DEPTH CHARGE

The dive watch might be the most famous look for a wristwatch. We examine the popularity of this very specific and constraining aesthetic

- ASHOK SOMAN

It is uncertain if history repeats itself, but historians definitely do. That is a somewhat old joke told by historians, and really could be applied to teachers of all sorts everywhere. Although it sounds somewhat ominous, there are plenty of inherent positives here. As far as Singapore goes, citizens of the republic will always look back to the independence era, including the events leading to it and the aftermath. This is a collective act of remembrance, even for those without those memories. One could very easily generalise that the same is true for all nation-states that have a founding date – National Day celebrations everywhere help to make this point. Yes, the fact that these events have all the regularity of clockwork helps to make this introduction work.

Unlike history, time certainly repeats itself, while also moving relentlessly in only one direction. That is a pretty neat trick, with the second that just passed being indistinguishable from the one that follows, and so on and so forth, ad infinitum. Yet each second is unique and can only be experienced once – unless you find yourself travelling at the speed of light, or at the event horizon of a black hole, but I digress. Timekeepers of any sort allow us to distinguish between the seconds – and to decide which ones are worth remembering and recording. Timepieces, like history, are intrinsically tied to human beings and our societies. This helps to explain why watch brands are constantly celebrating anniversaries (case in point, our cover this issue, and the last one for that matter).