"Walk into the boardroom of any Fortune 500 company and you’re likely to see dozens of prestigious wristwatches, including such names as Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Frank Müller, Jaeger-LeCoultre and even Patek Phillipe. However, this was not always the case. Less than 100 years ago, no self-respecting gentleman would be caught dead wearing a wristwatch. In those days of yore, real men carried pocket watches, with a gold half-hunter being the preferred status symbol of the time—no pun intended.
Wristlets, as they were called, were reserved for women, and considered more of a passing fad than a serious timepiece. In fact, they were held in such disdain that many a gentlemen were actually quoted to say they “would sooner wear a skirt as wear a wristwatch”.
The established watchmaking community looked down on them as well. Because of their size, few believed wristlets could be made to achieve any level of accuracy, nor could they withstand the basic rigors of human activity. Therefore, very few companies produced them in quantity, with the vast majority of those being small ladies’ models, with delicate fixed wire or chain-link bracelets."
The above from the Rolex website on the History of the Wristwatch...
During the trench warfare of the Great War and the miserable conditions of constant rain and mud - British Officers found that the small ladies watch often worn on the bosom was ideal for use if a suitable method of wearing it was designed.
That led to a leather 'cup' that the watch could fit within and was affixed with a strap.
The '12 O'Clock' position was at the stem at the top of the watch on early WWI-attributed watches made thusly.
Later, there were metal 'crystal guards' made - that would effectively shield the fragile crystal from inadverdent damage - and some watches were specifically made to be sold to the military buyer that had that guard as a part of the watch case.
'That' style of watch had the '12 O'Clock' position as worn currently - with the stem at the wrist.
American Officers saw this and they became popular almost overnight.
However - that popularity waned somewhat until the latter '30's as the pocket watch was still in wide production and was 'preferred' by businessmen.
As materials became stronger and the smaller watches more reliable - the wristwatch surpassed the pocket watch in acceptance.
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And the answer to the burning question concerning footwear is 'Plimsolls'...
Type 'that' into your search engine and you'll come up with dates of the first rubber heel (January 24, 1899) - along with a whole lot of other odd facts.
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Vaya,
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