Kate Middleton has been wearing a wristwatch very chic, the Ballon Bleu Signed 33 mm stainless Cartier in stainless steel. A sporty and elegant model that, according to rumors, William bought them for their third wedding anniversary in 2014 and which today is around an estimated value of just over 7 thousand euros.
While iThe future king of Great Britain He always shows himself with the same model (unlike his father, King Carlo, a large clock collector): a Omega Seamaster Professional 300m With quartz movement, the one preferred by James Bond. A gift from the mother, Lady Diana, received when she was a boy and who has never replaced since then.
The wrist watch, today status symbol not only for the royal, is much more than a fashion object: It can be luxury but also a sweet memory, as in the case of William. Today almost everyone has one or more. Over the day we don’t count the times we look at it. But do you know that a watch “smiles” in advertising? And that at the beginning was considered exclusively a women’s accessory? Right away Here are the little known curiosities about this indispensable accessory for everyone.
1. It was born as a female accessory
«Today, when we talk about wrist watches, we immediately think, erroneously, of an mostly male accessory. But The first models were considered as decidedly feminine objects », Giorgia Mondani, expert, luxury watches consultant, member of the Grand Prix of Horlogerie de Geneve, author of books and publications, tells.
«Small and graceful, with thin and elegant strapsthey were seen more like a jewel. Back in the past, in 1812, we find one of the first testimonies related to a woman: made for Carolina Bonaparte, Napoleon’s sister, by Abraham-Louis Breguet ». As evidence of what has just been said, there is still the document attesting to the order of the clock, a bracelet that could indicate the passage of time and then delivered only two years later. One thing is certain: the queen of Naples remained so satisfied as to commission it, the following year, others twelve.
2. As has been transformed into a male accessory
“Because the wrist watch becomes a male accessorywe must approach the First World War when men begin to realize that it is actually a lot more comfortable than the pocket. It is in 1904 that he sees the light that is recognized as the first born for a non -feminine audience. It is the Cartier Santos, Watch that owes its name to the Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, who I had asked his friend Louis Cartier to make a tool with which he could easily read the time.
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And it is thanks to this ease of reading that, During the First World War, the wrist watch has become an essential tool: Much more comfortable to consult in the trench and indispensable for the synchronization of military actions (use thanks to which, gradually, wrist watches have acquired more and more precision features). After the war there were many men who continued and many have started to always bring the clock, actually transforming it into the “newspaper” companion we know today “, clarifies Mondani.
3. For the dial is divided 12 hours
All modern wrist watches indicate 12 hoursa legacy that was fortunately left to us by the French Revolution. First the hours indicated on theclock There were 24 and this involved a decidedly not very comfortable and very bulky dial. At a certain point they were even pRodotti watches with only 10 hours Because someone had proposed to reduce the number of hours on the day.
4. Because on some models the 4 in Roman numerals was indicated wrongly
Another interesting aspect is linked toIndication of hours with Roman numerals. For a long time the number 4 was reported “IIII” instead of “IV” and the reason was substantially of an economic nature. Printing letter V was much more expensive than printing a simple I. Furthermore, among those who used wrist watches there were also many peasants who did not know how to read the Roman numerals and therefore do not identify the IV like a 4.
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5. The most expensive model in the world has an exorbitant price
“This is the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chimebeaten by Christie’s on the occasion of the beneficial Auction Only Watch for more than 28 million euros. Before him, the record holder was the famous Rolex Daytona Paul Newman: Really belonging to the American actor, he was sold at auction in October 2017 for almost $ 18 million, “says the expert.
6. He was the protagonist of the first spot broadcast on TV
From washing machines to clothes, from cars to dog food, on TV, we know, products of all kinds are advertised. All -outA, the first paid commercial never broadcast on the small screen was that of a watched brand From Pulo on 1 July 1941 in New York on the WNBT station.
7. Because it carries on the left wrist
Simply for practical reasons, given that for most of the population (about 90%) which is right, wearing the watch on the left wrist has different ergonomic advantages. Wearing the clock on the left, the dominant hand is completely released to carry out daily activities that require precision and dexterity: write, handle tools, use the computer mouse or smartphone. It is unlikely that the clock impresses or interferes with these movements. In addition, iThe dial remains perfectly visible without requiring uncomfortable contortions of the wrist.
8. The first testimonial of a Rolex was a sporty
Rolex, the famous brand deluxe Of watchmaking that turns 120 this year, it has become a symbol of luxury and status, thanks to its artisanal quality and timeless design. Gaia Mondani says: «A brand that has also accompanied great businesses of the past. The first, in 1927, when the young woman British swimmer Mercedes Gleitze He was the first woman to swim the sleeve: the founder of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf entrusted them un watch Oyster, Which re -emerged perfectly working after being for more than 10 hours immersed in icy waters.
The young woman had just tested the first totally hermetic wrist watch in the world It is waterproof: to celebrate it, and celebrate the accomplished company, Wilsdorf made the news publish on the first page of the Daily Mail, REncourage, in fact, Mercedes Gleitze The first testimonial of the brand».
9. because in the commercials it is said that the watches “smile”
A watch certainly cannot smile, but often comes represented with the hands positioned on 10:10 so that, with the naked eye, you seem to be smiling, forming a sort of stylized face. This position is called the smile And it is often used in the advertising of watches to create a positive and captivating image.
Mondani specifies: «This is not a randomness: over time the hands on that time have become a distinctive feature of all the advertisements of wrist watches for a combination of reasons. The first is linked to the logo which, in almost all watches, is located in the upper part of the dial immediately under number 12: it is essential not to cover it and the V -shape of the hands so arranged it emphasizes it. And then, in that position, the hands do not even cover any complications arranged on the dial, as they could be given, chronograph or the GMT hand ».
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
