Going back about 100 years, World War I broke out in 1914.
The desperation of soldiers on the battlefield changed the world of watches as well, ushering in a new world.
The silent resistance of soldiers on the battlefield who changed their clocks
The year is June 1815. At a farm called "La Belle Alliance" (The Beautiful Alliance), located about 20 kilometers south of Brussels, two cool-headed generals and marshals are unable to hide their nervousness. One is Napoleon Bonaparte, who has returned from exile and is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Marshal Grouchy, commander of the French Imperial Army. The other is the Duke of Wellington, marshal of the Anglo-Dutch allied forces, who is hoping to meet Marshal Blücher, commander of the Prussian Army, at their camp in Waterloo. Although both generals and marshals are feeling nervous, they are busy flipping open the covers of their respective pocket watches and scanning the dials.
This ritualistic act was perhaps the only thing that connected them. At some point, Napoleon grew tired of the hassle of trying to open the case of his Savonnet pocket watch. He wanted to be able to read the time immediately, but given the advantages of a watch with a flip-top guard, he had no choice but to give up on one without one. So someone, without any hesitation, drilled a small hole in the case, allowing the dial and hands to be seen unobstructed. This was the birth of the Savonnet pocket watch with a half-hunter case.
It is clear that, alongside weapons, various certificates, and directional measuring devices, clocks were essential tools for the smooth conduct of war. For example, clocks are still necessary today when coordinating the launch of an attack or defense. In this regard, pocket watches dominated throughout the 19th century. At the time, pocket watches were synonymous with "accuracy," while wristwatches were more of an accessory for fashion-conscious women than practical items.
A historic step forward for early wristwatches came in 1879, when Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany presented officers of the German Navy with Girard-Perregaux service watches, designed for wear on a chain bracelet, at the Berlin International Trade Fair. These movements were available in both 10-line and 12-line versions, and authentic examples have been on display at the Girard-Perregaux Museum on several occasions.
The Second Boer War, from 1899 to 1902, was a test of the wristwatch's functionality as military equipment. In a 1904 issue of the Leipzig Watchmakers' Newspaper, an advertisement for the Omega Watch Sales Association appeared in large print, similar to an article reporting on the war situation. Included in the advertisement was a letter from Lieutenant-Colonel Urdant of the French Army, who commanded an artillery battery on "special missions" in the French colonies of Africa.
"Keeping consistent time is important in an active army. At the report of the Continental Army, I took a dozen Omega watches with me on my journey to Canada, and I also gave some to the sergeant of the unit going to Kapstadt. It must be a difficult endeavor for a cavalry corps to use them effectively during long missions lasting many months, especially when you have to take into account the extreme heat and cold, as well as heavy rain and sandstorms that can force the troops to stop marching. With these watches, almost all the officers and men of the corps performed their duties and movements well, with satisfactory results everywhere. The moisture inside the case caused rust on the outside, but it did not cause rust in the movement. One watch that I wore the whole march is still in good condition. I now wear it constantly for my artillery and consider it an indispensable part of field equipment."
This positive view seems to have had some effect. Around the time of the outbreak of World War I in 1914, wristwatches were quickly adopted, especially by soldiers. A look at the book "Knowledge of War: An Officer's Field Handbook," published in 1916, reveals the following passage:
"Captain B.C. Lake of the Royal Scottish Borderers has listed the equipment that an officer should have. The complete set for an officer on the front line currently consists of the following: a wristwatch with luminous numerals and a shatterproof crystal, a revolver, binoculars, a periscope, a compass..."
The research into unbreakable glass likely dates back to his father's generation. The first truly shatterproof products were produced by the American company Germanau Simon in the 1920s and 1930s. The glass was made from celluloid. However, celluloid was flammable, vulnerable to fire, prone to yellowing, and would shrink in strong sunlight. It wasn't until 1934 that Rohm, a specialist manufacturer of synthetic materials in Darmstadt, Germany, commercialized a significantly better quality acrylic or Plexiglas.
All of the watches featured here have wire lugs, a characteristic of the period when watches moved from pockets to wrists. All are from private collections.
Read Part 2
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