• Q1. I am fascinated by watches and was wondering when the first wristwatch was made and who was behind this marvelous invention. Could you shed some light on this?
  Joy, Bangalore
  
  Ans. “Watches adapted to the wrist made sporadic appearances as early as the late 1500s. In the early 1800s, the wristwatch made more frequent appearances when jewellers and watchmakers began creating gem- encrusted timepieces for royalty. Initial development of the watch is credited to Peter Henlein (1479-1542) of Nuremberg, Germany. In the Cosmography of Pomponius Mela (published c. 1511) is the following description: ‘In these days, ingenious things are invented. As Peter Hele, still a very young man, performs works that astonish even the most learned scientists. For, from a little iron, he makes timepieces containing many small wheels that, no matter how they are turned about, indicate time and beat forty hours, even though carried on the chest or in the pocket.’ We have come far since then. From other records it has been ascertained that ‘Peter Hele’ was Peter Henlein, who became a master locksmith at Nuremberg in 1509. On his death in 1542, Henlein was called an urmacher or watchmaker.
  
  
• Q2. Most watches have shock-resistant written on them. What does it mean? Can the watch fall from a height without getting damaged? What is the ‘G Shock’ feature in Casio watches?
  Sheikh, Ahmedabad
  
  Ans. “If shock-resistance is specified on a watch case, then the watch should be able to withstand normal wear and tear even during strenuous sport activities. Don’t chance it by letting it fall from a height though. Having said that, imagine a watch that can be dropped from a height of 10 meters, hit against a tree or used as an ice hockey puck and yet continue to give accurate time. That for you is ‘G Shock’ - the toughest watch of all time. How is this achieved? Well, the most critical and vulnerable parts of the watch - the battery, digital components, LCD, and other delicate parts are isolated in a module cushioned by ultra-shock absorbent urethane rings. It’s just as if the module is protected from impact as if it were floating in mid-air”.
  
  
• Q3. I read somewhere that the atomic clock is the most accurate. Can you tell me why it is so and how does an atomic clock work?
  Manish, Delhi
  
  Ans. “The big difference between a standard clock in your home and an atomic clock is that the oscillation in the latter is between the nucleus of an atom and the surrounding electrons. This oscillation is not exactly a parallel to the balance wheel and hairspring of a clockwork watch, but the fact is that both use oscillations to keep track of passing time. The oscillation frequencies within the atom are determined by the mass of the nucleus and the gravity and electrostatic ‘spring’ between the positive charge on the nucleus and the electron cloud surrounding it. Atomic clocks keep time better than any other clock. They even keep time better than the rotation of the Earth and the movement of the stars.
  Without atomic clocks, GPS navigation would be impossible, the Internet would not synchronize, and the position of the planets would not be known with enough accuracy for space probes and landers to be launched and monitored.”.
  
  
• Q4. How do mechanical watches run. What is the source of power?
  Jai, Delhi
  Ans. “A mechanical watch keeps time by regulating the release of energy from a wound spring through a set of gears. It differs from the typical quartz watch in that it uses purely mechanical components to keep time. In a mechanical watch, the person who winds the crown or the oscillating mass supplies motive power for the hands as kinetic energy. This in turn transfers its energy to a spring to store as potential energy and be released gradually over a period of time.”

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