Iwashi Lakho Lasesihlakaleni

NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! EBRITHANI

INGABE uyazi ukuthi yisikhathi sini? Ngokulithi nje nhlá iwashi lakho elisesihlakaleni uzothola impendulo. Kodwa ingabe iwashi lakho linembile? Singawathatha kalula nje la mawashi ethu, kodwa kuningi okuhilelekile ekwenziweni kwawo.

Yize isikhathi singabonakali futhi singami ndawonye, abantu bebelokhu benesithakazelo sokusikala. Ukushintshashintsha kwezinkathi zonyaka, ukushintsha kwenyanga, ukulandelana kwemini nobusuku—konke kukala isikhathi ngokwemvelo. Kodwa sekuyisikhathi eside umuntu ezama ukubala isikhathi ngamancozuncozu futhi lokhu akwenze ngokunemba okukhulu.

Okwenza Iwashi Lisebenze

I-horology—isayensi ehilela ukwenza imishini ekala isikhathi—iphakathi kobuciko obudala kakhulu besayensi. “Inhliziyo” yale mishini kuthiwa i-escapement. Le ngxenye ilawula izinga lamandla enza lo mshini usebenze. Uma la mandla ekhishwa ngokuqhubekayo ngamazinga aphansi, singase sikalwe isikhathi. Akekho owaziyo ukuthi iwashi lokuqala eliwayindwayo laklanywa nini, kodwa cishe ngonyaka ka-1500 kwafinyelelwa ingqopha-mlando, lapho kwenziwa amawashi okuqala aphathekayo.

Iwashi lasesihlakaleni eselivamile manje lisha uma kuqhathaniswa. Laqala ukuvama ngasekupheleni kwawo-1800, ikakhulukazi phakathi kwabantu besifazane. Phakathi nempi yezwe yokuqala, amasosha athola ukuthi ukufaka iwashi esihlakaleni kungcono kunokusebenzisa elifakwa ekhukhwini. Ngemva kwalokho, amawashi esihlakala aqala ukuthandwa kakhulu.

Namuhla, amawashi amaningi asebenza ngebhethri futhi anezinhlayiya zegcaki (quartz). Uma ilolongwe ngokukhethekile yafakwa esimisweni esifanele esisebenza ngebhethri, inhlayiya yegcaki inyakaza ngezinga elingaguquki, njengensimbi yewashi elengayo futhi esheshayo.

Kunzima kakhulu ukuwafaka esikhathini amawashi awayindwayo noma asebenza ngebhethri. Ngakho kungakhathaliseki ukuthi unewashi elinjani, liyoba phambili noma lisale ngemuva ngandlela-thile. Nokho, namuhla sekukhona amawashi asebenza ngebhethri akwazi ukuzifaka esikhathini ngezikhathi ezithile ngokusebenzisa amaza avela kuma-atomic clock.a Abadayisi bala mawashi athungatha amaza bathi alahla isikhathi ngomzuzwana owodwa kuphela ngemva kweminyaka eyisigidi!

Amawashi Awayindwayo Asathandwa

Uma ucabangela ukunemba kwawo kanye nokuthi i-escapement esetshenziswa emawashini awayindwayo yaklanywa eminyakeni engaphezu kwamakhulu amabili edlule, ungase ube nomuzwa wokuthi amawashi awayindwayo asephelelwe yisikhathi. Ubani nje obengakhetha ukubala ngesandla kuyilapho kukhona umshini wokubala osebenza ngebhethri? Kodwa-ke, iwashi eliwayindwayo lisabakhanga abaningi. Unyaka ngamunye kukhiqizwa izigidi zawo. Imali etholwa elaseSwitzerland ngokudayisa amawashi awayindwayo eminyakeni yamuva nje ingaphezu kwetholakala ngokuthengisa amawashi asebenza ngebhethri. Kuye kwaklanywa ama-escapement amasha, asheshayo futhi anezinsimbi ezingakhuhlani kakhulu, futhi abantu basaqhubeka befuna abaklami bamawashi abangochwepheshe ukuze babalungisele amawashi abo.

Yini eyenza amawashi awayindwayo athandwe kangaka? UMichael, oseneminyaka engu-30 engumklami wamawashi, ukholelwa ukuthi esinye isici siwukuthi ahlala isikhathi eside futhi asebenza kahle. Uveza ukuthi nakuba iwashi lebhethri lingasebenza kahle iminyaka engaba ngu-15, iwashi eliwayindwayo elenziwe kahle lingabamba isikhathi iminyaka engaphezu kweyikhulu. Iwashi elinjalo, umuntu alithola njengefa, lingaba igugu kakhulu.

Kwabanye okwenza amawashi awayindwayo athandeke ukuthi anemishini eyinkimbinkimbi futhi abamba isikhathi ngamagiya nezipilingi ezincane. Futhi, ngenxa yokuthi enziwa ngesandla, uchwepheshe wala mawashi ozinikele uyakwazi ukuwaqonda nokuwalungisa.

Ngokungefani nemishini eminingi, amawashi kulindeleke ukuba asebenze imini nobusuku iminyaka eminingi. Ngaphandle kwalokho, amawashi asesihlakaleni kufanele asebenze ngaphansi kwamazinga ahlukahlukene okushisa nakuzo zonke izimo, ngisho nalapho umuntu eshintshashintsha ukuhamba kwakhe, kodwa ahlale esibambile isikhathi. Iwashi eliba phambili noma libe semuva ngemizuzwana engaphezu kwengu-20 ngosuku linephutha elingaba amaphesenti angu-0,023 kuphela, okuyizinga lokunemba ngokuvamile elilindeleke emshinini wobuchwepheshe oklanywe ngobuciko. Yingakho-ke abantu abaningi belazisa kangaka ikhono, ubuciko nobunyoninco obubonakala emawashini awayindwayo!

Kuyiqiniso ukuthi kunezinye izinto ezihilelekile. UMichael, okukhulunywe ngaye ekuqaleni, uchaza ukuthi abanye abantu bamane nje bafuna ukugwema ukushintsha ibhethri okuyinto edingekayo emawashini amaningi anezinhlayiya zegcaki. Yini-ke engakusiza ukuba ukhethe uhlobo lwewashi ozolusebenzisa?

Uzokhetha Liphi?

Akungabazeki ukuthi ufuna iwashi olithandayo. Kwabaningi, lokhu akusho nje ukuthola iwashi eliwusizo nelibamba isikhathi kuphela, kodwa futhi kufanele libe lihle. Ngaphezu kwalokho, uMichael utusa ukuba ukucabangele ngokucophelela lokho okulindele ewashini. Ingabe uzolisebenzisa nsuku zonke noma uzolisebenzisa ngezikhathi ezikhethekile kuphela? Ingabe lizoshayiseka ezintweni ezithile noma lichayeke emazingeni okushisa eqisayo? Ngokwesibonelo, ukuthelwa amakhemikhali noma amanzi olwandle njalo kungadabula ibhande futhi kulimaze isembozo sewashi. Ngakho kuwukuhlakanipha ukucabangela lezi zici.

Uma kucatshangelwa intengo, kungcono kakhulu ukunquma ukuthi uzosebenzisa malini bese unamathela kulokho. Ngokuvamile, amawashi awayindwayo ayabiza kunamawashi asebenza ngebhethri. Nokho, khumbula ukuthi kusetshenziswa imishini efanayo eyisisekelo ezinhlotsheni eziningi zamawashi. Ngale mishini sikhuluma ngengxenye yewashi engaphakathi, okuyiyona ebamba isikhathi. Ngokuvamile, le mishini iklanywa futhi yakhiwe kahle. Intengo ivame ukuhlukahluka ngenxa yezingxenye zewashi ezingahlobene nokusebenza kwalo, njengesembozo salo noma ibhande. Ngakho intengo ephakeme ayisho ngaso sonke isikhathi ukuthi unewashi elisibambayo isikhathi noma elinokwethenjelwa.—Bheka ibhokisi elingenhla.

Njengoba unewashi esihlakaleni, kulula ukubheka isikhathi ngaphandle kokulibala. Ukwazi okuthile ngendlela amawashi asesihlakaleni akhiwa ngayo kungakusiza ukuba uyazise le mishini ewusizo. Vele, awuzizwa yini usenkingeni uma ungenalo iwashi?

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Ibhokisi/Izithombe ekhasini 18]

ILIPHI ELIKULUNGELE?

UHLOBO: I-chronograph inemishini yokubala isikhathi ngamancozuncozu, okuyinto enhle uma ufuna ukulinganisa ubude besikhathi sezenzakalo ezithile. Uma uhileleke kwezemidlalo, kutuswa ukuba uthole iwashi elingangenwa amanzi. Uma ukhohlwa ukuwayinda iwashi, khumbula ukuthi iwashi elisebenza ngebhethri akudingeki ukuba liwayindwe. Kunjalo nangamawashi aziwayindayo, awayindeka njengoba umuntu enyakazisa ingalo.

UKUNEMBA: Uma ukwazisa lokhu, ungase ucabangele i-chronometer, iwashi elibamba isikhathi ngokunembile elihambisana nezimiso zokunemba ezaziwayo nezisemthethweni. Kodwa-ke, amawashi anegcaki asibamba kahle kakhulu isikhathi. Iwashi lesimanje eliwayindwayo elinomshini we-movement oshaya izikhathi ezingu-28 800 ngehora, linyakaza izikhathi ezine ngomzuzwana. Qhathanisa lokho newashi elivamile elisebenza ngebhethri elinyakaza izikhathi eziphakathi kwezingu-10 000 nezingu-100 000 ngomzuzwana!

ISIHENQO: Iwashi lohlobo lwe-digital lisebenzisa izinombolo ekuboniseni isikhathi; iwashi lohlolo lwe-analog linezimpondo ezijikelezayo. Izihenqo zezinombolo ziveza ukwaziswa okunjengosuku, i-alamu, isikhathi sezinye izingxenye zezwe kanye ne-chronograph. Izihenqo ezinezimpondo ziveza isikhathi ngendlela elula neqondakala ngokushesha, ngokumane nje ubheke ukuma kwazo.

UKULINAKEKELA: Ngenxa yokuthi iwashi eliwayindwayo linesipilingi esinamandla, akulula ukuba lime ngenxa yokungcola noma uthuli njengewashi elisebenza ngebhethri. Yize kunjalo, ukuze aqhubeke engenankinga yokubamba isikhathi, amawashi awayindwayo kudingeka aseviswe njalo kunamawashi asebenza ngebhethri. Njengoba engenazingxenye ezinyakazayo, amawashi asebenza ngebhethri anesihenqo sezinombolo awakudingi ukunakekelwa, ngaphandle nje kokushintsha ibhethri.

[Ishadi/Izithombe ekhasini 17]

AMANYE AMAWASHI ODUMO

◼ Ngo-1810-12

Iwashi lokuqala lesihlakala elaziwayo, lika-Abraham-Louis Breguet

◼ Ngo-1945

Iwashi i-Rolex elibonisa usuku

◼ Ngo-1957

Iwashi lasesihlakaleni elisebenza ngebhethri, elenziwa i-Hamilton Watch Company

◼ Ngo-1960

Lisebenza ngama-“electronic” ukuze libambe isikhathi, lenziwa inkampani i-Bulova

◼ Ngo-1972

Iwashi elisebenza ngama-“electronic” kuphela elinesihenqo sezinombolo, elenziwa i-Hamilton Watch Company

[Umthombo]

Second and fourth photos: Courtesy of Hamilton Watches

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 17]

I-OMEGA