118 Years Ago TODAY the FIRST Men's Wrist Watch Advert was Published in the United States
118 YEARS AGO TODAY! This is the OLDEST men's wristwatch advertisement currently known to exist in the United States. On July 29, 1905 the Gorham Company of New York published this advert in the "Army & Navy Register" magazine for a wrist watch specifically for mounted officers. I found this advert at least 12 years ago but it was in very poor condition. So I had some students at Cornell digitally remaster it for me, they did a great job! About 5 years ago I was able to track down the watch in the advert. Turns out they were made by Gallet! According to Gallet it was made in versions with open faced and hunting case style movements, hence the offset by 90 degrees in the advert. I'd be pretty damn impressed if anybody can find an earlier men's wrist watch advert that was published in the United States!
Recipient of the 2023 NAWCC Roberts-Taylor Award for Excellence in the Field of Horological Research. Multiple Title Watch Book Author, Vintage American Military Watch Dealer, Watchmaker.
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Just five years younger than your watch: Elgin from 1910.
Your post sparked my curiosity. A quick search, and I found this. Not quite an advert, but a very early description of wristwatches in The Grenada Sentinel (Grenada, Miss), April 1890. Some spelling errors in the OCR'ed text but you get the gist. Maybe I'll try to write about longer post about this early pocket-to-wrist transition at some point?
"Sometimes they are attached with a thousand and one other trinkets to the chatelaine, sometimes set in the handle of umbrellas, or in the corner of the purse or card-case, and in a hand of leather or silver to ho worn about the wrist. These watch bracelets were firstr invented as an accompaniment for tho riding habit, when their obvious utility made amends for their extremo ugliness, hut they seem to lie growing in popularity for shopping ot street wear, and even comtin a setting of silver and jewels with ornamental intent. One of tho pretty, graceful dancers in the Gaiety company ,wears a very brilliant, sparkling affair, with a tiny watch in the center about her wrist, and jewelers display a variety of designs in silver, or silver set with jewels. The really swell and approved article, however, is a hand of lizard skin about two and one-half inches in width and tapering toward the fit ends, buckled tightly about the loft wrist, with an aperture for the insertion of an absurdly small watch."
Very cool! Thanks for sharing.
Thrilling post brother!
Great history
Thanks for sharing with us
🍻
I wonder if, rather than WWI being the start of wrist watches, it wasn’t the point at which men decided to adopt them? It must have been a tough thing getting men to wear bracelets. I’m thinking maybe it was after they saw the utility in war that they began to wear them in civilian life.
Ayadai,
Completely agree, the trench watch "style" of watch was available WAY before WWI.
Omega was probably responsible for setting the trend as theirs came out 2 years earlier in 1903.
I searched hell and high water for the 1903 Omega being advertised in the USA but could not find an advert for their watch.
According to Gallet this watch was available in open faced and hunting case styles so the movement being offset by 90 degrees is normal.
If you wear a configuration like seen in the advert on the inside of your wrist, like John Wick, the 12 is at the top when you turn your wrist inward.
During this era movements and cases did not have the same serial number, in all likelihood they were made in different locations.
Ayadai,
Completely agree, the trench watch "style" of watch was available WAY before WWI.
Omega was probably responsible for setting the trend as theirs came out 2 years earlier in 1903.
I searched hell and high water for the 1903 Omega being advertised in the USA but could not find an advert for their watch.
According to Gallet this watch was available in open faced and hunting case styles so the movement being offset by 90 degrees is normal.
If you wear a configuration like seen in the advert on the inside of your wrist, like John Wick, the 12 is at the top when you turn your wrist inward.
During this era movements and cases did not have the same serial number, in all likelihood they were made in different locations.
According to a book on wristwatches, the Omega wrist watch was used in the Boer war. This story has made the rounds in websites, and mentions a lieutenant who supplied these watches to men in his command.
Here is the story from the book and various sites.
Here is the Omega safety watch, actually a small pocket watch in a leather holder.
The earliest known photos of wristwatches, both from 1888 and found by myself.
thrilling post dude🥹