5 thoughts on “The Evolution of Watches, Dania Moctezuma

  1. Awesome visuals and description of each watch, I felt like you were walking me through each design with a vast amount of knowledge and the images particularly in this slideshow really facilitated my understanding of the watch history. On thing that you did in particular that made your presentation easy to follow was that you added the names and dates of each watch in the slides – great work. Although it would have been easy to touch on the past things we’ve learned about watching making stemming from the Chinese, I like how you took it in a different direction and historical perspective that I anticipated by modernizing the watch that we know today rather than getting weighed down by the technical evolutions of the watch from the Chinese. It was also interesting that you pointed out that the price of the early watches in the 70’s and 80’s came with a high priced because they were more tailored for the upperclass. One thing that could have been done differently is just the general perspective of how the watch developed with previews from the palm pilot watch leading up to the apple watch – I felt like the lead up to the Apple watch can only be one perspective, while many advances and developments have been made behind the manufacturing and crafting on other brands like Rolex or Ball watches. Overall, great job with the presentation and it was very fun to watch!

  2. This presentation discussed the evolution of the modern watch and how all the devices of the past have lead up to technologies like the Apple Watch. Early on, watches were seen as pieces of art and confined to the wealthy. The wristwatch, which arrived in 1915, made reading time more convenient. It was interesting how wristwatches were initially marketed towards women but were instead adopted by all for their convenience and ergonomic advantages. Next, the presentation covered the advance of digital watches. I enjoyed the discussion on the growth of digital watches and what they could do. In the early 2000s there was a huge growth in the amount of smart watches and the various things that they can do. The presentation does a good job showing how the history of the digital watch is one of constant improvement. One company comes up with something, and another perfects it. All of this led up to the arrival of the Apple Watch, despite its price tag, it has many functions that used to be confined to one device. Despite some very minor audio issues, the presentation succeeded in conveying the technological palimpsest that is the Apple Watch

  3. Dania,

    You did a great job of providing a comprehensive history of the evolution of the watch. Each example received detail and attention. I really liked how you not only discussed how the design of the watch evolved but also how the concept and uses of the watch changed throughout time. It was interesting to find out that watches of the early twentieth century were originally designed as a fashion item for women but soon became more utilitarian for soldiers during the war. Watches seem to be designed for a very wide range of users, from the tech-savvy, to pilots, to Wall Street traders, to fitness junkies. With each new slide and new watch, there was another add-on, another way to satisfy the desires of society. You also point out, however, that despite these many functions, the watch has typically catered to the upper class. Throughout their history, watches served as a status symbol, and this is still true today. Watches are now transitioning back to more simplistic styles as people have begun to push back against the clock/day-planner/phone/computer/TV/step-counter/everything-but-the-kitchen-sink hybrid showing that the values of society determine the development of the watch.

  4. Dania,

    Hey great job! I enjoyed listening to the history of watches. From the introduction to pocket watches in the 16th century and then the big jumps made with watches in the 20th century, there was a lot of change. The wide use of watches from the military, to work, to household uses like changing the TV channel or turning on the radio with the Sinclair really all come together in the 21st century with the Sony and Apple watches. It is interesting to see how the Sinclair watch went out of business for doing similar functions as the Apple watch today. Most people don’t want bulky they want small and compact, which sums up the modern day watches. I agree with your point that people always want more as invention is the mother of necessity.
    Audio was very nice, your voice was not too far or too close you had very good matching with the pictures as well. You had great visuals to back your points up and portray messages.

  5. Dania,
    I really liked your presentation, it was a great overview of the history of the major watches that have led to what we use today. I thought that your jump from the 16th century to the 20th century was logical and well thought out, even considering you jumped 300 years and two industrial revolutions. Before your presentation, I did not know that the first watches were actually meant for women; at the time, were men expected to use pocket watches? Almost perfectly tying into our class discussion, was the development of the electronic watch in the late 60s, you were able to nicely stage this in the presentation to base your major points. You did your homework on the major companies of Seiko and Casio, but then you also had companies like Hamilton and Garmin whom I was not as familiar with. You concluding remarks made the presentation really good. The idea that we are not satisfied with the technology that was have, seems completely true. We are going from complex to simple and a focus on appearance. Overall, it was a very well throughout presentation, nice job!
    —Josh

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