How watches evolved through natural selection

Explore the quirky and fascinating evolution of wristwatches—from round to rectangular and back—through the lens of natural selection and consumer choice.

Image source: No machine-readable author provided. Roger McLassus 1951 assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What if watches evolved like living things?

Imagine if wristwatches evolved through natural selection—shaped by the preferences of buyers over decades.

Image source: Manisha1607, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The thought that sparked a strange comparison

An idea sparked by evolution made us wonder—what if objects like watches evolved like animals?

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A watch shop becomes a natural lab

Inside a typical watch shop, customer choices silently influence which designs thrive and which disappear.

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Why the shape of a watch matters

Shoppers examined and questioned watch shapes—round, rectangular, oval—before choosing their favorite.

Image source: Photo by My favorite non-vintage watches, licensed under CC BY-ND, via flickr.com

Consumer behavior becomes natural selection

Over time, the most chosen watch shapes—especially round—began to dominate displays.

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How round watches became the standard

The popularity of round watches led retailers to stock more of them, shaping future trends.

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The rise of rectangles: Casio and Seiko

Electronic watches introduced by Casio and Seiko temporarily shifted the design trend to rectangles.

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Battery-powered evolution takes over

Electronic watches, powered by tiny batteries and later by solar power, became the new norm.

Image source: Photo by Android Wear Smartwatch: LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live, licensed under CC BY-ND, via flickr.com

Back to the future: Round reigns again

Despite high-tech innovation, modern electronic watches have circled back to the round design.

Image source: pexels

A clockwork joke to end it all

Can you go 'round the clock' with a square watch? Maybe not—but evolution sure has a sense of humor.

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Image source: No machine-readable author provided. Roger McLassus 1951 assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons