How the trench watch became the modern wristwatch

Last updated on October 5, 2024

The trench watch or “wristlet” was a type of watch that evolved on the battlefields of World War I. Pocket watches, which were worn by civilian men at the time, were cumbersome in combat. As many soldiers discovered, retrieving your pocket watch from a tunic pocket to the read the time, was not very practical when staring down the sights of a rifle. The trench watch was a transitional timepiece that ultimately laid down the foundations for the modern wristwatch. In this post, we will explore how the trench watch became the modern wristwatch.

The design of the modern wristwatch is near perfect, an accessory providing comfort and timekeeping convenience. Even with the widespread adoption of the smartphone, which can instantly tell the time at your current location and perform many other tasks, modern wristwatches still have a place in society. How do you tell the time with a smartphone? Find it in your pocket, flip open the case and unlock the screen… or you can flick your wrist and the time is there on your modern wristwatch.

The trench watch, a simple wartime innovation for soldiers on the frontline, became the blueprint for one of the world’s most useful and fashionable accessories.

A brief history of timekeeping

As far back as 30,000 years, our prehistoric ancestors tracked the time by marking the changes in the seasons and the migration of animals. Ancient civilizations recorded the movement of astronomical bodies, often the Sun and Moon, to determine the time. As civilisations became more advanced, so did their methods for measuring the time. Sundials and water clocks were first used in ancient Egypt around 1200 BC. Incense clocks were being used in China by the 6th century AD. As early as the 8^th century AD, hourglasses were used as one of the few reliable methods of measuring time at sea.

In the 13th century, weight-driven mechanical clocks began to emerge. These were generally tower clocks built as part of cathedrals and large churches. These were bell towers that could be used as a call to prayer. These tower clocks were the ancient ancestors of today’s modern wristwatch. An example includes the tower clock of Norwich Cathedral constructed c. 1273, which no longer survives. Another is the Salisbury Cathedral clock, dating from about 1386, which is one of the oldest working clocks in the world, and still has many original parts.

Mechanical clocks

Around two hundred years after these tower clocks were built, the German inventor, Peter Henlein, invented a smaller, portable version of the mechanical clock known as the ‘clock watch’. It was bulky and egg-shaped, and worn on a chain around the neck. It lacked a watch crystal to protect the face and only had an hour hand, so it could only provide the user with an approximate time. By the end of the 17^th century, the pocket watch had improved, it was smaller and boasted a minute hand and a glass cover. It was small enough to carry in a waistcoat pocket, but was still only accurate to within several hours a day. The lever escapement was invented by English clockmaker Thomas Mudge in 1755, which greatly improved the accuracy of the pocket watch. By the 1800s, the pocket watch was a reliable timekeeping tool.

When was the first wristwatch invented?

This question is open to debate. Many watch enthusiasts consider the first wristwatch made to be the one designed and built by the Swiss watchmaker, Patek Philippe, for the Countess of Hungary in 1868. However, there is evidence to suggest that watchmaker, Abraham Louis Breguet, produced ‘a repeater watch for bracelet‘ for the Queen of Naples, in 1811. Either way in the early 20^th century, wristwatches, or “wristlets” as they were known at the time were considered feminine and rarely worn by men. This stemmed from the earlier inaccuracies of wrist-worn timepieces. Strictly speaking, men wore pocket watches.

The pocket watch might still be the dominant timepiece today if it wasn’t for the necessities of the modern battlefield.

The Boer War

Although the trench watch was popularised in World War I, there is evidence of this type of timepiece being used on the battlefield before this time. During the Boer War (1899 to 1902), soldiers began to wear modified pocket watches on their wrists, with lugs soldered on that allowed wrist straps. A soldier could aim their rifle, and turn their wrist to tell the time, rather than dig through their tunic pockets for their pocket watch. This was the first documented practical application of the “wristwatch”.

In the trenches, the birth of the modern wristwatch

When the First World War started in 1914, the concept of the wristwatch was not entirely new. The “wristlet” had been around for the best part of a century, but it was almost entirely used as a “fashion accessory” by ladies. However, with the start of modern trench warfare, there was a need for accurate timekeeping. As a result, the trench watch became an essential piece of kit for thousands of men on the front line.

In the testing conditions of the battlefield conditions, timing was critical. Lives depended on the ability for units to coordinate their every move. Troops often coordinated advances towards enemy lines behind artillery barrages. A mistimed move could result in a unit being decimated by enemy fire.  In these circumstances, trench watches were a critical part of survival and watch manufacturers rushed to produce the increasing demand.

Trench watch features

The new “trench watches” solved several issues that were inherent with pocket watches:

Portability – pocket watches had to be retrieved from tunic pockets and opened each time a soldier needed to check the time. Trench watches could be read with a flick of the wrist.

Readability – pocket watches were typically a fashion statement; time was almost a secondary consideration. Trench watches were a tool, that needed to be read in a variety of conditions, including rain and nightfall. Luminous paint, combined with larger numbers, solved these issues.

Ruggedness – in civilian life, a pocket watch led a sheltered existence. Typically pocket watches were not exposed to dust, water and hard knocks. However, trench watches were and they evolved to include screw cases, ”unbreakable glass” and shrapnel covers to protect them from the harsh conditions of the trenches. The Borgel cased watches were an outstanding example of this, and for the time, they were effectively dust and waterproof.

The modern wristwatch

Over the four years of the Great War, trench watches transformed from belonging to the officer class to being an essential part of kit for men of all ranks. Brave soldiers, returning from the front, wearing their trench watches became a normal sight. Nobody would suggest that their “wristlet” was a mere fashion accessory. Once the war ended, it didn’t take long for the practical design of the trench watch to be absorbed into normal civilian life.

By the 1930s, the market for wristwatches was significantly larger than that for pocket watches. As the wristwatch became more entrenched in civilian life, watch manufacturers could focus on aesthetics as well as utility. Designs were increasingly influenced by shifting consumer preferences and the Art Deco movement. Rectangular and square-shaped cases designs became a notable trend of this era along with the emergence of black dials. These watches were not only functional but also stylish. Wristwatches of this time remained relatively small in size, reflecting the prevailing fashion and technological limitations of the era.

World War Two

When the Second World War began, trench watches were no longer a new solution. They evolved again into what we know now as “field watches”, such as the “Dirty Dozen”. These wristwatches were rugged, practical and water-resistant, qualities that were later transferred to civilian life. The optimism that followed the end of the Second World War led to a number of changes in watch design. Cases became larger and designs moved away from the utilitarian, military-inspired styles of the war era. Wristwatches with light, bright dials became increasingly popular, symbolising the collective desire for a peaceful future.

The post-WW2 period saw wristwatches being developed for extreme conditions ranging from deep-sea diving to space exploration. The Omega Seamaster and the Rolex Submariner largely covered the deep-sea aspects and the iconic Omega Speedmaster was the first wristwatch to be worn on the Moon. As the decades passed, watches gained all sorts of complications that made them more than just a tool to tell the time.

Quartz crisis

The 1970s introduced the “Quartz Crisis”. The creation of battery-powered, quartz timekeeping was a huge advance for buyers of wristwatches. Quartz wristwatches were a more accurate means of keeping time than any mechanical timekeeper and were ultimately cheaper. Unfortunately, this was a death knell for many traditional makers of Swiss mechanical watches. Many storied, Swiss manufacturers succumbed to the crisis and were never seen again.

The watch-buying public has mostly been divided in the last few decades between those who need a watch for practical purposes, and those who just enjoy the look of a classic, mechanical timepiece. The smartphone and the “smartwatch” are the fan favourites at the moment. However, the traditional wristwatch is far from extinct and may well have a few transformations in the years to come.