The First Wristwatch

By Bruce Shawkey

The first wristwatch goes back a hundred years before many historians argue that wristwatches were a product of the early 20th century, created for soldiers in the Boer War. This article in a 1954 issue of Europa Star magazine postulates that a wristwatch was custom-ordered by Josephine Bonaparte, first wife of Emperor Napoleon I. Have a look 

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When, in 1906, the first wristwatches were launched on the market, horological experts were quite sincere in believing that these new timepieces -- instead of being carried in the pocket by men or worn as pendants by women -- had to be considered as the original creation of a progress-minded innovator. However, the truth lies elsewhere: wristwatches were invented at the early beginning of the 19th century and were perhaps already known at the end of the 18th century.

Josephine Bonaparte

Anyhow, a glamorous specimen of wrist watch was executed by Nitot, the Parisian court jeweler of Emperor Napoleon I, in 1806. Empress Josephine, the Emperor's first wife, ordered the timepiece and presented it to her daughter-in-law, the Bavarian Princess Augusta-Amalia, the wife of her son, Eugene de Beattharnais, who became Vice-King of Italy and Duke of Lenchiettberg. In reality, the timepiece consisted a twin wrist watches, one for each wrist. One of the watches indicated the hours and minutes. while the other showed the date of the day and the month. Each was held on the wrist by a bracelet in solid gold, set with 50 Columbia emeralds and 192 Oriental pearls.

How is it possible, after wrist watches have been created for members of an imperial family and worn at court by the most illustrious women of the time, that the idea was then completely abandoned and forgotten? The invention had probably been premature and succeeded only owing to an unexpected conjunction of genial inspiration, enormous wealth and exeentricity. But even those who would have been able. on account of their riches, to coin the novelty worn by princesses apparently had no interest in it. So the first wrist watches, like all untimely things, were condemned to disappear.

They slumbered for a full century, until a prince Charming came to awaken them and to instil them with new life. The rebirth of the wrist watch dates back to half a century ago. During this lapse of time its evolution was so rapid and so striking that it conquered the market of the world. The first wrist watches, because of their lack of accuracy, were considered more as jewels than as timepieces. Two improvements, the one technical and the other mechanical, contributed their part to its evolution. The first improvement consisted in replacing the cylinder escapement by a lever escapement. The second and later improvement is the mechanical precision which characterizes all the component parts of mass-produced wrist watches. Nowadays, accuracy in the production of watch parts attains a hundredth of a millimeter. Protecting devices, watertight cases and special alloys enable watches to withstand shocks as well as the influence of moist climates, of magnetic radiations which emanate from radios, telephones or other electrical apparatuses. Perfected lubricating oils guarantee the flawless functioning of the most delicate works.

With the emancipation of women and their entry in the business world ladies' watches, too, were required to be absolutely accurate and reliable. Today the minutest jeweled watch combines high fashion features with the most modern technical developments. 

Croton, meanwhile, posits that it was a watchmaker who made a custom wristwatch for a Countess in 1878. The Countess craved punctuality, but also beauty. The watchmaker came up with this:

Here's another shot (below) of the watch from a different angle. It's amazing to me that Croton found this watch and restored it to its original beauty.

So who "invented" the first wristwatch? The debate rages on to this day!