The Rise of the Wristwatch

For centuries, watches were carried in pockets. WWI changed everything.

⌚ TIMELINE

• 1810 — Breguet creates the first known wristwatch for the Queen of Naples
• 1904 — Cartier creates the Santos for aviator Santos-Dumont
• 1914-1918 — WWI soldiers strap pocket watches to their wrists

🎖 THE WAR THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

Before WWI, wristwatches were seen as feminine. After the war, they were seen as masculine and practical. By the 1930s, wristwatch sales exceeded pocket watch sales for the first time.

🔧 KEY INNOVATIONS

• 1926 — Rolex Oyster: First waterproof wristwatch
• 1931 — Rolex Perpetual: First reliable automatic winding
• 1953 — Rolex Submariner: First purpose-built dive watch