From pocket watch to wristwatch

The watch is a historical object, for a long time, the perception of the passing of time has been a key element of humanity. It was in the early 1500s that Peter Henlein succeeded in miniaturizing the clock mechanism with the first pocket watches, which gradually became the wristwatch.

The pocket watch

It was in the 19th century that the pocket watch really began to become popular. Previously, it was a luxury item promised to the wealthiest families. This democratization goes hand in hand with new technologies and new modes of production which have made it possible both to miniaturize, but also to produce in larger quantities. This availability, combined with affordable prices for the working classes, allowed these generations to acquire pocket watches. Usually attached to a jacket and connected by a chain, it was hidden in the jacket when not in use.

The beginnings of the wristwatch

It was at the dawn of the 20th century that the first wristwatches appeared. The result of a co-creation between the Frenchman Louis Cartier and the Swiss Hans Wilsdorf, it constitutes an essential revolution in the world of watchmaking.

The wristwatch has gradually become part of everyone's habits. It has even become, little by little, a fashion object with an ever more elaborate shape and aesthetic.

Although these early wristwatches did not yet have the autonomy they have today, with an average power reserve of one day, their mechanism is very similar.

It was in 1926 that the first automatic watches were born, which became one of the first responses to this lack of autonomy. This was followed in 1969 by the creation of the first quartz watch.

The history of the watch has deeply marked our technological progress, from the mastery of gears to the need to miniaturize them, it is one of the markers of technological progress of the last millennium.