Wearing a watch on the wrist is common today, but that wasn't the case 100 years ago. World War I, which began in 1914 and ended in 1918, saw the introduction of many unprecedented weapons into the battlefield, including airplanes, chemical weapons, and tanks. Wristwatches, which replaced the widely used pocket watches, were introduced to meet military needs and were adopted as a new instrument into civilian life. Soldiers returned from the battlefield with the new habit of wearing wristwatches. To discuss the history of wristwatches is to talk about inventions that have become a part of modern life. Here, we will discuss 10 milestones in the history of wristwatches over the past 100 years.
1. Breitling Chronograph
In 1915, Breitling, in collaboration with Marcel Dépraz, founder of Dubois-Dépraz, introduced the first wristwatch chronograph. This chronograph, equipped with a 16-ligne movement, differed from previous pocket watches in that it had a dedicated chronograph push-piece at 2 o'clock in addition to the winding crown.
2. Cartier Tank
In 1919, Cartier introduced the Tank, whose case side shape was reportedly inspired by tanks used in World War I.
3. LeCoultre & Cie. and Jaeger Reverso
In 1931, the Reverso was created through a collaboration between the Swiss watchmaker LeCoultre and the French watchmaker Jaguar. The watch could be flipped over by sliding it to the side of the case, protecting the crystal from external shocks (the two companies merged in 1937).
4. John Harwood's winding mechanism
In 1926, Fortis introduced the first wristwatch with an automatic rotor. The winding mechanism was invented by the English watchmaker John Harwood and was based on the one that Abraham-Louis Perrelet had used in pocket watches in the 18th century.
5. IWC's first pilot's watch
In 1936, IWC introduced a pilot's watch that would go on to set the standard for future pilot's watches. This watch featured a rotating bezel for measuring elapsed time.
6. A. Lange & Söhne's workshops are bombed
In 1945, the A. Lange & Söhne factory in Glashütte, Germany, was almost completely destroyed by a bombing raid by the Soviet Union, just hours before the armistice was signed.
7. The first automatic chronograph
In 1969, the world's first automatic chronograph was released. The first to shake up the market was Seiko with its caliber 6139, followed by Zenith's El Primero. Next came the caliber 11, a collaboration between Heuer-Leonidas, Breitling, Dubois-Dépraz, Buren, and Hamilton.
8. Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet buy Blancpain
In 1983, Jacques Piguet, who headed the movement workshop together with Jean-Claude Biver, acquired the defunct Blancpain brand and revived it as a mechanical watch brand equipped with Frédéric Piguet movements.
9. SMH, the birth of the current Swatch Group
In 1983, the financially troubled Swiss watch conglomerates ASUAG and SSIH merged to form SMH (Société Suisse de Microélectronique et d'Horlogerie), now known as the Swatch Group, with Nicolas G. Hayek, who had been involved in the merger, as CEO.
10. Cosmograph Daytona with Rolex's in-house developed movement
Rolex introduced a new version of the Cosmograph Daytona, powered by the in-house caliber 4130, meaning that all mechanical Rolex watches now feature in-house movements.
