Watches are basically timekeeping devices. Modern version of a watch is what you carry in your pocket or wear on your wrist, the latter known as the wristwatch. The idea of using a time keeping device is a long time back. The sun, the stars and the moon were used to keep time for the first time by eons. They served as a good estimate of the elapsed time but were not exact. Then the famous sundial was used to keep time. Sun dial was definitely better than the heavenly bodies but was not accurate enough. Also it could not work when sun has set.

Modern watches or what practically can be termed as a watch came into existence in around the 19th century. They were the first instance of a device having a minute and an hour hand and showed the exact time to its users. They could be easily carried in pockets as they were light, small and robust to use. Generally people kept them in protective covers to avoid any damage. A good watch was considered as a status symbol. People at that time used to flaunt them showing what they had purchased as it was not common as it is nowadays.

Wrist watches appeared as a fashion accessory for women. They were good in keeping time and did a good job of a glitzy jewel in the overall appearance of women. They were available in various designs so that they could effectively be used as a fashion accessory. Credit for them goes to Cartier for providing this idea of a watch which could be worn on your wrist using a leather band.

The very first wristwatches had to be mechanically winded so that they work for a fixed duration after which they needed to be winded again. The first battery powered watch was introduced in 150s and was a great success. It was released by the Hamilton watch company and was a hit from the start. People were frustrated rewinding their watches after it stopped. This was very convenient for them as the battery did the job which they had to do before.

These wristwatches were of analog type. An analog type of a watch means that it had a minute hand and an hour hand and if possible a seconds hand to. The position of hands at any instance determines the time at the moment. The hands and the dial looked pretty attractive to look at and the wrist watch was an aesthetic peace to reckon with.

The first digital watches were released in the 1970s with an objective of outrunning the sale of analog watches. Although they were more robust and user friendly but they still are in the race to defeat the analog version. At that time the watch making company Swiss watches had organized an aggressive campaign for selling their watches. They released bold designs and conveyed the idea of wrist watches as a throw away fashion accessory. They became popular and never allowed the digital version to beat them. Even today the sale of analog watches is more than the digital ones.