The wearing of a wristwatch was a matter of taste and fashion, and there was no demand for wristwatches from civilian men, who generally didn't wear things around their wrists. After all, what is the difference between ladies' watches and men's watches? A man's watch is usually larger and plainer, more masculine, in appearance hardly rocket science. Purpose made men's wristwatches also appeared much earlier than many people think, around 1900. It did not require an enormous leap of imagination, or a twenty or thirty year “transitional phase”, to come up with the idea of attaching a leather strap instead of a bracelet. Although this is not exactly what we think of today as a ladies' wristwatch, Le Roy also had a large selection of bracelet watches from 10 to 100 guineas, many of which were shown in later advertisements and which were true wristwatches. Notice that although this is an open face fob watch, the dial has been rotated so that the 12 o'clock is where it should be on a wristwatch and the crown is next to the three. The advertisement reproduced here by Le Roy et Fils, the Parisian jeweller with shops in London, dates from 1887 and shows a small fob watch mounted on a registered design of bangle. Ladies' wristwatches with bracelets had been specially made for centuries, and had been available in high street shops since the late 1880s. It was a very simple idea to attach two wire lugs to a case to take a strap or a bracelet.
189190 Clamshell Waterproof WatchĬonverted wristwatches were not transitional in any way because they did not precede purpose made wristwatches. Bocks and Rams: IWC and Stauffer Trademarks.New product: Leather and Sterling Alberts.Savonnette and Lépine Watches and Cases.Converted Wristwatches - Transitional? No.Bears Galore! Three Bears and 0♹35 Silver.Borgel 2: Taubert & Fils and Taubert Frères.Borgel 1: François Borgel and Louisa Borgel.
Straps for Vintage Fixed Wire Lug Trench Watches or Officer's Wristwatches