once I had carpel tunnel surgery done on both wrist I couldn’t wear my cool watches…I still have them…30 yrs old. My husband would buy me the ones I loved…with beads…lol
What kind of watch? I think I had a Casio one time, but my memory is so vague.