Watches not only tell time, they also send messages. Not the ubiquitous e-mail or text messages, but personal statements about their owners. Just as astute observers draw different conclusions about people from cars they drive— whether they’re luxury models, hybrids, SUVs, or minivans—so, too do they discern meanings in someone’s choice of a watch.

Even since Shakespeare’s time, a watch’s function has been secondary to its form, and today, its form is determined by its intended use: for sports, business, or formal occasions. This is why many people own three or more watches.

The first timepieces dates back to the 16th century, when Peter Henlein, a German locksmith, invented the first pocket watch. This invention was made possible by the development of mainspring and escapement mechanisms, which worked together, along with the balance wheel, to measure time. (“Escapement" refers to the unwinding of the watch, causing the ticking sound.) Henlein’s pocket watch—called the Nuremberg Egg because it was oval and bulky— only measured hours.

In the mid-17th century, the balance spring, or hairspring, was added to the balance wheel, dramatically improving its accuracy. Although Queen Elizabeth inspired the use of wrist watches among women in the late 1500s, men continued to use pocket watches because they were considered more masculine. In 1780, the self-winding pocket watch was developed in France that eliminated the need for manual winding. In 1922, the self-winding, or automatic, wristwatch was patented. Timepieces that use mainsprings and escapements have what is known as mechanical movements, with an analog display—a numbered dial with moving hands. These watches—the more expensive, the better—are the favorites of collectors and watch aficionados because of their fine craftsmanship and intricate design. Of these watches, the Rolex is without question the finest example of quality, craftsmanship, and elegance.

The other best-known type of timepiece has an electronic movement. Electronic movements have few, if any, moving parts and rely on batteries. They use tiny quartz crystals that oscillate at very stable frequencies to ensure considerably more accuracy than mechanical movements. These watches, frequently called quartz watches, also have analog displays. Quartz watches were first produced commercially by a Japanese watchmaker 1969; at the time they reportedly cost as much as a car.

Most consumers are familiar with digital watches; they were first produced in the ‘70s and are inexpensive because they can be mass-produced. Digital watches have electronic movements; what sets them apart is their liquid crystal displays, or LCDs, which present the time as blocks of numerals. Digital watches are appropriate for children and teenagers, and for people whose occupations make it impractical to wear a more costly watch.

Chronograph watches, first patented in the early 19th century, are preferred by athletes because of their stopwatch capabilities. In addition to the main dial that displays the time, chronograph watches can have one or more smaller dials, each with its own function: for example, to display day and date, register a specified quantity of hours, register a quantity of minutes, or show lunar phases. An example of the chronograph is the Rolex Daytona. Chronographic watches can have mechanical or electronic movements.

The choice of a particular watch is most often based on one’s lifestyle, place in the pecking order, discretionary income and personal preference. One can find a watch in the drugstore that tells time just as accurately as a fine Swiss watch with a six-figure price tag. The real difference? Each carries a different message. One’s decision will tell more than just the time.