Skagen watches
Time and tide waits for none. How fruitfully we use our time to reach our milestones in life is very important. For that each stage of advancement in life has to be measured against time. First let us have a small look at the chronology of developments in measuring time. The oldest method of finding time was with the help of Sun by locating its position in the sky. When the sun is directly on top of your head, it is 12.00 noon. Then came the use of sundial. When the sunlight falls on the vertical pole of this calibrated dial, it casts a shadow on the dial, which gives the reader a relatively accurate time.
By the fourteenth century, mechanical clock was invented. This was a concise method to measure time. They use to work with the help of wheels, gears, levers with falling weights and pendulum. These pieces use to move the hands of the clock to make them work.
The first watch was made in Nuremberg, Germany BC 1500. Watches made during early period were heavy and have variety of shapes. These watches have to be wound at least twice a day. Portable timepiece was found soon after 1500 when mainspring replaced Weights in driving clocks. The advantage of implementation of Spiral balance by 1675 A.D was that watches were to be wound only once a day instead of twice. A self-winding mechanism is one that rewinds the mainspring of a mechanical movement other than explicit winding by the user. Abraham Louis Berguet invented the Self-winding mechanism in 1770. But the Self Winding watch was found by British watch repairer John Harwood in 1923.
Then by the eighteenth century, clocks that could be used at home were made. They were closed and sealed unlike their predecessors. And fine-tuning was made on the workmanship of its moving parts that made the clock more and more accurate. Watches were made of hand until 1850. Machine made watches were introduced in United States, which made repair easy, increased precision and also cut manufacturing costs. Hamilton Watch Company in1957 introduced electric watch, the Hamilton Electric 500.
Patek Philippe invented wrist Watch in1868. Cartier produced the first Ladies Wrist Watch in 1888. Frequent use of watch began during World War I. During the war period soldiers found it easy to have a watch over time with wristwatch than with the conventional pocket watch. And when the war ended both European and American officers were allowed to continue the usage of wristwatches. This also spread to the middle class Western community.
By the end of the nineteenth century, small pocket watches with 2-3 inches in diameter were available. Mechanical wristwatches became very common in United States by 1960s. But the problem still remained. The problem of mechanical parts being subjected to wear and tear, as a result of which clocks became inaccurate still remained. Soon after World War II atomic clock was made. Those parts of mechanical clock which were subjected to wear and tear were replaced by devices that triggers the movement of clock each time a radioactive element is emitted. Atomic Clocks are still in Use.
When microchip was developed in 1970, a new type of watch was invented. These used microchip technology in quartz crystals. This microchip constantly sends signals to the dial of the watch. Since there is no mechanical device in it, these are not subjected to wear and tear. The use of Quartz in watches makes use of the electricity known as Piezoelectricity. Piezoelectricity is one, which is generated when quartz is put under intensive mechanical/electrical pressure. Quartz constantly sends signals to microchips from the electricity generated being in contact with a battery. An accurate Quartz watch is one where time appears in an electronically controlled digital display through Light emitting diode (LED) or Liquid Crystal display (LCD).
Then came the era of electronic watches. CEH research laboratories of Switzerland in 1962 made the first electronic prototype Quartz watches. And the first one to enter production is Seiko 35 SQ Astron, which appeared in 1969.
It is also possible to make the microprocessor send signals to those mechanical devices, which make hands move on the watch to create an analog display. Here again since the hands are mechanically operated, watch may be subject to war and tear. So digital watches are any day better than analog watches. Todays modern watches are of large varieties like self-winding mechanism, the mechanical mainspring being replaced by electrochemical cell and so on.
And now let us turn our focus to Denmark. Denmark covers an area of 43084 Square Kilometer, is situated in Northern Europe and lies between Baltic Sea and the North Sea. Denmark borders with Germany to a total length of just 68 Kms and the major portion of Denmark is the Jutland Peninsula, which gave birth to our Skagen watches. The rest of the country has 406 islands out of which 78 are inhabited.
In this Jutland Peninsula lies a small picturesque village named Skagen, a fusion of nature-given and man-made romanticism. Due to its beauty Skagen has been a home for painters, artistes for ages. Even today, Skagen beauties in canvasses are traded in leading auction houses. This is the place where Skagen Designs found its name. In 1987 Henrik and Charlotte Jorst being native of Denmark came to United States intending to own their own business. And they named it Skagen Designs. Skagen Designs was found in 1990.
Skagen has got its headquarters at Reno, Nevada and European Headquarters at Copenhagen, Denmark. Skagen Designs was exposed to the European market since 1997. Joist has shown his Danish spirit in his skillful craftsmanship, elegant design, and technical perfection in his collection of watches, Sunglass, clocks and pens. Skagen launches new products five times a year during January, March, May, August and November. Skagen Watches were first created in 1990, which then received an overwhelming response. Today, Skagen Watches are being sold in more than 55 countries in the world. Skagen purchases all its sources from Asia. Then they are assembled into cases along with a band. They are designed in Reno, Nevada.
Major features: -
1.Its cases are made up of Solid stainless steel and Solid titanium
2.Sleek model with contemporary Danish Styling
3.High Precision Japanese Quartz movements
4.Has scratch resistant mineral crystals
5.Most of the styles are water resistant up to 3ATM/30M/100 FT
6.Screw Back, date, Chronograph, Luminous hands, multifunction facility available
7.Bands made of Stainless Steel, Solid titanium, leather or water-friendly rubber
8.Price varies from $85 to $175
9.Lifetime limited warranty.
10.Skagen also designs watchs meeting specific client requirements.
Skagen Watches are available in all major departmental stores in USA and other international department stores and over 3000 specialty boutiques.
Wrist Watches apart from being used as a means of measuring time are also used as Jewelry or collectible work of art. There are wide varieties of watches, the most inexpensive being used only as a timepiece to the expensive ones that serve as personal adornment too. Another type of watches is the Geek Watches that is Watches which will not only show time but also incorporates functions of a computer, used for satellite navigation, Complications of various orders.
Skagen Denmark had participated at the 2006 BASEL World Watch and Jewellery Show showcasing its new styles held at Basel Switzerland between March 30 and April 6th.
Some of the Highlights of the show: -
1.New Titanium Solid Cases by introducing edgy case designs with Water resistant leather straps in gray, brown and black
2.Impressive Steel Collection for mens and ladies links with rose gold and brown mesh bands with mother-of-pearl dials
3.Super Luminous hands and indicators paired with steel inlayed rubber straps.
And Skagens next project was the new Team CSC Watch Collection. Skagen Denmark is the official Sponsor of Team CSC, Worlds number one ranked professional cycling team. And in its honor Skagen has designed six new styles of watches, which are ultra lightweight, with durable titanium cases, water resistant leather and rubber straps. Out of these, the Ivan Basso Red signature Edition and Ivan Basso Yellow signature Edition are endorsed and signed by Ivan Basso on the dials and case backs. Ivan Basso is the number one ranked rider. Skagen has also opened its new showroom in the New York City.
Watches containing digital cameras, video games, and calculator have also been developed as miniaturized electronics became cheaper. Even the functions of a computer were tried to fit in a watch. As of 2005, the only two companies, which were successful in the market doing so, were Seiko Ruputer and the Fossil Inc.
Technology in Watches have so developed that we even have space watches, that is watches which could respond to the zero gravity environment and extreme conditions spaced by the astronaut.We know that AM and PM are meaningless in space. In order to avoid such confusion Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute has designed a watch with 24-hour dial, which was first worn by the US astronaut Scott Carpenter on 24th May 1962. Even Cell Phones today have time displayed in it. With the advent of technology, finding time has become so easy that in the forth-coming years it would not be amazing to have time displayed even in our pens.
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