手表的历史

手表的历史~

人类究竟从何时开始，有了“时间”的概念？
人类的远祖最早从天明天暗知道时间的流逝。大约六千年前，“时钟”第一次登上人类历史的舞台：日晷在巴比伦王国诞生了。古人使用日晷，根据太阳影子的长短和方位变化掌握时间。距今四千年前，漏刻问世，使人们不分昼夜均可知道时间。而钟表的出现，则是十三世纪中叶以后的事。

时钟是人类最早发明的物品之一，原因是需要持续量测时间间隔，有些自然的时间间隔（如日、闰月及年）可以用观测而得，较短的时间间隔就需要利用时钟。
数千年计时设备的原理也有大幅变化，日晷是利用在物体在一平面上影子的变化来计时，计算时间间隔的仪器也有许多种，包括最广为人知的沙漏。配合日晷的水钟可能是最早的计时仪器。
欧洲在1300年发明了擒纵器，后来也创作了第一个机械钟，可以利用像摆轮之类的振荡计时设备。发条驱动的时钟约在15世纪出现，钟表业约在15世纪至16世纪开始发展，1656年发明了摆钟。
因此在计时的准确性又进一步提升，当时因为航海导航对时间的精确性要求，也带动时钟可靠性及精确性的提升。电子时钟在1840年申请专利，二十世纪电子学的发展产生了可以完全不用机械机芯的时钟。
现在时钟内的计时元件是谐振子，一个会以固定精准频率振荡的物体，谐振子可能是单摆、音叉、石英晶体，或是原子在发射微波时电子的振荡。
类比型的时钟会用指针及角度表示时间，数位时钟则是用数字的方式表示，有两种时间表示法：十二小时制及二十四小时制。
大部分数位时钟都是用电子设备及液晶、LED及真空荧光显示器来显示时间。时钟功能也是现在电脑、手机的标准功能之一。
为了方便性、距离、电话或是失明人士的需求，有用声音报时的听觉时钟。为了盲人需求，也有用触摸方式可以感知其时间的盲人时钟，其中有些类似传统时间，但调整其设计，可以直接触摸表面得知时间，但又不会影响计时功能。计时技术也在持续演进之中。

扩展资料：
原始人凭天空颜色的变化、太阳的光度来判断时间。古埃及发现影子长度会随时间改变，发明日晷在早上计时，他们亦发现水的流动需要的时间是固定的，因此发明了水钟。古代中国人亦有以水来计时的工具——铜壶滴漏。
中国除了用水流来计时外，中国古代民间亦有利用燃点线香来计量时间。龙舟报时更香就是利用烧香来计时的仪器，它更设有定时响闹的作用。
龙舟上挂了数条两端系着金属球的幼线，线下放了燃著的香。每隔一段时间，香便会烧断一条线子，当金属球跌进下面的盛器时，便会发出报时响闹。这种烧香时计最早见于宋代的文献中。
用更香来计算时间的精度不高，但由于它简单易行，极之适合民间使用，所以曾经十分流行。据文献记载有些更香可燃烧一昼夜，有些甚至可以燃烧至一个月。
公元1088年，宋朝的科学家苏颂和韩工廉等人制造了史上首座以水力作自动化机械操作的水运仪象台，它是把浑仪、浑象和机械计时器组合起来的装置。
它以水力作为动力来源，具有科学的擒纵机构，高约12米，7米见方，分三层：上层放浑仪，进行天文观测；中层放浑象，可以模拟天体作同步演示；下层是该仪器的心脏，计时、报时、动力源的形成与输出都在这一层中。
公元1276年，中国元代的郭守敬制成大明灯漏。它是利用水力驱动，通过齿轮系及相当复杂的凸轮结构，带动木偶进行“一刻鸣钟、二刻鼓、三钲、四铙”的自动报时。
自宋起，十二时辰分初正即廿四小时系统，一刻即今天的十五分钟，其准确度较德国之桌钟早三百多年。
公元1283年在英格兰的修道院出现史上首座以砝码带动的机械钟。
13世纪意大利北部的僧侣开始建立钟塔（钟楼），其目的是提醒人祷告的时间。
公元1360年詹希元创制“五轮沙漏”，以齿轮、时刻盘合成。
16世纪中在德国开始有桌上的钟。那些钟只有一支针，钟面分成四部分，使时间准确至最近的十五分钟。
公元1657年，惠更斯发现摆的频率可以计算时间，造出了第一个摆钟。1670年英国人William Clement发明锚形擒纵器。
公元1797年，美国人伊莱·泰瑞获得一个钟的专利权。他被视为美国钟表业的始祖。
公元1840年，英国的钟表匠亚历山大·贝恩发明了电钟。
公元1946年，美国的物理学家伊西多·拉比博士弄清楚了原子钟的原理。于两年后，创造出了世界上第一座原子钟，原子钟至今也是最先进的钟。它的运转是借助铯、氢原子的天然振动而完成的，它可以在300年内都能准确运转，误差十分小。
18到19世纪，钟表制造业逐步实行了工业化生产。
20世纪，开始进入石英化时期。
21世纪，根据原子钟原理而研制的能自动对时的电波钟表技术逐渐成熟。
参考资料来源：百度百科——钟表

手表的由来

一百五十多年前，一些能工巧匠曾经试图把随身携带的表装进手镯里当作“手表”，但未取得成功。第一次世界大战时间，—名士兵为了看表方便，把表绑扎固定在手腕上，抬起手腕便可看清时间，比原来从口袋里取方便多了。1918年，瑞士一个名叫扎纳·沙奴的钟表匠，从那个士兵的做法中受到启发。经过精心设计，他制造了一种体积较小的表，并在表的两边设计有针孔，用来装皮制或金属表带，以便把表固定在手腕上。从此，手表诞生了。

早在1853年制造的第一枚怀表、1917年弧型表身的“香蕉”手表、1930年的防磁手表、1832年的浪琴表,她以优雅著称,是一个拥有170多年的历史的传统的钟表制造商,每一块表都是和谐与美的结合。

Although Switzerland is nowadays so closely associated with watches, it was not always so. A slow beginning was followed by a gradual rise to dominance, succeeded by what threatened to be a catastrophic decline, before a dramatic turnaround at the end of the 20th century.

The pioneer nations in clock and watch development were Italy, Germany, France, England and the Netherlands, where clocks were in demand either as luxury items for wealthy monarchs and aristocrats, or as precision instruments for scientific purposes, first and foremost for determining longtitude at sea. The Swiss had no aristocracy and were indeed known – and in some places mocked – for their austerity; nor did they have ships exploring unknown oceans.

Early years
There was a flourishing industry in Geneva by the beginning of the 17th century which continued to prosper, in part thanks to the austere rule of Jean Calvin, who had banned ostentatious shows of wealth, forcing jewelers to turn their skills to watchmaking instead.

Geneva remained the centre for design and marketing both before and after it joined the Swiss Confederation in 1815. But manufacturing spread to other areas as well, in particular to Canton Neuchâtel.

Swiss craftsmen also travelled abroad to study and to exercise their skills. Undoubtedly the best known is Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), born in Neuchâtel, who trained in Versailles and who settled permanently in Paris after a lengthy stay in London. He is regarded by some as the greatest watchmaker of all time. He invented or developed a number of important additions to watch design, including the tourbillon (a device which enables the gear train to function smoothly irrespective of gravity) and the self-winding watch (the original version of which was invented by another Swiss, Abraham-Louis Perrelet (1729-1826)).

Development of the industry
The Swiss (or rather, Genevans,) not only kept at the forefront of innovation, they were also good at commerce and this ability was backed by their banking system. From the beginning, production was export-orientated. A class of merchants developed who specialised in the watch trade, and who could report back on the tastes of different countries.

Initially the watchmakers copied – indeed, pirated - French and English designs, producing them more cheaply, thanks to more efficient production methods, and marketing them successfully. As the industry took hold, they started creating their own designs.

The component parts were made in people's homes or in small workshops in villages around Geneva, under the system known as homeworking. (See: Watch Valley) They were then returned to the craftsmen of Geneva for the finishing touches.

Decoration
For many years watches were not the relatively austere items that we know today. They were not worn on the wrist (wristwatches only became popular in the 20th century), but on chains, in the pocket, looped through a belt etc. They were as much articles of jewelry as practical timekeepers.

One of the Genevan strengths was in decoration, and this made their wares all the more attractive. The technique of applying a layer of transparent enamel over a painting was invented in the city in 1760, and used to enhance clocks and watches.

Another skill which was exploited in the clock and watch industry was the making of automata, or machines that imitated living creatures. In the simplest form this could simply be a figure whose moving arms pointed to the time, but more complex designs included whole animated scenes. Later, sound was added to movement: at first chiming bells, and later tunes, on the principle of the musical box.

Foreign markets
Starting in the 17th century, and growing in importance in the 18th and 19th centuries, Asia was an important market for Swiss clocks and watches. The Genevans started off in Constantinople (where Rousseau's father, Isaac, became official timer in charge of the clocks in the Topkapi Palace), and later expanded to China, where their wares became popular among the Qing dynasty aristocracy in the middle of the 18th century. Exports to China reached a peak in the decade 1810-20, to virtually collapse with the outbreak of the Opium War in 1839.

Watches were adapted to meet the needs and tastes of their customers. Watches with automata were particularly appreciated in Turkey and China, and many of them were given a specifically local touch for this market.

For the Chinese market clocks were made in pairs, probably because it was a Chinese custom to make gifts of two of any item. English merchants were also well aware of the practice, but the Genevans took it one step further, reversing the decoration on their pieces so that they mirrored each other.

In the 19th century they made "Rajah watches" for India, creating enamel portraits based on photographs sent to them for this purpose.

Not all clockmakers had happy experiences. Rudolf Stadler of Zurich, who worked for the King of Persia in the middle of the 17th century, was slandered by a local business rival and executed – something the king immediately regretted, especially since his watch soon stopped working and no-one could repair it. Stadler's tomb can still be seen in the Armenian cemetery in Isfahan.

The 19th century
A major breakthrough in Swiss watch production came in the early 1840s when Georges-Auguste Leschot (1800-84), the technical director of the firm of Vacheron Constantin, invented a series of machine tools able to make watch components – something previously thought impossible. The new watches could be produced in much greater numbers and were far more accurate and much cheaper, although Leschot still insisted that every part should be worked on by hand.

Swiss watchmaking went from strength to strength during the 19th century. By the middle of the century they had overtaken the British both in manufacturing and sales and were the world's major producer.

The millionometre, designed by Antoine LeCoultre in 1844, was the first instrument capable of measuring a micron, one millionth of a meter. This converted watchmaking to the metric system, and became a standard measure.

Picture: ©Jaeger-LeCoultre 2002-2005

The first serious rivals appeared on the scene in the middle of the 19th century, when American watchmakers started mass production of watch components that were so precise as to be fully interchangeable. The impact was dramatic. Swiss watch exports to the US fell by nearly 75% in the space of about 10 years.

This was a serious blow to the Swiss industry which led them too to embark on the precision machining of parts. In the early 20th century they also started making their watches more attractive by adding extras, such as calendars and a stop watch facility. Rolex made the first water resistant watch in the 1920s.

The 20th century
The major revolution of the 20th century initially passed Switzerland by. Although the first quartz watch was actually developed at the Electronic Horological Centre (Centre Electronique Horloger, CEH) in Neuchâtel in 1967, Swiss companies failed to capitalise on the new technology. They left it to others, in particular in Japan and the US, to improve on the discovery. The Swiss put most of their research and development funds into improving mechanical watches.

It was an error of judgement which almost destroyed the industry in the mid 1970s as the bottom fell out of the market for traditional watches. Switzerland was no longer a major player as far as watches were concerned.

But the Swiss fought back in an unexpected way. They called in a business consultant who introduced a revolution of his own: the watch as fashion statement. The cheap electronic Swatch watch has sold in its millions, and put the country back at the top of the world's exporters in 1995. (See: Swatch)

The success of the Swatch is credited with turning around the fortunes of the Swiss watch industry as a whole. It boosted confidence in Swiss watch making and showed the Swiss how to sell their products.

Watches in Switzerland: history

Although Switzerland is nowadays so closely associated with watches, it was not always so. A slow beginning was followed by a gradual rise to dominance, succeeded by what threatened to be a catastrophic decline, before a dramatic turnaround at the end of the 20th century.

The pioneer nations in clock and watch development were Italy, Germany, France, England and the Netherlands, where clocks were in demand either as luxury items for wealthy monarchs and aristocrats, or as precision instruments for scientific purposes, first and foremost for determining longtitude at sea. The Swiss had no aristocracy and were indeed known – and in some places mocked – for their austerity; nor did they have ships exploring unknown oceans.

Early years
There was a flourishing industry in Geneva by the beginning of the 17th century which continued to prosper, in part thanks to the austere rule of Jean Calvin, who had banned ostentatious shows of wealth, forcing jewelers to turn their skills to watchmaking instead.

Geneva remained the centre for design and marketing both before and after it joined the Swiss Confederation in 1815. But manufacturing spread to other areas as well, in particular to Canton Neuchâtel.

Swiss craftsmen also travelled abroad to study and to exercise their skills. Undoubtedly the best known is Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), born in Neuchâtel, who trained in Versailles and who settled permanently in Paris after a lengthy stay in London. He is regarded by some as the greatest watchmaker of all time. He invented or developed a number of important additions to watch design, including the tourbillon (a device which enables the gear train to function smoothly irrespective of gravity) and the self-winding watch (the original version of which was invented by another Swiss, Abraham-Louis Perrelet (1729-1826)).

Development of the industry
The Swiss (or rather, Genevans,) not only kept at the forefront of innovation, they were also good at commerce and this ability was backed by their banking system. From the beginning, production was export-orientated. A class of merchants developed who specialised in the watch trade, and who could report back on the tastes of different countries.

Initially the watchmakers copied – indeed, pirated - French and English designs, producing them more cheaply, thanks to more efficient production methods, and marketing them successfully. As the industry took hold, they started creating their own designs.

The component parts were made in people's homes or in small workshops in villages around Geneva, under the system known as homeworking. (See: Watch Valley) They were then returned to the craftsmen of Geneva for the finishing touches.

Decoration
For many years watches were not the relatively austere items that we know today. They were not worn on the wrist (wristwatches only became popular in the 20th century), but on chains, in the pocket, looped through a belt etc. They were as much articles of jewelry as practical timekeepers.

One of the Genevan strengths was in decoration, and this made their wares all the more attractive. The technique of applying a layer of transparent enamel over a painting was invented in the city in 1760, and used to enhance clocks and watches.

Another skill which was exploited in the clock and watch industry was the making of automata, or machines that imitated living creatures. In the simplest form this could simply be a figure whose moving arms pointed to the time, but more complex designs included whole animated scenes. Later, sound was added to movement: at first chiming bells, and later tunes, on the principle of the musical box.

Foreign markets
Starting in the 17th century, and growing in importance in the 18th and 19th centuries, Asia was an important market for Swiss clocks and watches. The Genevans started off in Constantinople (where Rousseau's father, Isaac, became official timer in charge of the clocks in the Topkapi Palace), and later expanded to China, where their wares became popular among the Qing dynasty aristocracy in the middle of the 18th century. Exports to China reached a peak in the decade 1810-20, to virtually collapse with the outbreak of the Opium War in 1839.

Watches were adapted to meet the needs and tastes of their customers. Watches with automata were particularly appreciated in Turkey and China, and many of them were given a specifically local touch for this market.

For the Chinese market clocks were made in pairs, probably because it was a Chinese custom to make gifts of two of any item. English merchants were also well aware of the practice, but the Genevans took it one step further, reversing the decoration on their pieces so that they mirrored each other.

In the 19th century they made "Rajah watches" for India, creating enamel portraits based on photographs sent to them for this purpose.

Not all clockmakers had happy experiences. Rudolf Stadler of Zurich, who worked for the King of Persia in the middle of the 17th century, was slandered by a local business rival and executed – something the king immediately regretted, especially since his watch soon stopped working and no-one could repair it. Stadler's tomb can still be seen in the Armenian cemetery in Isfahan.

The 19th century
A major breakthrough in Swiss watch production came in the early 1840s when Georges-Auguste Leschot (1800-84), the technical director of the firm of Vacheron Constantin, invented a series of machine tools able to make watch components – something previously thought impossible. The new watches could be produced in much greater numbers and were far more accurate and much cheaper, although Leschot still insisted that every part should be worked on by hand.

Swiss watchmaking went from strength to strength during the 19th century. By the middle of the century they had overtaken the British both in manufacturing and sales and were the world's major producer.

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丰顺县15137668854： 手表的由来 - ？
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丰顺县15137668854： 钟表的历史 - ？
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