“Pretty,” I thought to myself as I stared at the shining display of watches in front of me. All the watches stared back from within the glass case that held them.
The more I think about it, the more I’m faced with a sense of wonder about watches. Though wearing one wouldn’t cause anyone these days to bat an eye, imagine what an interesting concept it must have been to people who lived over a millennium ago when the ancient civilizations in Egypt, Rome and Greece used sundials to tell the time.
Imagine the indescribable look of awe they would have on their faces as they compared the portable timekeeping piece we wear on our wrists to their stationary hollowed out bowls and gnomon that told the time of day using the shadows cast by the placement of the sun. Imagine what an impact something like that would have on their livelihood — to bring a portable timekeeping piece as they went out to gather resources, trade, and go about the business they needed to before nightfall.
The sundial was an ingenious invention with the resources and knowledge they had, but nothing compared to the convenience, accuracy, and intricacies today’s clockwork entails.
Watches are interesting, indeed. From sundials to clocks to pocket watches to wristwatches — the evolution of the timepiece is a historic narrative to behold. These days, they are considered jewelry for men, but the funny thing about it is that they were initially designed to be worn by women.
I read somewhere that during the dawn of the wristwatch, men stuck to their pocket watches and thought wristwatches to be some flashy little trinket instead of anything truly useful. Eventually, that idea changed when improvements were made to make it more accurate and durable, garnering that version of timekeeping to finally be preferred for its convenience—and the rest was history.
I admit that I jumped into the rabbit hole of history research after a bout of curiosity struck me while I was staring at those watches during the opening event of the Royal Movement Luxury Watch Store. Well-curated things can cause arbitrary thoughts, you see.
Whether or not you’re a watch person, it’s definitely worth a visit. The one-stop luxury shop offers pre-owned luxury timepieces that you can pre-order, buy, sell and consign. They also have a selection of high-end leather bags and luxury brands from top designer houses in brand-new condition. All this on display in the comfort and privacy of a premium lounge.
The Royal Movement Luxury Watch Store is on the second floor of Streetscape (beside Gorliz), Paseo Saturnino, Banilad, Cebu City. It is open daily, 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.