Charting New Frontiers

Much of modern day timekeeping stemmed from inconveniences, some more disruptive than others. Here is a stroll through horological history that shaped today's societies.

- Asaph Low

Living in an age where, at the bare minimum, most information is available instantaneously, it is hard-pressed to imagine what life was like before such convenience became ubiquitous. Photography is a classic example. Any mystique shrouding film photography requires anywhere between three to five days (time for films to develop in red rooms) to clear, unlike today, where the challenge is clearing phone storage to make room for more images. Shopping is never the same as catalogues from once-geographically constrained sellers are available in one's palms on a mobile phone. Such are the advancements of technology today that we forget the influence of these once-groundbreaking innovations that we only take note of today when an inconvenience occurs. The same applies to watchmaking and timetelling; in this feature story, we dive into the various disciplines that influenced and revolutionised the two aspects above, with some extending to societies and civilisations.

HOURS, MINUTES, SECONDS

Has one ever wondered why there are 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute and why a year is split into 12 months, which consist of 365 days? All of these can be credited to ancient civilisations where the passage of time was first observed and studied, and later defined and preserved into the modern-day system we know today.