The Wristwatch
The clock moves onto the body.
Over a century the watch migrates from the pocket to the wrist — a novelty for queens, then an aviator's instrument, then standard issue in the trenches, and finally the one machine almost everyone wore.
Open in interactive timeline →Key Numbers
- Breguet for Queen of Naples
- 1810
- First Swiss Wristwatch
- Patek Philippe, 1868
- Cartier for Santos-Dumont
- 1904
- UK War Office Issue
- 1917
Verified Facts
- In 1810 Abraham-Louis Breguet made a wristwatch for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples.
- The first Swiss wristwatch was made in 1868 by Patek Philippe for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary.
- Elizabeth I was given an arm watch as early as 1571, long before the modern wristwatch era.
- In 1904 Louis Cartier built a wristwatch so Alberto Santos-Dumont could check his flight time without letting go of his airship’s controls.
- The First World War of 1914–1918 dramatically shifted public attitudes to men wearing wristwatches.
- The UK War Office began issuing wristwatches to combatants in 1917.
- There is no single credited inventor of the wristwatch.
Myth vs. Reality
Myth:
Reality: No single inventor is credited. Early wristwatches appear across several makers and decades — Breguet in 1810, Patek Philippe in 1868, Cartier in 1904 — with an arm watch given to Elizabeth I as early as 1571.
Myth:
Reality: The wristwatch was long treated as women’s jewellery. It became ordinary menswear only after the First World War, with the UK War Office issuing them to combatants from 1917.
Myth:
Reality: It was not. Breguet’s 1810 watch for the Queen of Naples and Patek Philippe’s 1868 watch both precede the 1904 Santos, which was built so Santos-Dumont could fly hands-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented the wristwatch?
No one person. The wristwatch has no single credited inventor. Abraham-Louis Breguet made one for the Queen of Naples in 1810, Patek Philippe made the first Swiss example in 1868 for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, and Louis Cartier built one for Alberto Santos-Dumont in 1904. An arm watch was given to Elizabeth I as early as 1571.
Why did men start wearing wristwatches?
The First World War changed the convention. A wristwatch let a soldier read the time without freeing a hand, and the UK War Office began issuing them to combatants in 1917. What had been dismissed as women’s jewellery was ordinary menswear by the end of the war.
Why did Cartier build a wristwatch for a pilot?
In 1904 Louis Cartier made one so his friend Alberto Santos-Dumont could check his flight performance without taking his hands off his airship’s controls — the same hands-free logic that later made the wristwatch standard military issue.
Sources & Further Reading
Cite This Page
AskHistoryAI. “The Wristwatch.” AskHistoryAI — Interactive Timeline of Everything. Updated 2026-09-03. https://askhistoryai.com/event/sv-wristwatch/
Every fact on this page is checked against the published fact ledger and methodology; sources are listed above.