Author Archives: Keith Flamer

August 2, 2011 - Fork in the Road Electric clocks use electric current as a power source instead of a weight or spring. In essence, the electric clock is an electric motor synchronized with an alternating current power line (60 hertz in the United States). The accuracy of these watches depends entirely upon th...

August 2, 2011 - War & Timepiece Aviators and soldiers were among the first men to wear wristwatches. In 1904, Cartier supplied Brazilian socialite and aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont with his special request, a hands-free, leather-band wristwatch while flying his aircraft—primarily dirigible balloons and...

August 2, 2011 - Pocket Watches (1800-1920) Wristwatches didn't begin to fascinate the general population until the dawn of the 20th century. Before new technology allowed for further miniaturization, most watches between 1800 and 1920 were pocket watches that were carried in a pocket or attached to a chain. Th...

August 2, 2011 - In France Meanwhile in France, two other geniuses were advancing watch technology—Abraham-Louis Perrelet and his prized watchmaking student Abraham-Louis Breguet. Around 1770 in LeLocle, Switzerland, Perrelet revolutionized the winding technique when he invented the “perpetual” or automa...

August 2, 2011 - Longitude Harrison, a trained carpenter and self-taught clockmaker, built his first “longcase” clock (or “grandfather clock”) in 1713 at age twenty. Naturally, the mechanism was made entirely of wood. Harrison's desire to improve the performance of pendulum clocks led to his invention ...