Origins of the Watch making Industry Essay -- Design and Technology

Origins of the Watch making Industry The production of watches was a major industry of Great Britain for hundreds of years. Watch making originated in Europe in the early 16th century, when coiled springs were first used to power clocks. Clocks were powered by weights originally, and therefore remained stationary. The springs meant that clocks could be moved for the first time, and soon, German clockmakers started to make very small clocks, which are considered as the earliest watches made. Watch making was the most advanced line of the clock making industry, which developed when Blacksmiths started introducing their skills with metal to clock making. Watches were being made in Great Britain from around the middle of Elizabeth 1 reign as Queen of England. (1533 – 1603) It is likely that the success of European Watchmakers encouraged British Watchmakers to start producing Watches to make sure they weren’t behind in technological developments. During this, watches were extremely expensive, and therefore quite rare, they were also quite inaccurate, and only had an hour hand. Most designs for early watches were for the watches to be worn around the neck, on either a cord or ribbon. This was because it was a status symbol to be seen wearing a watch and the watches were still pretty large, and couldn’t fit in the pocket very easily, if the clothes had pockets, as this was also a rarity. It was in the late 17th century that the watch making industry became a much more renowned industry in Britain. Evolution in watch design meant that watches soon became more accurate, which made them much more useful and as a result, the demand increased for British watches. Watch making in Prescot By the 18th century, Prescot was well established as the centre of watch making in England, and for 100 years after, Prescot would become world famous for its product quality. John Wyke and other famous watch makers started their businesses in Prescot, and at the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1837, Watch making was renowned in Prescot. The area was already well known for its tools most importantly files, and metal works, which made it easier for business to thrive. Extremely high quality tools and metal were required by watchmakers so the industries were set up next to each other to make life simpler. Liverpool became a major c... ... into the Prescot watch making industry in an attempt to keep it competitive, it had all but gone from prescot by the mid 1880s. A decision was made to act, and T.P Hewitt was one of the founding members of the Lancashire Watch Company. The building was completed in 1889, and it was based on the American Factory system of manufacture, where complete watch movements were made, by machines, under one roof. The factory was fitted out with machines to produce the watch parts, powered by a steam engine called the Horologer (Horology is the correct name for the study and production of clocks and watches). They made a range of watches too suit all the poorest of pockets. It lasted into the 20th century and had some success, becoming a major producer of watches in Britain. However, foreign competition was too great and by that time, very well established. This combined with poor marketing, especially overseas led to the company being forced to close its doors in 1910. Some small workshops still produced time pieces in Prescot until the middle of the 20th century, but the watch making industry in Prescot effectively ended with the closure of the Lancashire watch company.