Most Expensive Watches

From the days of when the only clocks available where sun dials to the times of the pocket watch, and through to the present day, people have always been obsessed with keeping track of the time. Like any other profession, the watch making industry has worked hard to improve the methods they use and the quality of the products they put on the market. The general public has seen watches go from the traditional wheel balance and hairspring technology to the more advanced quartz, and finally to the creation of purely digital watches. Each advance was designed to outdo the competitors and give people the absolute finest in wrist timepieces.

There have been many famous watch companies and creators, but one of the most famous is the Bulova Watch Company. Over the years, this company has acquired a reputation for luxury and precision in their watch products. A little background history makes the story much more interesting. As with many companies, the story of the Bulova watch company starts out modestly. A young man by the name of Joseph Bulova opens a small, humble jewelry shop in New York City on Maiden Lane. The year is 1875 and he is a 23 year old Czech immigrant to the U.S. Business progresses nicely, but nothing to get excited about until 1911 when this enterprising young man begins to manufacture and sell bedroom, and table clocks, and finely made pocket watches. The public reacts positively to the new items and sales boom at an amazing rate.

The Bulova Watch Company didn’t stop there. Its owner knew a good thing when he saw it and in 1912, the first plant dedicated to the production of his incredible timepieces was opened in Bienne, Switzerland. This plant focused on the production of the watch components and placing the assemblies into the final jeweled movements. All of this took place before the advent of the conventional wristwatch, as we now know them in the present day.

Mr. Bulova didn’t have long to wait. With the beginning of World War I, the popularity of wristwatches, as opposed to pocket watches, took off. It was much easier for troops to have their watches literally handy than hidden in a pocket. Again, the Bulova Company was there to provide what the public demanded. Joseph Bulova took it one step further and designed a line of men’s watches set in jeweled casings. Considering his first passion was jewelry, it makes sense that he made this innovative move. The year was 1919 and the world set posed for more extravagant watches.

As history tells us, the road from this point for Mr. Bulova and his company is paved with gold. In 1923 the name Bulova Watch Company, Inc. is put into place. The watch world is revolutionized again with the beginning of a watch parts making precision system that makes every Bulova watch compatible with any other Bulova make or model wristwatch. In other words, watch repair became much simpler and more cost effective because the repair people could use any part from any Bulova watch to repair another. That kind of attention to detail had never been seen before.

Just one short year later, the Bulova Watch Company finally remembers the ladies. It introduces a full line of women’s watches complete with diamond accents. It was the “Roaring Twenties” and people of the time were all about luxury and beautiful things. A Bulova watch fit right in.

The Bulova Watch Company continued to take advantage of the events going on around them and made sure to keep up with the times. For example, to honor the famous transatlantic solo flight of Charles Lindbergh, the company produced a series of Lone Eagle watches packaged with a picture of the famous pilot. The company ships 5000 of these commemorative watches. The supply sold out in 3 days. In total, 50000 Charles Lindbergh watches were sold. It was this kind of forward thinking that made the company the huge success that it was and is.

In 1935, the founder of the company, Joseph Bulova dies. Despite this sad event, the company continued its upward swing. In the early 1960’s the Bulova Watch Company’s biggest claim to fame is released to the world. It was a totally unique watch called the Accutron. This watch was made using the technology of the tuning fork. It kept better time than anything that had been made to date and was used on many NASA flights including the famous Apollo expedition.

With such a productive and colorful history, there is no wonder that the Bulova Watch Company continues to be such a stellar example of customer service and watch making innovation.

New Designer Watchesmovado womens watches are often welcome as gifts – but in some cases, have real symbolism. For example, in Spain, just like many other Western countries, it is traditional for men to present women with engagement rings when their proposals are accepted. However, Spanish women often return the gesture by presenting their future husbands with designer watches. This is only one of the more unique ways in which mens watches are presented as gifts.

A Short History

Designer watches and luxury watches have actually been around for about 500 years, although they were usually signs of status or a tool of one’s trade, as was the case for railroad mens’ pocket watches and dive watches. The first men’s watches appeared around the time of Martin Luther in the mid-16th Century; they were essentially miniature versions of the spring-wound wall clocks that had been invented less than a century earlier. Rather large and unwieldy, these early men’s watches were worn around the neck, fastened by a chain.

“Bracelet watches,” which were the first true wristwatches, were not mens watches at all; first appearing shortly after the American Civil War, they were actually intended to be worn by women. Men used pocket watches exclusively. It wasn’t until the invention of the airplane that it became necessary to develop a time piece that allowed pilots to tell time without removing their hands from the stick.

Louis Cartier, who later became well known for the production of luxury watches, was actually the first to come up with a practical mens watches designed to be worn on the wrist for the benefit of those early aviators.

Citizen watches are yet another famous name in luxury watches. These were first manufactured in 1918 by a Japanese company, Shoshoka Watch Institute, which changed its name in 1930. To this day, Citizen watches are considered some of the finest and most accurate timepieces in the world.

However, the standard by which true luxury watches are measured is Movado. Watches by this famous Swiss company have been famous since the first one came out in 1912. Movado diamond watches and Movado gold watches are known not only for exceptional quality, but for sleek, minimalist design. Women’s movado womens watches come in almost 100 different designs. Movado mens watches also come in many different designs – so if you are planning on presenting one as a gift, it may take you some time to decide on which one to buy!

All About Watches

You’re familiar with the custom in which a man gives a woman a ring as an engagement gift, but did you know that in some places, women give mens watches for the same reason? It’s true – in Spain when couples get engaged and announce wedding plans, women will purchase designer watches for their fiancés. Right now, you’re about to learn more about mens watches – and womens as well.

Back in the Day…

Designer watches and luxury watches are fairly new innovations, as well as specialty timepieces such as dive watches. The concept goes back quite a ways in history, however.

The first mechanical clocks came into existence in Europe around 1300, during the time of such luminaries as William (“Braveheart”) Wallace, Marco Polo, Jacques DeMolay and Dante Alighieri. (Interestingly, eyeglasses were invented about the same time.) These early clocks were driven by weights; spring-driven clock – from which mens watches were ultimately developed – did not come along until well over one hundred years later.

The first mens watches, invented around the time of King Henry VIII, were miniature versions of wall clocks, carried on a chain around the neck. Early models were still large and none-too-dependable; nonetheless, the pocket watch ultimately became a standard accessory for gentlemen starting in the 1600s and lasting until well into the 20th century (and was a required tool for railroad men).

The first wristwatches were actually made for women; the “bracelet watch” was first made available in 1868. It was the advent of aviation that led to the development of the first mens watches starting with the Santos watch of 1904 (named for the famous French-Brazilian aviator).

Designer Watches Since Then

The manufacturer of that early wristwatch was Louis Cartier – a name that has since been synonymous with luxury watches. However, his is hardly the only one.

Abruptly yanked into the Industrial Age from a medieval society that had been unchanged for over 1,700 years, the Japanese wasted little time in catching up to the Western World. Citizen watches, still a hallmark of timepiece quality, were first made in 1918 by the Shoshoka Watch Institute, which became Citizen in 1930.

Another famous name – from a country the name of which is practically a synonym for fine watchmaking – is that of Swiss company Movado (Esperanto for “always in motion”). Movado watches have been famous since before the First World War. Movado diamond watches and Movado gold watches combine elegant, minimalist style with state-of-the-art, cutting edge technology for some of the most accurate timepieces on Earth. If you are considering one of the many women’s Movado watches, you may have a difficult time; there are nearly 100 different Movado women’s watches to choose from – and nearly as many models of mens watches!