Do you know that first wristwatch was designed for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary by a Swiss watch maker in 1868? But it was made to be kept as a decorative item rather than for regular wear. Nearly 12 crores are sold every year, and China is the biggest manufacturer in the world. The interesting fact is that the average cost of China watch is mere $3 while Swiss watches are the most premium and expensive watches in the world have an average cost of $739.
Even though the art of wearing wristwatches has gone down with the invention of mobile phones, it is still considered fashionable as a matter of fact, popularity and sales figures of premium brands like Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe are always growing. Wristwatches are yet considered to be the most fashionable accessories for men. Here are the ten different types of watches you must possess to add variety to your everyday fashion.
1. Swiss Watches
Watchmaking industry is the most valuable industry for Switzerland's economy. They are known for premium quality and craftsmanship. Starting from the automatic watch, chronograph watch, to mechanical and water watches, Switzerland is a leader in every form even though only 2% of the world's total wristwatches are sold here. Some of the popular Swiss wristwatch brands are Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, Breguet to name a few.
2. Military Watches
Military watches were introduced in the late 18th century by the Germans. There are various innovative features that these wristwatches have that helps militaries to coordinate well in the battlefield. Some of them have GPS integration, radio signal receivers, and even direction finders. They are generally made up of titanium to withstand rough scratches and sudden pressure.
3. Mechanical Watches
77% of the watches sold in the world are mechanical watches because that is what most watches are made of. Up till 19th century, most of the wristwatches were mechanical watches. But then Quartz watches hit the market, and the market share of mechanical wristwatches went down significantly. But with the invention of mobile phones, Quartz watches took a beating, and mechanical watches came up as a prized possession. Most of the mechanical watches have jewels embedded to make them look luxurious.
4. Sports Or Smart Watches
Sports watches are extremely popular among teenagers and children. There are stylish, and some of them have chronograph feature. The belt is generally made up of rubber than leather. Smartwatches are actually sports watches as they have all the features to monitor heartbeat, steps taken, kilometer covered, and other health parameters. Apple is the biggest manufacturers of smartwatches while Timex, Casio are some of the popular names in sports watches.
5. Chronograph Watches
This is one of the most popular wristwatches due to its features. There are several secondary dials available which could be started and stopped at will. One can make a precision calculation of time as a second can be divided further through its subdials. A chronograph watch also accompanies the astronauts in the famous Apollo mission.
6. Fashion Watches
A fashion watch is something with unusual colors and shapes of the dial. People wear matching color wristwatches with the dresses. These are eye-catching, and different colors are available for male and female. Most of the celebrities prefer to wear different fashion wristwatches during different events.
7. Space Watches
Space watches were invented by Russians. They are specially designed to withstand the high gravitational force and sudden change in pressure and temperature. Omega Speedmaster was the first space wristwatch to land on the moon while Pobeda Shtumanskie was the first space watch put on by Yuri Gagarin.
8. Diver Watches
Diver wristwatches are products of the 19th century. It is needless to say that they are waterproof and withstand high pressure at a depth of the sea. The popularity of diver watches spread through movies rather than traditional marketing. Some advanced diver watches have functionalities to measure depth and pressure. Citizen, Omega, Oris, and Tudor are popular brands in this space.
9. Pilot Watches
Just like diver watch, the pilot watch is quite a creative wristwatch. It can measure the height and pressure. Most importantly, they look dashing and are very durable. They are also referred to as aviation watches. They general have a large dial and a couple of subdials. They are inspired by military watches.
10. Automatic Watches
Automatic watches are also called self-winding watches which use the motion of the wearer's hand to wind the spring. The technique was invented in 1770 in a pocket watch. The first automatic wristwatch was designed in 1923 by an English watchmaker. Popular automatic wristwatches brands are Seiko, Rolex, Omega, and Tudor.
How many of these you already have in your collection? Start saving money to buy the other ones!
