Measuring and keeping time is an art in its own right but watches and clocks tell us much more than just what time it is. Timekeepers define who we are. They represent human ingenuity and craftsmanship.
Image: picture alliance/Bildagentur-online/Tetra ImagesThe sundial dates back to Ancient Egypt and is one of the earliest known forms of timekeeping. It still has a strong popular following today, with many towns taking the design of the sundial as an opportunity to install artworks that integrate this intriguing predecessor of the clock. Its downside, however, is that when the sun isn't shining, there simply is no telling what time it actually is.
Image: MehrNot just a symbol for the ideal female silhouette, the hourglass measures time like a stopwatch and not so much like a clock. When all the sand is down, your time is up. The exact origins of the hourglass are unknown but the earliest mention of it is found in the early Middle Ages - and it hasn't gone out of fashion since. Even today, many people continue to adorn their homes with hourglasses.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. EbenerThis modern contraption is a water clock, but a more primitive model of it could likely date back to the 16th century BC or even earlier. Similar to the hourglass, the water clock determines the passing of time by a substance - water, in this case - flowing from one chamber to the other. This shopping mall in Berlin features a more artistic design of a water clock from 1982.
Image: picture alliance/Eibner-PressefotoThe pocket watch is widely seen as the father of the wristwatch. Attached to a chain, gentlemen used to carry their pocket watches in their jacket pockets. Despite going out of style after the two World Wars, the pocket watch has been enjoying a recent revival as the must-have accessory of hipsters. Women have also taken to this rather old-fashioned piece as well lately.
Image: picture alliance/Bildagentur-online/Tetra ImagesIt would appear that when it comes to luxury products, the sky is the limit for wristwatches. Of course there are established brand names such as Rolex, Omega, Rado, Tag Heuer and many others, but for some playboys these watches are actually considered entry-level models. There are wristwatches on the market that sell for more than one million euros, making this bling a form of investment.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Carsten RehderThose who can't afford fancy watches can at least have lots of fun with them. The 1980s and 1990s saw the rise of the Swatch brand, which gave people an opportunity to express themselves creatively with the company's colorful and unusual designs. The watchmaker also turned the idea of a wristwatch on its head, marketing the plastic product as more of a durable accessory than time-teller.
Image: picture alliance/AP PhotoThere are also clocks and watches we dread. No one likes the feeling of being on the clock at work, and yet the punch clock has somehow managed to meander its way into our lives and is unlikely to leave any time soon. You clock in when you arrive and clock out when you leave. While it can establish fairness in the workplace, the punchclock is also a symbol of everyday monotony.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/dpaweb/A. ScheidemannThis image might fill drivers with dread. The parking meter mocks us daily, charging exorbitant prices and forcing you to rush back to your car. While many now take credit cards instead of coins, old-fashioned models are still widespread. The first parking meter in the world was installed in Oklahoma City in 1935.
Image: picture-alliance/dpaAtomic clocks are the most precise timekeepers in the world, as they cannot fall victim to gravity. The complicated physics behind the atomic clock ensure the world agrees on what time it is, no matter what time zone you may be in. Atomic clocks used atom temperature and electronic transition frequencies - and form the basis of international navigation systems like GPS.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/J. StratenschulteThe future holds many promising developments for clocks and watches, as wearable formats continue to grow in popularity. The Apple Watch and smart watches are small computers, rather than timepieces. Will they soon make simple watches and clocks redundant?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K.NietfeldIn a European-wide online referendum this year, a clear majority of those reponding expressed a preference for abolishing the twice-yearly change from winter to summer time in the spring and back again in the fall.
Quickly responding, the European Commission seemed to herald the end of the era of semiannual time changes in Europe - though the final decision will rest with the individual countries.
Much of human existence is expressed in terms of time, whether you are enjoying some "down time," living on "borrowed time," or having a "hard time" or "serving time." One thing is certain: We cannot escape time. Some events heighten our awareness of time - such as the equinox or the onset of summer or winter time, gratifying or annoying as it may be.
How we measure time also says a lot about how we view it. You have the "sands of time" in an hourglass or coordinate your plans with others "like clockwork."
Through it all, we try to keep time stylishly, fashionably, even timelessly. Even though wristwatches have waned in popularity with the arrival of mobile phones, new trends such as smart watches keep our fascination with time alive.
But however you feel about time, there never seems to be enough of it.