Esperanto: Watches and More

 by Bruce Shawkey

Bet you never heard of the Esperanto watch brand. Let's back up a bit. Esperanto was supposed to be a universal language. It was invented by Ludwik Zamenhof, an opthomologist  in 1887. It was designed to become a universal language, but it never caught on. It is still used, in some variations, in some countries, but never caught on worldwide.

Meanwhile, Esperanto watch company began its life in 1881 in a small workshop in La Chaux-de-faunds, Switzerland. Founded by talented watchmaker Achille Ditisheim and his team of six employees, all watches were manufactured and assembled by hand. 

Fast forward to 1956, and here are some images are from an ad in Europa Star magazine:

Here is an article on Esperanto, from the book, Worst Ideas Ever:

The idea of a universal language spoken by people all over the globe has been central to science fiction pretty much since that genre has existed. In the Star Wars universe, no matter what species a character was, they could at least understand "basic." Chewbacca may lack the vocal chord requirements to speak to Han Solo, but he could understand everything his human pal said because they shared this universal language. 

In sci-fi, this convenient device made it easier for everyone to communicate without wasting pages or screen time coming up with devices that allow people to talk to each other. In the real world, a universal language would theoretically break down international borders, make it easier for the world's peoples to get along and generally make humanity more united. 

The problem with creating a universal language, though, lies not so much in designing one (Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof did that in the 1880s) but in getting people to actually be willing to learn it, speak it, and use it in everyday life. In design, Zamenhof 's language, Esperanto, was everything it was supposed to be. A relatively easy-to-learn, politically neutral language that would allow people from different countries and cultures to communicate. 

Unfortunately, more people speak Klingon—the language created for the bad guys on Star Trek—than actually speak Esperanto, and while the concept makes sense, the people of the world have largely rejected the concept. Realistically, much of the world has a problem getting its citizens to speak one language, let alone teaching their people a second one of dubious value. Even here in the United States, we still have plenty of high school graduates who don't read English very well, so it seems implausible to think we would be able to get the nation as a whole to take up speaking Esperanto.