A man wearing a wristwatch is not uncommon today, but 100 years ago it was. World War I, which started in 1914 and ended in 1918, brought to the battlefield much that was new — airplanes, mustard gas, military tanks. In addition, it brought something to the civilian world: wristwatches. Once reserved for ladies, they became military equipment and replaced pocketwatches as the most popular choice among men. The wristwatch was invented by soldiers returning from war. They brought it home with them.
In this article from the WatchTime Archives, you’ll discover 10 milestone moments from the first 100 years of the wristwatch’s history. This is an excerpt from the feature “A Wristwatch Timeline,” which you can download from the WatchTime Shop.
1. Breitling Chronograph
Breitling: Chronograph, 1915
1915: Breitling One of the first wristwatch chronographs is launched. It features something new: a push-piece at 2 o’clock, separate from the winding crown, rather than integrated into it as on the pocketwatch chronographs of the time.
2. Cartier Tank
Cartier: Tank, 1919
1919: Cartier The Tank Watch is now available. The case side shape was inspired by treads of military tanks that were first used during WWI.
3. LeCoultre & Cie. and Jaeger Reverso
Le Coultre & Cie and Jaeger: Reverso, 1931
1931: Swiss company LeCoultre & Cie. and the French firm Jaeger Reverso is a case that can be slid in either direction and then flipped to protect the crystal. The two companies will merge by 1937.
4. John Harwood designed the winding mechanism
British watchmaker John Harwood in 1926
1926: Fortis is the first to introduce a wristwatch with an auto-winding rotor. The British watchmaker John Harwood based the design of the winding system on that Abraham-Louis Perrelet created for pocketwatches during the 18th Century.
5. IWC’s First Pilot’s Watch
IWC Schaffhausen: First Pilot’s Watch, 1936
1936: IWC Schaffhausen makes its first pilots’ watch, which it calls the Special Watch for Pilots. It features a rotating bezel that measures the elapsed duration.
6. A. Lange & Söhne’s factory is destroyed
A. Lange & Söhne’s company building was destroyed in 1945
1945: Russian planes bomb the A. Lange & Söhne factory in Glashütte, Germany, nearly destroying it just hours before the armistice is signed.
7. First automatic chronographs
Zenith El Primero movement, 1969
1969: The world’s first automatic chronographs are introduced. One, Caliber 6139, the first to hit the market, is from Seiko; another, the now-famous El Primero, is from Zenith; and a third, Caliber 11, is the work of a consortium of companies: Heuer-Leonidas, Breitling, Dubois Dépraz, Büren, and Hamilton.
8. Blancpain is bought by Jean-Claude Biver & Jacques Piguet
Jean-Claude Biver, 1983
1983 Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet, head of the Frédéric Piguet movement manufacturer, buy the defunct Blancpain brand and relaunch it as an all-mechanical-watch brand with movements supplied by Frédéric Piguet.
9. Swatch Group (formerly SMH) is formed
Nicolas Hayek, SMH CEO, 1983
1983: The two financially troubled Swiss watch conglomerates ASUAG and SSIH are merged to form SMH (Societé Suisse de Microélectronique et d’Horlogerie), now known as the Swatch Group. Nicolas Hayek, who is now CEO of Swatch Group, engineers the merger.
10. Rolex’s new Cosmograph Daytona
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 2000
2000 Rolex The launch of a new Cosmograph Daytona featuring the new in-house Caliber. All Rolex mechanical watches will now be equipped with in-house movements.
These milestones are part of our 12-page timeline devoted to chronicling the first 100 years of the wristwatch’s history. Download it for only $2.99 at the WatchTime shop!
Merken
Merken
Savings
