Loo Wotshi Isesihlahleni Sakho

NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! EBRITANI

NGUBANI ixesha? Ukrwaqu nje kwiwotshi ekwisihlahla sakho uya kukunceda wazi. Kodwa ngaba lichanile ixesha elikwiwotshi yakho? Sinokuzithabatha lula iiwotshi zethu kodwa zintsonkothile kunendlela ezibonakala ngayo.

Nakuba ixesha lingeyonto ibonakalayo yaye lidlula, abantu bebesoloko benomdla kwindlela elihamba ngayo. Amaxesha onyaka, ukutshintsha kwenyanga, ubusuku nemini—zonke ezi ziindlela ezingokwemvelo zokwahlula ixesha. Kodwa kudala abantu bezama ukulinganisa ixesha ngokwemizuzwana nangendlela echanileyo.

Indlela Esebenza Ngayo Iwotshi

Kudala babakho ubuchule bokulinganisa ixesha ngoomatshini. “Undoqo” waba matshini yintsinjana ebangela iwotshi ihambe (iescapement). Yona ilawula umlinganiselo wokukhutshwa kwamandla alawula lo matshini. Xa la mandla evunyelwa ukuba aphume kancinane nangokulinganayo ngokuthe rhoqo, kulinganiswa ixesha. Akukho mntu waziyo ncam ukuba iwotshi yokuqala yaveliswa nini, kodwa izinto zacaca kakuhle malunga nowe-1500, ukuqala kokwenziwa kweewotshi ezincinane.

Le wotshi ithandwayo ngoku nenxitywa esihlahleni intsha. Iqale ukuxhaphaka ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yee-1800, ingakumbi kumabhinqa. Ngemfazwe yehlabathi yokuqala, amajoni afumanisa ukuba iwotshi yesihlahla yayiluncedo kakhulu kunaleyo ihlala epokothweni. Zaya zithandwa ke emva koko iiwotshi zesihlahla.

Kutshanje, iiwotshi ezininzi zisebenzisa umbane neekristale zequartz. Xa lilungelelaniswe kakuhle laza labekwa kwibhodi yombane, iqhekezana lequartz liyaqhubeka lishukuma ngomlinganiselo ofanayo, lisebenza njengosiba lwewotshi.

Kunzima gqitha ukwenza iiwotshi ezinomatshini nezo zihamba ngequartz zigcine ixesha elichanileyo. Ngoko enoba unayiphi iwotshi, ngaxa lithile iya kuba phambili okanye ibe semva. Noko ke, sele zikho iiwotshi zequartz ezithi ngamaxesha athile zilungise ixesha zincediswa ziiwotshi zeathom.a Ababhengezi bathi ezo wotshi zilawulwa ngunomathotholo zichane kangangokuba zingaphambili okanye zibe semva ngomzuzwana emva kwesigidi seminyaka!

Iiwotshi Ezinomatshini Zisathandwa

Xa ucinga ngokuchana okulolo hlobo nesibakala sokuba intsinjana ebangela iwotshi ihambe yayilwa kwiminyaka engaphezu kwengamakhulu amabini eyadlulayo, usenokuvakalelwa kukuba, ezi wotshi ziphelelwe lixesha. Ngapha koko, ngubani obenokukhetha umatshini wokubala wakudala sele ukho owombane? Kanti, iwotshi enomatshini isathandwa kakhulu ngabaninzi. Nyaka ngamnye kuveliswa izigidi zazo. Ixabiso leewotshi ezinomatshini ezivela eSwitzerland liye lathi kratya kunelo lezombane kule minyaka yamvanje. Kuye kwaveliswa iintsinjana ezintsha nezingenangxaki, yaye abantu bayaqhubeka bekhangela iingcaphephe ezenza iiwotshi ezinokubanceda ekulungiseni ezi wotshi zabo.

Yintoni ebangela ukuba zithandwe kangaka ezi wotshi zinomatshini? UMichael, oneminyaka engamashumi amathathu eyingcaphephe eyenza iiwotshi, ucinga ukuba isizathu soko kukuba zihlala ixesha elide. Uthi ngoxa iwotshi yequartz inokusebenza ngaphandle kweengxaki kangangeminyaka emalunga ne-15, iwotshi enomatshini eyenziwe kakuhle inokulibamba kakuhle ixesha ngaphezu kwe-100 leminyaka. Loo wotshi xa isuka kumzali isiya emntwaneni inokubangela iinkumbulo ezintle.

Abanye bayazithanda iiwotshi ezinomatshini ngenxa yokuntsonkotha kwazo nokubonisa kwazo ixesha zisebenzisa iintsinjana nezipringi ezincinane. Kanti, ngenxa yokuba oomatshini bazo besenziwa ngesandla, kulula ukuba zilungiswe ziingcaphephe ezikhutheleyo.

Ngokungafaniyo noomatshini abaninzi, kulindeleke ukuba iiwotshi zisebenze umhla nezolo kangangeminyaka emininzi. Ukongezelela, iiwotshi ezinxitywa esihlahleni kulindeleke ukuba zisebenze kumaqondo obushushu awahlukeneyo nakwiindawo ezahlukeneyo—nakuba kunjalo zifanele zichane ngendlela ekhethekileyo. Iwotshi eba phambili okanye ibe semva malunga nemizuzwana engama-20 iliphosa ixesha kangangama-0.023 ekhulwini kuphela, yaye ilindelekile loo nto nakwisixhobo senzululwazi esiphethwe kakuhle. Akumangalisi ukuba abantu abaninzi bebuthanda ubugcisa nobulumko obubandakanyekileyo ekwenziweni kweewotshi ezinomatshini!

Kambe ke, zikho nezinye izibakala ezibandakanyekileyo. UMichael, ekuthethwe ngaye ngaphambilana, uthi abanye abantu abathandi ukutshintsha ibhetri, nto leyo efunekayo kwiiwotshi ezininzi zequartz. Ngoko, yintoni enokukunceda ugqibe ngohlobo lwewotshi ofuna ukuyisebenzisa?

Yiyiphi Omele Uyikhethe?

Ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo, ufuna iwotshi oza kuyithanda. Kwabaninzi, loo nto ithetha ukuba abafuni nje kuphela iwotshi esebenza kakuhle kodwa iwotshi entle. Ukongezelela, uMichael uncomela ukuba ukuqwalasele ngenyameko oko ukufuna ewotshini. Ngaba uza kuyinxiba imini yonke mihla le okanye uza kuyinxiba ngezihlandlo ezithile? Ngaba iza kumana ibetheka okanye uza kuyisebenzisa kwindawo eshushu gqitha? Ngokomzekelo, ukuchanabeka rhoqo kwimichiza okanye kumanzi olwandle kunokuzonakalisa ezinye iiwotshi. Ngoko kububulumko ukucingisisa nangezi nkalo.

Ngokuphathelele umba wexabiso, kulungile ukuzibekela imali onokuyisebenzisa ekuthengeni iwotshi uze ubambelele kuyo. Iiwotshi ezinomatshini zidla ngokubiza imali eninzi. Noko ke, khumbula ukuba, iindlela ezisebenza ngayo ezinye iiwotshi ezininzi ithathelwe kwezi wotshi. Ngumatshini wewotshi owenza ukwazi ukubona ixesha. Ezi wotshi zidla ngokwakhiwa kakuhle. Ngokuqhelekileyo, amaxabiso adla ngokwahluka ngenxa yezinto ezifana nomzimba nebhanti layo. Ngoko ke ixabiso eliphezulu alisoloko libonisa ukuba iwotshi ithembekile okanye iza kugcina ixesha.—Bona ibhokisi engentla.

Xa unxibe iwotshi esihlahleni, akucingi kabini ngaphambi kokuba ujonge ixesha. Ukuba nento oyaziyo ngendlela ezenziwe ngayo iiwotshi, kunokukunceda uzixabise ezi zixhobo ziluncedo. Ngapha koko, ngaba akukhe kube ngathi ikho le nto ingenzeki kakuhle xa ungenawotshi?

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Ibhokisi/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 18]

YIYIPHI EYONA WOTSHI UYITHANDAYO?

UHLOBO: Kukho enesixhobo sokubala amaxesha athile, nto leyo ekuncedayo xa ufuna ukulinganisela ubude bamaxesha okwenzeka kweziganeko ezithile. Xa uza kuba kumdlalo othile, kucetyiswa ukuba usebenzise iwotshi engangenwa manzi. Ukuba uyalibala ukujija iwotshi, khumbula ukuba iwotshi yequartz ayifuni kujijwa. Iwotshi enomatshini nezijijayo, ayifuni kujijwa kodwa ijijwa kukushukuma kwengalo yaloo mntu uyinxibileyo.

UKUCHANA: Ukuba uyakuxabisa oku, usenokukhetha ukuthenga iwotshi eyenzelwe oko, nengqiniweyo ngokuchana. Iiwotshi zequartz zingqiniwe ngokuchana. Iwotshi yakutshanje enomatshini ebetha ngamandla, ibetha izihlandlo ezingama-28 800 yure nganye nto leyo ethetha iintshukumo ezine ngomzuzwana. Thelekisa oko newotshi yequartz ebetha kangange-10 000 ne-100 000 ngomzuzwana!

UBUSO BEWOTSHI: Kukho iwotshi ebonisa ixesha ngamanani kuphela; kubekho ke newotshi ebonisa ixesha ngosiba. Le yamanani inokubonisa umhla, ikhale, ibe nenye indawo ebonisa kuyo ixesha iphinde ibale namaxesha athile. Le yosiba ikubonisa ixesha ngendlela elula, kuba ujonga nje indawo olumi kuyo usiba ukuze wazi ixesha.

UKUYILUNGISA: Ngenxa yokuba iwotshi enomatshini ihamba ngesipringi esinamandla akufane kwenzeke imiswe bubumdaka okanye uthuli njengewotshi yequartz. Nakuba kunjalo, ukuze ihlale ikwimeko entle iwotshi enomatshini ikufuna rhoqo ukulungiswa kunewotshi yequartz. Kuba ingenazinto zishukumayo, iwotshi yequartz enamanani ayifuni kulungiswa, ngaphandle nje kokutshintsha ibhetri.

[Isicangca/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 17]

EZINYE IIWOTSHI ZESIHLAHLA EZAZIWAYO

◼ 1810-12

Iwotshi yokuqala eyaziwayo yiAbraham Louis Breguet

◼ 1945

Iwotshi ebonisa usuku, iRolex

◼ 1957

Iwotshi yesihlahla esebenza ngombane yenziwa yiHamilton Watch Company

◼ 1960

Iwotshi yesihlahla ye-elektroniki, iBulova

◼ 1972

Iwotshi ye-elektroniki enamanani ayi-digital, eyayenziwe yiHamilton Watch Company

[Inkcazelo]

Umfanekiso wesibini nowesine: Courtesy of Hamilton Watches

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 17]

OMEGA