It’s odd to think that there was ever a time when noon didn’t mean the same thing everywhere. Back before trains, when the fastest thing on land was a galloping horse and towns were content to march to the beat of their sundial, local time ruled. If it was noon …

The psychology of watches is something we rarely discuss openly, but many of us feel it instinctively. A watch is never just a timekeeping device. It’s an anchor, a mirror, a monument, sometimes even a mask. When we look down at the piece on our wrist, what we see isn’t …