MARRIOTT BUZZ NO. 4 - 2015 - page 22

22
Thewristwatchevolution story
is a rather intriguingone. From
being just anobject of function
tobeinga fashionableaccessory;
thewristwatchhasdeveloped
intobeinga symbol of status.
Withall thebignames suchas
Rolexor PatekPhilipe, it ishard
to imagine that suchwatcheshad
novalueacenturyago. Back then,
no self-respectingmanwould
wear awristwatch.Menused to
wear pocketwatches andwrist
watcheswere reserved forwomen
who took it as a trendmore than
a serious timepiece. Evenwatch
communities lookeddownon
themas theybelieveddue to
their small size theycouldn’t be
accurateorwithstandany rigorous
activity.
The surprisingchangecameduring
the 19
th
century,when soldiers
discovered thegreat benefit of
wristwatchesduringbattle for
its convenienceover thepocket
watch. It thenbecamea
rather important device to
keep the troops in sync
together at battleand
makeprecisemovements.
In 1906, theevolution
of thewristwatch took
another big stepby the
inventionof theexpandable
flexiblebracelet andwire loops
whichallowed leather strapsbe
moreeasilyattached. Evenwith
the rising importanceof thewrist
watchas awartimenecessity, the
watchwas stillmainly reserved to
women.
HansWilsdorf, the founder and
director ofRolex,was a strong
supporter ofwrist
FASHION
Military-Grade to Fashion:
The evolution
of the Wrist
Watch
LOSTTIME ISNEVERFOUNDAGAIN.
BENJAMINFRANKLIN
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