www.time4watches.com

The first watches were made in Germany in the 16th century, and were actually pendant clock-watches. No, Flavor Flav was not the first to wear these. Anyway, clock-watches were very big, expensive, jewel-encrusted deals in those days, so they were only worn by the very wealthy.

With the introduction of the waistcoat in the 17th century, clock-watches began to be replaced by pocket watches. While the accuracy of these timepieces still wasn’t very great, and they continued to lack a minute hand, at least they didn’t make people look like gangsta rappers. Of course, they were still handmade at this time, but by the mid-19th century, pocket watches were being mass-produced on a large scale.

The 19th century also saw the creation of the first wristwatch. While these were originally designed as women’s jewelry, by the early 20th century, men were starting to wear them, too. After a few decades, pocket watches were no longer cool.

So there we have it. From here, it’s only a short step to the 1950′s and the first electric watches. By the end of the next decade we had quartz, and by the early 1990′s we’re fully radio-controlled. Really, I’m not winding you up.