Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-03-12
WRIST WATCHES
ARE BECOMING
MOREPOPULAR
They Are Subject, However, to
Trying Vicissitudes, Say
Experts.
SOME WATCH HISTORY

! WASHINGTON, D. C.-If you write
with a pen or pencil for several hours
a day, you are apt to get to your APP
pointments ahead Of time but you
write on the typewriter, you are more
apt to be late.
! That is, If you wear your watch on
/ your wrist. as an increasing number Of
persons do. This transfer OF the time
piece from the pocket to the forearm, ae-
cording to watch experts has subjected
the instrument to new and trying vicis-
| STUDIES.
| watch expert outlined this situation
| and then opened a large silver watch ana
indicated the balance wheel, whirling
| two-thirds of the way around and then
! whirling back That wheel, he explained,
turns 300 times a minute, normally.
when we test Watches" he said, I'VE
/ put them on racks and run them all day
face up, and at night We check up on
them. Then we test them with the dial
down, and with the pendant up and with
the pendant down. From the variation In
( time in these positions we regulate the
watches, so that they will run at ap-
prOximately 300 beats to the minute. But
when we test the watch it is perfectly
still It is not vibrating, as it would
be with the slightest motion Of the body,
and Of course there is none Of the sudden
motion that comes every time you move
/ your hand.
$50 II the owner writes with a pen all
/ day, and wears the watch on his right
wrist, the Jerking Of the hand might in
crease the number Of beats to 325 or
even $50 If he writes on a typewriter,
the beats might be retarded while he
is working to 275.
''The principle is like this: II you stir
+sot-
swlrls about. II you stir still harder,
| it viii whirl faster. But If you sud
denly stop stirring, and begin to jerk
the stick up and down across the swirl
ing circles their speed Is Immediately
! lessened by the conflicting motion
so when you move your arm steadily
| IN a direction that does not tend to go
against the motion OF the balance wheel
the outside vibration viii make the wheel
move faster. But If you swing your arm
back and forth, as in a tennis game,
across the motion Of the wheel, its nor
NAL rate may be retarded for the time
being to as low as 80 beats"
/ 1t would be impossible, this man says.
to estimate how much the watch OF
typist or q brtcklayer, or a violinist
would gain or lose. because individual
mannerisms and habits are too important
a factor One man naturally works or
plays with spasmodic motions, while an
other is slower, and less sudden. Then,
too, WEAKNESS, the degree of skill, and
the emotions all may affect the way
person moves his hands at different times
/ to do the same thing.
/ The Government had tests made with
wrist watches during the war and ac-
cepted for Army use those that varied
not more than two minutes a day.
/ jewelers. now quote this Government
standard for wrist watches. Most wrist
Watches they say, keep somewhat better
time than this, and a few viii vary only
minute a week, but a rate Of only
minute a week is very unusual
To our inquiry as to whether anything
can be done regarding the hard lot Of
the modern watch, the expert sadly
| shook his head.
The wrist watch Is convenient Men
arc coming to prefer it. And so long as
accurate time is not vital, l suppose Ii
/ is just as satisfactory. What a man loses
| in accuracy when he carries his time
piece on his wrist he gains in convent
ence, so it really Is more than fashion
/ that popularized the wrist watch"
| He went on to explain that there IL
no need to bewail the good old days
when watch really told the time" In
/ spite Of the way we mistreat our watches,
We have just about as good time now as
! thirty years ago. That is because Of i'm
! provements in Matchmaking. The fat
hair spring. for instance, that used to
/ tangle up every time a watch got
/ dropped has been replaced by the Bre-
/ guet hair spring that doesn't tangle.
/ We look upon the wrist watch as re-
cent innovation and a watch set into
ring is regarded as a truly novel idea.
Yet history records the existence Of
watches like these, and others more I'M
usual several centuries back.
Queen Elizabeth received a wrist watch
as New Years gift in 1911. Whether it
was a novelty then is not noted, but the
watch is described as an "armlet or
shakeu OF golde, all over fairely gar
nished with rubyes and diamondes, have
ing in the closing thearof a clocke." The
Earl Of Leicester made this gift. Some
years later he presented the Queen with
a gold chain inset with diamonds and
with q diamond studded "clocke' as Q
pendant
Elizabeth was fond Of watches, or
4 clocks as they were still called then
and had a large collection. The Earl Of
Russell gave her q ring Of gold set with
small diamonds and garnished round
about with small rubies and two sparks
OF OphalIS ana In the same DacKs1de
dyau."
1t is written that Charles v. also had
q watch In one of his rings and that skill
in matchmaking had so advanced in his
day that very small watches keeping re4.
sonably good time were set in heads Of
walking sticks, in bracelets, and pendants
and other articles of personal adornment.
Men wore their tinIeplece swinging
from their necks and women hung theirs
from their girdles. 4 watch was a rare
/ and costly possession in those days
a sort of mark Of gentility, we are tcld.
By 1770 handles were wearing two
watches with heavy chains and seals that
hung on each side of their vaistcoats-
Women of fashion also approved this
conceit, but as the expense Of keeping
two gorgeous tlmepieces was TOO great
for most Of them, the jewellers hegan
making a dummy watch to go with the
real one on the other side Of the waist
Even these dummies were often beautiful
and expensive, made In odd shapes, with
insects of jewels or engraved In elaborate
patterns.