World War One Watches
& Trench Watches

World War One provided the crucible that heralded the arrival of the mass produced Wrist Watch as we know and a style of watch we now know as the Trench Watch.
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Prior to the Great War the pocketwatch was the main means of telling the time for men. Early wristwatches were considered effeminate, however once embroiled in trench warfare the wristwatch became a much more acceptable means of instant timekeeping. Watch companies initially converted Ladies Pocketwatches for the wrist, however soon Trench Watches were being mass produced, there were innovations like the Borgel lockdown case (a precursor to the Rolex Oyster) and Cartier produced the first Tank Watch.
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These Vintage Trench Watches reflect the nations that were involved in the ‘War To End All Wars’, so there are Swiss made watches which retailed in Britain, American Watches by Elgin, Waltham, Ingersoll and others all still stylish and very affordable