Wristwatches Worth Collecting

 

QUESTION: My dad loved old watches and over time he collected over four dozen. Most of them are wristwatches, from classic ones to special, novelty examples. He has since died, and his watch collection came to me. I’m not exactly sure what to do with it. Part of me wants to continue my father’s collection, but another part has no idea how to do that since I don’t have the passion for watches that he did. Can help?

ANSWER: Before you do anything with your dad’s watch collection, it’s important to learn what you have. Make a list of all the watches and systemically research each one to learn more them. Once you do that, you’ll be in a better position to deal with your collection.

The wristwatch has been around for nearly 150 years. For much of that time, they’ve represented some of the world’s most accurate timepieces. Today, the function of the wristwatch has been taken over by smartphones and fitness bands, but the beauty of those old watches remains and in many cases they’ve kept on ticking.

The wristwatch originated in 1868, when Patek & Philippe of Switzerland modified a tiny pocket watch for the Hungarian Countess Koscowicz. However, it took several years for Philippe, or any other watchmaker, to make anything other than the popular pocket watch—plus several more before any of them produced a wristwatch that could be priced reasonably enough for people to buy.

As the 19th century progressed, women's miniature pocket watches were often attached to a decorative bracelet or leather strap, to be worn on the wrist as a fashion accessory. In a 1891, Audemars Piguet of Switzerland created an 18mm minute repeater movement, one of the smallest of its kind.

By the 20th century, several other manufacturers introduced wristwatches, and while ladies bought them, men didn’t because they considered them to be effeminate.

But World War I changed all that. During the first decade of the 20th century, Robert Ingersoll designed a line of ladies pocket watches for the Waterbury Company. The “Midget” was both tiny and inexpensive, and the U.S. Armed Forces ordered thousands for use by their troops, requesting that the winding crown be moved from the 12 o'clock to the 3 o'clock position. After soldering a pair of wire loops at 12 and 6 o'clock, they attached the Midget to a band, creating the world's first inexpensive wristwatch.

Now Ingersoll also invented a luminous paint called Radiolite, a radium compound, which when applied to the watch's hands and numerals, allowed them to glow in the dark. Not only could soldiers now tell time in the dark, they also began to appreciate the convenience of a wristwatch over the traditional pocket watch. By the end of the war, the modified Midget had changed men’s perception of the wristwatch.

In 1920, only 25 percent of the watches exported by Switzerland were wristwatches; by 1934, the figure had risen to 65 percent.

Fashion and technology were also rapidly changing. Between 1915 and 1940, watch companies introduced thousands of unique styles for both men and women, each vying for their share of a burgeoning market. By the late 1920s, automatic self-winding and water-resistant models were in production, and by the late 1930s,shock-resistant movements were in the works.

The 1930s would also introduce the character watch. In 1933, the Ingersoll-Waterbury Company, under exclusive license from Walt Disney, produced character watches and clocks featuring Mickey Mouse. The watches retailed for $2.98. Macy’s Department Store in New York sold over 11,000 on the first day of their release. Not only was Ingersoll-Waterbury saved from the financial ruin of the Depression, after eight weeks of production, they added 2,700 employees to their 300-person work force. By 1935, more than 2.5 million Mickey Mouse watches had been sold.

The success of Ingersoll-Waterbury encouraged other watch companies to begin producing collectible character watches in the 1930s. Examples include Dick Tracy, Little Orphan Annie, Donald Duck and the Lone Ranger. Ironically, while World War I brought wristwatches to public favor, it would be World War II that would all but curb production, as watch factories reorganized for the war effort.

After World War II, people had a renewed interest in character watches, a trend which has continued to the present. Unlike watches made in the 19th century, character watches are relatively inexpensive, so more people can buy them, especially online. For example, a 1978 Registered Edition Bradley 50th Birthday Mickey Mouse watch can still be found for $75.The same holds true for many watches from the 1950s. A 1950s U.S. Time Zorro watch will cost around $125, and a 1951 Ingraham Dale Evans sells for about $75. There are exceptions, but even these aren’t completely out of reach. An example would be a Roy Rogers, mint in box, which sells for about $400.

While character watches may be fun to collect, there are some who prefer to collect premium vintage watches. Gruen watches are especially popular. What separates true antique watches is that all of them are mechanical—that means they need to be wound each day. It’s because they’re mechanical that many people shy away from them. Today, people live in a battery-operated world and they don’t want to have to remember to wind their watch.

What separates one vintage watch from another is the brand. Younger collectors tend to favor stainless steel watches over gold or two-tone and look for names like Omega, Breitling and Tag Heuer. The older crowd gravitates toward the traditional elegance and style of Rolex, Patek Phillippe, and Vacheron Constantin.

Unfortunately, the luxury wristwatch market has been overrun by fakers. While the Internet has opened the selection of watches to people all over the world, it has also opened the floodgates for every crook and con artist. Because these wa

tches cost so much, most buyers are looking for bargains. If the price seems too good to be true, then the watch is probably a fake. Like luxury cars, luxury watches hold their value. Being an antique just adds to it. 

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "The Roaring Twenties" in the 2025 Spring Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

Time on the Wrist

 

QUESTION: I have an unusual wristwatch that belonged to my great grandfather. According to my father, he wore it while a soldier in World War I. Evidently, it was a special military watch that soldiers used to calculate the distance of mortar fire. What can you tell me about the history of this watch?

ANSWER: You, indeed, have a special watch. Wearing a wristwatch for men actually began after World War I. And it was because of the military the wristwatch is as we know it today.  

The word "watch" came from the Old English word woecce, meaning "watchman" because town watchmen used them to keep track of their shifts at work.

But it was military officers who first wore wristwatches. One chronograph had a scale calibrated to tell the difference in time between the flash of field artillery and the sound of the report. This helped a soldier know how far away the guns were.

However, wristwatches as they look today first appeared in the 1890s. Evolving from pocket watches, makers specifically developed them for women. And because of this, men didn’t wear them, continuing to use pocket watches instead.

Some historians believe that Abraham-Louis Breguet created the world's first wristwatch for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810. And by the 1850s, most watchmakers produced a variety of wristwatches, marketing most of them as bracelets for women.

So when and how did men begin to wear wristwatches?

Military men first began to wear wristwatches towards the end of the 19th century, when the importance of synchronizing maneuvers during war without potentially revealing the plan to the enemy through signaling became important. It was clear that using pocket watches while in the heat of battle or while mounted on a horse wasn’t practical, so officers began to strap the watches to their wrist. 

The Garstin Company of London patented a 'Watch Wristlet' design in 1893, although they had been producing similar designs from the 1880s. Garstin’s owners realized a market for men's wristwatches was opening up. Officers in the British Army began using wristwatches during colonial military campaigns in the 1880s, such as during the Anglo-Burma War of 1885.

During the Boer War, the importance of coordinating troop movements and synchronizing attacks against the highly mobile Boer insurgents increased. Subsequently, British officers began using wristwatches. The company Mappin & Webb began production of their successful “campaign watch” for soldiers during the campaign at the Sudan in 1898 and ramped up production for the Boer War a few years later.

These early models were essentially standard pocket watches fitted to a leather strap, but by the first decade of the 20th century, manufacturers began producing purpose-built wristwatches. The Swiss company, Dimier Frères & Cie patented a wristwatch design with the now standard wire strap lugs in 1903. 

Omega advertisements mentioned that soldiers used its wristwatches in the Anglo-Boer War not only to highlight their excellent quality but also to break through the wristwatches-are-for-women barrier.

When World War I broke out in 1914, air warfare was in its infant stages, thus creating  a heightened need for military watches. Military fighter pilots also found wristwatches to be as needed in the air as on the ground. With the increased sophistication of battle techniques, wristwatches for fighter pilots and ground soldiers became essential items. At that time, Hamilton first supplied its flagship military watch Khaki to the American army.

In the chaos of the trenches during the heat of battle, it was impossible for soldiers to rifle through their pockets for a watch. European soldiers began outfitting their watches with unbreakable glass to survive the trenches and radium to illuminate the display at night. Civilians saw the wristwatch’s practical benefits over the pocket watch and began wearing them. 

World War I dramatically shifted public perceptions on the propriety of the man's wristwatch and opened up a mass market in the post-war era. The creeping barrage artillery tactic, developed during the War, required precise synchronization between the artillery gunners and the infantry advancing behind the barrage. Manufacturers produced service watches specially designed for the rigors of trench warfare, with luminous dials and unbreakable glass. The British War Department began issuing wristwatches to combatants from 1917.

By the end of World War I, almost all enlisted men wore a wristwatch. After the War, the fashion of men wearing wristwatches soon caught on. In 1923, John Harwood invented the first successful automatic winding system. And by 1930, the ratio of wrist- to pocket watches was 50 to 1. Wristwatch ads boasted wristwatches “for men with the promise that a watch could make a man more soldier-like, more martial, more masculine.”

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about the "The World of Art Nouveau" in the 2022 Spring Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.