The watch as we understand it today seems like an ageless concept, something that has been around and adorned the wrists of men and women since the introduction of mechanical components. However, the history of horology is still a relatively short one, having only really taken off in the early 1900s. Today's luxury watchmakers may have been around for a little while longer, but the reality is that the wristwatch in its current form is only just over a hundred years old. With our latest blog, we explore a brief history of time, from the initial rejection of the design to how the watch today has even transcended time itself.
Etymologically, the name itself has a number of meanings. ‘Wrist’ is largely uninteresting, as its biological roots are medical and pragmatic. ‘Watch’, however, originates from the proto-Germanic wakojan, meaning to be or to remain awake. It is also worth noting the relationship of ‘watch’ and ‘wake’, and the ambiguity of the latter in modern parlance, meaning both to rise and to leave behind or remember, commemorate.
Watches, then, become about the act of looking, observing and capturing time, ostensibly linked to the human quest for immortality. It is no accident that we first used the Sun to engender the concept of ‘time’, whilst at the same time worshipping it as a God in ancient eras.
As technology developed, the concept of time was slowly reduced from its deified, universal origins to something more profane and prosaic. The descent of time can be linked to its thematic ‘fall from the heavens’ in an almost Luciferian capacity. Just as the ‘Light-Bringer’ fell, so too was time thematically disassociated with the sun, gradually making its way down through the strata. The next step was height of church spires, and then down again to the height of a longcase, or ‘grandfather’ clock. Eventually, time became not something that we placed, quite literally, above ourselves, but in our pockets, hidden and out of sight with the advent of the pocket watch.
The pocket watch endured for many hundreds of years, and it wasn’t until the dawn of the twentieth century that the need for something more practical saw the popularisation of the wristwatch in its contemporary rendering. Previous wristwatches had existed, but were more commonly known as ‘wristlets’ and were worn almost exclusively by women. The first official wristwatch was actually designed in 1868 by Swiss watch manufacturer Patek Phillippe for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, and the feminine association stuck. It was said that no self-respecting gentleman would be seen wearing a wristwatch, preferring the pocket watch, with a gold half-hunter pocket watch being the primary choice.
However, in 1904, things changed. Famous Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont complained to his friend Louis Cartier that the pocket watch was impractical and unreliable whilst piloting. Louis Cartier dutifully produced the Cartier Santos-Dumont, a wristwatch that superseded the pocket watch in functionality, as it allowed the pilot to keep both hands on the controls whilst recording accurate timings in flight. Seven years later, the Santos-Dumont went on general sale, however, it wasn’t until the First World War that the necessity for wristwatches began to overtake the gentry’s proclivity for the pocket watch.
With the advent of the First World War, the same circumstances that dictated Santos-Dumont’s desire for practicality became necessary for soldiers on the frontline. These were large timepieces with the crown at the 12 o’clock position, effectively becoming wrist-worn pocket watches. However, they allowed soldiers to still use both hands and so very quickly become adopted by the military.
After the end of the war, pocket watches saw a rapid decline as sales of wristwatches soared. By 1930, it is estimated that 50 wristwatches were being sold for every 1 pocket watch. Watch sizes reduced greatly from their bulky origins, with the average watch size for the period being around 29mm, and this lasted until the 1950s, as most watches were simply sized to accommodate the miniature mechanical movements and components within.
However, with the 1950s came the advent of the electronic watch, and not long after the 1960s brought the quartz watch. Not only did these two evolutions improve the watch manufacturing process and offer more choice and affordability to the consumer market, but also coincided with a steady increase in watch size. By the 1980s, the average watch size had jumped to around 36mm, with the largest watches being produced at 42mm.
The influence of the pocket watch, if not in design but in size, was most noticeable in the luxury watch market, where size became linked to status. Simply put, the bigger watch, the bigger the price tag. Watches had thus begun to transcend their true origins, time. Time and timekeeping became secondary to status and bravado, and what had begun as reverence and deification had manifested itself into an audacious repatriation of time. What had once been universally godly had now been individualised in a teleological sense; we were the creators and transcenders of time.
Today, the watch thrives as a signifier of status. 44mm watches are standard for men these days, with anything under 40mm ostensibly a woman’s watch. Many models even tip 50mm, with the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra XXL Small Seconds Watch measuring 49.2mm.
At Banks Lyon we appreciate the pantheon of horological mastery offered by the world’s finest luxury watchmakers today. As authorised TAG Heuer stockists, Rolex stockists and Breitling stockists amongst others, we celebrate the history of these watchmakers and their exquisite timepieces by offering an extensive range of stunning watches and chronographs. The history of the watch has brought with it the evolution of luxury watches, and at Banks Lyon we are able to offer these stunning timepieces to our customers at our unbeatable 0% finance offer. You can secure yourself the very finest in luxury watches for just a 10% deposit and 24 or 36 monthly payments with 0% finance, and become a part of the history of horological mastery. Speak to one of our team today to start your journey with Banks Lyon.
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