A history of time
Watches have long been more than merely functional timekeepers. For
over a century, they’ve been must-have fashion accessories that
represent status, style and success. ANDREW MARKERINK explores the
history of watches, from pocket to wrist.
For centuries, people have been obsessed with time and developing portable ways of recording and monitoring it: the first watch is recorded as early as 1500. A glimpse of 17th century England gives us some insight into the need for knowledge of time. This account, by a Londoner, recorded in his letter to the Athenian Mercury in 1692, recounts a walk in London that is anything but precise:
‘I was in Covent Garden when the clock struck 2.00, when I came to Somerset House by that it was a quarter to 2.00.
When I came to St Clements, it was 2.30 and when I came to St Dustan’s, it wanted a quarter to two. By Knib’s Dial in Fleet Street, it was just two o’clock. When I came to Ludgate, it was half an hour past one yet was 2.15 at the dial near the Stocks Market and when I came to the Royal Exchange, it wanted a quarter to two once more.’
The writer then poses the question: ‘This I aver for the truth, and desire to know how long I was walking from Covent Gardens to the Royal Exchange?’
Time, we have all heard, is relative but for most people in the 17th and 18th century it was simply an unknown concept. I am sure that the dilemma faced by the walker sparked the search for a portable timekeeper that was accurate.
There were two main problems with watches of this era: firstly, that timepieces were exceptionally large, akin to carrying a small alarm clock in your pocket. Secondly, that the timekeeping ability of the watch was very poor, with a rate potential of approximately plus or minus one hour per day. This made it difficult to tell the time accurately, particularly as public clocks were unsynchronized. By the second quarter of the 19th century, accurate timekeepers were becoming available in the form of pocket watches, and this led to the eventual development of the wristwatch, albeit some years later.
From pocket to wrist
The pocket watch has taken on many forms over the centuries - extravagant and sophisticated watch chains were used mostly by wealthy women as status symbols, with many watchcases adorned with elaborate enamels of all shapes and sizes. In particular, items such as sewing implements, keys and perfume bottles were common.
The functional aspect of watch chains - that is, having ready access to the time - made the display of such extravagance socially acceptable. As watches became more accessible to the general public towards the beginning of the 20th century, they were commonly seen as symbols of wealth and social class; this trend was to play an important role in the eventual development of the wristwatch.
Fact or fiction
There are several popular explanations as to how the wristwatch came to be. A delightful, yet unsubstantiated, story of a mother and her child playing in a park is one such tale. Legend has it that the woman had become annoyed by the child tugging at her fob watch, so she removed it and tied it on her wrist with a ribbon. People always took note of watches when assessing the wearer’s position in society and this application was so distinctive that a passer-by commented on it. A useful trend developed.
Another proposition is that Louis-Francois Cartier developed the first wristwatch for the great aviator, Alberto-Santos Dumont, after Dumont drew his attention to the inconvenience of having to refer to a pocket watch while flying. However, while a fascinating story, this explanation is also just fiction. Some time later, though, Cartier did honour Dumont with the design of the Santos: the aviator wore this wristwatch on his record-breaking flight in 1907.
There are various other theories: for example, the documents of famous horologist Jacquet Droz, one of many Huguenots exiled to Switzerland who made great contributions to horology, make reference to a watch made for the wrist. But this cannot be called the first wristwatch as the records do not clearly state whether it was a pocket watch that could be worn on the wrist or an actual wristwatch.
There is also the somewhat flawed contention that the wristwatch developed from the renaissance ring watch. There are two known examples of ring watches: one of these was by Martin Hyllius (1620) and the other by Johanne Ulrich Schmidt.
It is thought that if they were able to produce a watch for the finger in the form of a ring then surely they would have also created one for the wrist.
The flaw is simple: why would they put it on the wrist? The neck or on a leg would have been just as logical a place. Remember that the time-keeping ability of watches would have been poor, especially in such small pieces, and it would have been embarrassing for the wearer to admit that the timekeeper, so prominently displayed on the wrist, could not keep accurate time.
Plausible is the theory that attaching watches to the body deterred the busy hands of the pickpocket thief yet the most likely explanation - and the one which has the clearest documentation - arises from the inventions of Louis Audemars (Audemars Piguet) and Antoine Leschauds. Audermars invented stem winding, which we use today, and Leschauds made substantial modifications to the lever escapement. Patek Philippe incorporated these inventions in its creation in 1868 of what is the first documented purpose-built wristwatch.
Fad to fashion
The world in 1868 was not ready for the wristwatch and the public showed very little interest at first. A letter published in a German trade magazine in 1919 denounced the new style of timekeeper: “But should anyone be so led astray as to advertise himself as a specialist in repairing wristwatches in hopes of making a good profit he can be sure of finding himself on the scrap heap within a few years, if he does not manage, after thorough treatment of his eyes and nerves, to earn his pension by sorting baby-alarm covers in a black forrest clock factory.”
However, the ‘fad’ did last, with innovations occurring in both design and performance that made the wristwatch practical and a statement of style.
The popularisation of the wristwatch is often attributed to trench warfare during WW1. In 1880, Girard Perregaux supplied for the German Navy the first military wristwatches. These were attached to the wrist by a chain. Omega and Rolex made covered watches especially for robust use so that the dial was shielded at all times. These were therefore ideal for use in warfare and outdoor activities.
The early 20th century wristwatch was quite distinctive, with the addition of wire lugs serving the attachment of the band so that it could be applied to the wrist.
These wire lugs were simply the extension of the pocket watch in that they enabled the watch to be converted into a wristwatch. (Not until much later did design take over, and the entire concept of the aesthetically pleasing lines of the watch case come to the forefront.)
The advent of the wristwatch brought new challenges, such as exposure to dust, water and the increased likelihood of bumps and scratches from knocking the watch against something.
The quest to allay consumer fears about damage to the watch led to many innovations in the 1930s, including water protection by Rolex and shock protection by The Universal Escapement Company. As the popularity of wristwatches grew, pocket watches lost favour.
By 1934, production of wristwatches in Switzerland had reached six million and the production of pocket watches had dropped to only 3.2 million.
The features of wristwatches became more sophisticated: striking systems, calendars and automatic winding stopwatch functions, to name a few. Rolex ran clever campaigns to market the “functional watch, the wonder watch that defies the elements”, as Miss Mercedes Gleitze swam the English channel with a wristwatch strapped to her wrist.
These days, wristwatches are no longer merely a fad; they are firmly cemented in our modern culture. Australia imports more than 30 million watches every year. Specialty watches such as divers watches and those with high complications are now the norm and are produced in high numbers and often at very high prices. The cases may not be made of enamel and they may not have diamonds on them, but still they make a statement about who we are and what social position we hold.
Our complex and fast-paced society is centred around precision and knowing the minutes is no longer as accurate as knowing the seconds. Advancements to the wristwatch ensure we are no longer restricted to guesswork when it comes to timekeeping as at the merest glance, we can know the precise time of day. And, given this, maybe it was inevitable that we put timekeepers on our wrist.
Andrew Markerink is vice president of The Watch and Clockmakers of Australia. He has 25 years industry experience and has published articles with many leading pubications, including yet not restricted to The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NZ) and Clocks Magazine (USA).
Posted August 01, 2009