Watches have been used as valuable treasures dating as far back as the 1571, when Queen Elizabeth I received a small timepiece fastened to a bracelet as a gift. Over the years, clock makers found ways of staying afloat in the most trying of times. They say “Necessity is the mother of all inventions,” and the wristwatch is no exception.
In the height of Geneva’s 1541 Protestant Reformation, Calvin banned many forms of entertainment, dancing, theater and wearing lavish jewelry. However, because portable clocks (aka the pocket watch) were needed for practical use, they were the one item that endured. Jewelry makers slowly collaborated with watchmakers to include jewelry on the pocket watches. This longstanding tradition of jewel inclusion would aid in the eventual popularity of the wristwatch for the upper class.
Pocket watches enjoyed continued success throughout the 1800s with the common man, notably railroad workers. After an 1891 accident caused by a railroad operator’s watch stopping and subsequently killing 11 people in Ohio, designs by the Ball Watch Company became the reliable Cadillac of the watch industry. Their accurate watches were so popular the phase “get on the Ball” was coined, referring to using a Ball watch to keep time.
In the 18th Century, pocket watches were as fashionable and distinct as cufflinks for men or necklaces for women. However, during the Boers War in South Africa (1899-1902), British soldiers found that bulky, destructible pocket watches were a hindrance. The wristwatch came to the rescue, freeing up one’s hands for battle and synchronizing troop movement.
Despite the new success of the wristwatch in wartime and among the lower class population, many of the first prototypes in the late 1800s were marketed by Patek-Philippe & Co. as jewelry watches for women. The small watch faces and delicate bands made many early wristwatches unattractive to the male population, who still considered pocket watches to be as high class and “timeless” as it gets. Would the wristwatch be a passing fad?
In 1914, World War I called for strategy and precision, thus bringing the wristwatch back to the battlefield. Watch makers began to experiment with accuracy and increased functionality, with the first waterproof watch (the “Oyster”) sold by Rolex in 1926. Louis Cartier’s esteemed “Tank” watch was seen as the quintessential battlefield wristwatch, with a hardier face and wrist strap. Rolex sent their watches off for battle durability testing to ensure quality and also revealed a line of self-winding watches in 1931.
After the Great war, the stereotype had changed once many men of all classes returned from service with their souvenir “trench watches.” Throughout the mid-1900s, the wristwatch manufacturers continued making “tool watches” for the working man. The “Submariner,” the “Explorer” and the “Speedmaster-Chronograph” space watch were all designed for specific tasks and a certain target market. Today, sport watches have become the new “tool watch,” as demonstrated by lines of golf, tennis, race car and track watches.
The wristwatch of today varies in size, shape, functionality, price and feature — which is perhaps why owning a wristwatch has become a symbol of individuality and distinction, rather than just something that keeps time. With celebrity endorsements, brand competition and watches ranging all the way up to $475,000, the wristwatch has evolved into a luxury item much like a car — except with much less maintenance!
