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 Since
the beginning of time, some people have needed to keep time more
than others. Home-makers in caves probably used devices to time
the roast; hunters devised methods to time a chase. Modern watchmakers
too have on offer watches designed with a range of specialised functions
to suit a variety of professions from astronauts to international
travellers and require tremendous standards of accuracy and durability.
 Space
In the early 1960s Omega with its Speedmaster chronograph became
the pioneer in watches dedicated to space travel. On March 1, 1965,
it became “flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions”
as the only wristwatch to have withstood all of the U.S. space agency’s
severe tests under conditions of zero gravity and magnetic fields,
extreme shocks, vibrations and temperatures ranging from -18 to
+93 degrees celsius. Thus certified it became the first watch to
go up to the moon and on July 21, 1969 at 02:56 GMT, it recorded
man’s first steps on the Moon’s surface. Today the Speedmaster Professional
and the Speedmaster X-33 are used on almost all space missions.
Adventure Sports Watches
From the time the Hamilton Watch Company in the US stared advertising
its watches as standard gear for exploration and adventure activities,
watchmakers have been making watches for those whose work takes
them to the great outdoors. Watches like Casio Pro Trek watches
(called Pathfinder watches in the US) with features like wrist mounted
GPS, compass, altitude, thermometer and barometer sensors are just
the thing for mountain climbers, fishermen or anyone who loves the
great outdoors. Several sports companies have dedicated a range
of watches for outdoor competitive sports, like cycling or cross
country racing. Nike Oregon Lance as well as the Nike Oregon Alti
Compass has built-in Altimeters, Barometers, compasses and several
timing devices that help racers track their progress.
Professional Sports Watches
Omega’s Speedmaster Professional with a small seconds dial
and tachymeter is designed for the high pressure arena of car racing.
It has been used by some of the greats of Formula One racing.
Tag Heuer’s offering in this area is the Microtimer. Fitted with
the first Swiss electronic movement offering remarkable 1/1000th
of a second precision this sports chronograph in a wristwatch version
provides various other performances such as the F1 mode with lap-time
memory and best lap calculation, or dual time-zone display.
Its Seamaster Planet Ocean and other Seamaster series with water
resistance down to 1000 feet are geared towards professionals in
competitive water sports including swimming, sailing and diving.
Casio’s G-Shock watches are 200 metres water resistant and suitable
for water sports like scuba diving, surfing, sailing or snorkeling;
while its Sea-Pathfinder models are built for maritime adventures.
Models are equipped with built in sensors for instant feedback of
essential data for fishing, yachting, diving and other water sports.
The Tag Heuer Formula One is a top-of-the-range sports watch designed
exclusively for action ...mountain biking, surfing, and skiing.
The TAG Heuer Professional golf watch claims to be the first watch
for golf professionals, developed and worn by Tiger Woods. It has
been specially designed to meet golfers’ special requirements.
Diving
Divers, whether amateur or professional; civilian or military
require their watches to withstand extreme conditions. Omega’s Seamaster
300 M Diver Chronometer can go down to a depth of 1000 ft, while
the Seamaster Planet Ocean can go down as much as 2000 ft.
Pilots
Companies like Tissot as well as Citizen offer pilot watches
that display among other things time in various time zones, local
time, slide rule bezel etc. The Citizen Nighthawk Black has a pilot’s
slide rule dial, non-reflective crystal large luminous markers for
easy readability, dual time, and water resistant to 200 meters.
Tissots’ T-Navigator 3000 offers time in 22 zones; while the T-touch
offers a multiple time reading in addition to temperature, barometric
pressure, compass and chronograph.
Military
Torgoen, a company founded by aviation enthusiasts that develops
watches for pilots, has developed one specially for military pilots
which has an internal bezel that acts as a slide rule for advanced
flight calculations. The watch can be used to calculate projected
travel time, air speed, distance traveled, fuel consumption, nautical
to statute miles, currency conversion, multiplication and division,
and any linear conversion with a constant nature, such as ounces
to grams, or miles to kilometers.
International Travel
Globe trotters could do well with a Citizen Skyhawk Eco-Drive
which displays Time and Calendar in 22 Time Zones (30 Cities), three
world time alarms, 99 Minute Countdown Timer, one-touch interchangeable
Analog/Digital Times, rotating slide rule bezel and Water Resistant
to 333 ft. (100 meters). The Patek-Philippe World Time Men’s Watch
with 18-carat rose gold case comes with a 24 hour time zone indicator,
so you can change time zones with the touch of a button.
Technical professions
Florida-based TechNote Time Watch Company has developed informative
wrist watches geared towards tradesmen in the electrical and electronics
fields. Their initial product line consists of specialty analog
wrist watches, which incorporates Ohm’s law, power formulas and
a resistor band chart, for AC or DC applications. These are also
targeted towards students appearing for technical exams...
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