A History of the Wristwatch

The story and the popularity of the wristwatch can be traced back to the 1700s, with the advent of pocket watches or the portable clocks. Earlier, people had to depend on public clocks in whatever village or town they happened to be at the time. But of course that was bound to be cumbersome. People wanted to start carrying the time around with them (cue the famous expression, “Do you have the time?” instead of the “What time is it?”).Providing to popular demand, pocket watches came into being, and gradually, they were made to be smaller and more secured with straps or chains. Not only were these watches used as reliable timepieces, but also as investment vehicles. In fact, in the 19th century, of all the items pawned for money, about 40 to 50 per cent of these were pocket watches (remember all the old black and white movies or even old novels).

It was back in 1916 that the Daily, New York Times, startedpuzzling over a new trend that had taken over Europe. The Europeans had begun wearing bracelets with clocks on them, time had taken abode upon wrists and the development required some mulling over. Most Americans at that time considered watches to be a silly fad. But of course, watches were so much more than just a fad, and little did we know, they were here to stay.

Watches actually became famous due to their use in warfare during the First World War. It was realized that the only practical way to wear a watch was on the wrist, from where soldiers could ascertain the time instantly, which was a near impossibility with the old pocket watches. There was also an improvement in the channels of communication across the trenches, which enabled the military to coordinate different maneuvers much more precisely. This however required the soldiers’ ability to discern the exact time with no more than a glance; and when it came to doing this in the chaos of the trenches, it was obviously not practical for a soldier to riffle through their pockets for a pocket watch. Another factor was of course the fact that you always know where your watch is. The chances of a watch slipping out of a pocket were completely removed.

The soldiers also began experimenting with their watches, as they outfitted them with unbreakable glasses to offer durability in the trenches; and with radium so they could also see the time illuminated in the dark. When the civilians realized the practicalities of the wristwatch, they too began parroting the trend. Even though the trend began with soldiers, in the beginning, wristwatches were primarily made for women owing to the simple lack of “pockets”.

Today, we have come from wearing watches in trenches, to being able to buy women watches online. Planeteves, the best women shopping online store in India, offers a huge collection of women watches online. From dainty and sophisticated formal watches to fashion watches to everyday wear, the collection at Planeteves has made women watches shopping online in India one of the best and most unforgettable experiences for whenever you wish to buy women watches online.