The most important features are the luminous dial and unbreakable glass. The trench watch shown here is typical of an officer's watch from the Great War. Wristwatches made before the war did not have luminous dials, but it quickly became apparent that a luminous dial was a necessity for an officer's wristwatch in the dark confines of the trenches. In the trenches activity continued day and night, and attacks were generally started in the early morning darkness to take the other side by surprise. Once the coast was reached in Northern France and there was no possibility of either side outmanoeuvring the other, it changed into a static war as the opposing sides dug into trenches. The Great War began as a war of movement, with the opposite sides trying to outflank each other during late 1914 in the so-called “race to the sea”.
I have a number of men's wristwatches from before the Great War, including a man's IWC wristwatch from 1906 and a Longines man's wristwatch from 1909, both of which were most likely originally purchased by serving officers in the British regular army. A wristwatch became an essential part of an officer's kit, and officers were expected to purchase one using the allowance that they were given to purchase their kit uniform, sword, revolver, etc.īy the time of the Great War, wristwatches had evolved from the leather wristlets carrying a fob watch that were first worn by soldiers on the North West frontier in 1885 into purpose made wristwatches.Įven though civilian men didn't wear wristwatches before the Great War, some manufacturers realised that there was a demand from military men for wristwatches and created the first purpose built men's wristwatches with simple wire lugs to attach a leather wrist strap. This practice continued unbroken from 1885. Following on from this early experience, military men were the first large group or section of the male population to routinely wear purpose made wristwatches. British military men on manoeuvres first used leather wristlets to wear small pocket watches on their wrists from circa 1885. 189190 Clamshell Waterproof WatchĪ Typical Great War Trench Watch: Click image to enlarge.Ī wristwatch provides a convenient and practical way to check the time compared to a pocket watch.
Borgel 1: François Borgel and Louisa Borgel.Straps for Vintage Fixed Wire Lug Trench Watches or Officer's Wristwatches
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