Okay, so I was digging into this whole thing about whether folks actually had watches way back in the 1900s. It’s kind of a wild ride when you start looking into it.
First off, I started by hitting up all the usual spots online. I typed in “watches in the 1900s” and all that jazz. I got tons of different opinions but the gist was that, yeah, they did have watches, but it was complicated. See, back in the day, if you were a dude, you were most likely carrying around a pocket watch. I learned that these were a big deal since like, the 16th century, when some clever folks figured out how to make clocks you could carry around. Before the 1900s it is said that pocket watch is the status symbol of a true gentleman.
I discovered that wristwatches started showing up on the scene in the early 1800s, but mostly for the ladies. Apparently, these were seen more like fancy bracelets than serious time-telling tools. There’s even this story about Emperor Napoleon getting one of these for someone as a gift from some fancy Parisian jeweler called Nitot.
But here’s where it gets interesting. As time went on, especially into the early 1900s, wristwatches started to become more than just a pretty accessory. I found out that pilots in the military started using them because, duh, it’s way easier to check your wrist than to fish around in your pocket when you’re flying a plane. The British War Department even started giving them out to soldiers around 1917. That’s when things really started to change.
I spent hours reading through old articles and forum posts, and I built up a timeline in my head. It went something like this:
- Early 1900s: Pocket watches are still the main deal for guys, wristwatches are mostly for women and seen as jewelry.
- 1910s: The military starts to see the practicality of wristwatches, especially for pilots.
- 1920s: This is when wristwatches really start to take off. They’re getting better, too, with companies making them self-winding and water-resistant.
- 1930s and beyond: Watchmakers are now making these things shock-resistant and coming up with tons of styles for both men and women.
So, after all this digging, it felt like I had traveled back in time myself. I realized that by the 1920s, wristwatches were definitely a thing, and they were getting more advanced and popular all the time. They went from being a niche item to something everyone wanted. It’s pretty cool to see how something we take for granted today has such a rich history.
In conclusion, while pocket watches were the norm at the turn of the century, wristwatches were definitely around and gaining traction, especially after the military started using them. By the 1920s, they were well on their way to becoming the go-to way to tell time. That’s the long and short of it!
