Watches are 'Art' or 'Science' in your opinion?

Everything is made of matter (park the antimatter discussion for now), including watches.

And chemistry is the study of matter, more or less.

But chemistry is really just physics.

And for that matter, physics is really just math...

So, technically, yes, watches are indeed "science"

(Please note, I'm a physicist and might be coming at this from a biased point of view 😂)

As a whole, I think watches now lean more science & technical than art, but both elements certainly exist in the hobby.

Certain watches are more art than science, but even some that are visually art over science have had some science or technical developments to achieve the art.

Decorated movements exist, but undecorated dominate the market, even if simple polishing of the movement counts as decoration.

Art can be functional. I have my favorites...

Moonphases are pretty scientific.

love that answer

🤣🤣🙌

Nope. Watches are engineering - the application of science and technology to solve a problem.

When scientists have a go at building a wristwatch they came up with things like this:

Watches are both art and engineering. Remove either one and I wouldn't be collecting - and probably you wouldn't be either.

They're science, but being of the scientific disposition, I'm biased and believe everything is.

Art is a sort of science to me. Is art any different to the study of shape, colour, sound, etc. to elicit a reaction or express an emotion? It's probably the least predictable of science because it's charm comes from its human aspect, i.e. randomness.

I could also be talking out of my ass.

They're a bit of both then, but mostly science to me.

It's both. Without the art the science/engineering would go unnoticed by the majority of people. Without the science the art wouldn't work.

Some makers go more into art and some into engineering. When I look at a Mr. Jones watch is see functionial art where the art is a higher priority to the science. When I look at a Sinn it is the opposite it is art because of the science/engineering and it was prioritized in that order.

Take one away and a watch isn't something that gets obsessed over

i think watches in the early 1900’s was still equal parts science and art. but these tended to be higher cost luxury items that only the bourgeoisie could afford. the area of mass market mainstream watches simply didn’t exist yet.

but like anything that gets commoditized, as watched became more mainstream and accessible, those elements that made it artistic got diluted. our industrial complex is really good at refining and improving on the manufacturing process but that doesn’t always translate to the realm of art - nor should it. and so i would argue that the mass market and majority of watches today is simply a product of our industrial complex, skewing more towards science than to art. surely there still exists within the stratospheric realm of high horology where art and science still coexist, but it’s probably out of reach of the mere mortal. and that’s usually the case with “art”. it’s usually a luxury reserved for the bourgeoisie.

As a musician and a science lover, I have a couple of points:

Scientists like to say everything is science. Mathematicians like to say everything is math. Both are wrong. Nothing is science or math, except for science and math.

Many things can be explained or quantified by math and science, but many more things cannot. You can quantify the objective, but not the subjective, qualitative, or experiential. It's the map vs the territory. The finger pointing at the moon is not the moon.

Take music for example. I can describe a Miles Davis tune using math (music theory). I can explain how the sounds are made using science (physics, acoustics). But I can't convey that Miles Davis tune by any other method than playing you the music. And nothing can quantify how listening to Bitches Brew makes you feel, because it's entirely subjective. Even language can't fully convey your qualitative experience in it's totality to another person. Music can be described by math and science, but never captured by it or made up of it.

I think it's the same with watches. More than the specs, more than the sum of their parts, and only really experienced by having them on wrist. The subjective relationship between the watch and the wearer becomes the watch in the mind of the person wearing it.

Great points! As much as I want to believe that science can account for soul, it can't, which is a point I foolishly missed in my comment.

A song can be written and analysed with maths or science, but it's soul (human error and unpredictability) that makes a song worth listening to.

I always think of Tool's Lateralus when discussing science and music. I'm no music expert, but the mathematical undertones like change in time signature really make me fall in love with it.

I'm a bit of a control freak, but science can't really control art no matter how much I want it to.

I still wonder if maybe there is a secret equation or formula that dictates how art affects each person. Okay, yeah, I'll admit it... I've probably read too many SciFi books...

Oh engineers, "the Oompa Loompas of Science" - Sheldon Cooper

😜

What I love most, is that watches are an intersection of art, science/engineering, history and culture. Cars are the only other comparable category in my opinion.

both

I dunno but that watch is cool

Both

Well Sam.... 😂

Be careful with that thing, you might puncture a vein on the back of your hand.

lol..not at all.. its very comfortable

I had to read that twice. 👏

More art than science on the individual level but more science than art in the aggregate. Humans want to believe their subjective opinions on watches makes them "unique" and unpredictable but their preferences are much more predictable as a crowd... and watch brands target the crowd.

Art and engineering. Not science. Maybe a little...

🤦 Engineering is part of science bro

True. But, scientists theorise, engineers do....

I would say it is a combination of both art & science.

Investments

An automatic watch is in between art and science. It is magic.