WWI photo showing wrist watch, 1915

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Flintlock

·May 6, 2020

The youtube video is a collection of colorized stills. The one of note is at 7:06 and shows soldiers around an ice cream cart. One soldier is prominently wearing a wrist watch. I am pointing it out because I was under the impression that in 1915 watches were only beginning to be worn on the wrist and that they were very expensive. Maybe that's why he's the only one not wearing a jacket.

The photo doesn't show enough detail to identify it but knowing some of you guys I'm not sure.

 

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connieseamaster

·May 6, 2020

Dedicated wrist watches were expensive, but having the unit gunsmith weld a couple of lugs to your pocketwatch so you could put it on your wrist was not.

 

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Pvt-Public

·May 6, 2020

There also appears to be a watch on the wrist of the soldier in a blue shirt at the 5:29 mark.

 

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Flintlock

·May 6, 2020

There definitely is. It seems to have a similar strap. It's maybe a little bigger? Perhaps a modified pocket case as connieseamaster mentioned.
They are both the only ones not wearing sleeves.

 

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queriver

·May 6, 2020

Thanks for posting. Many poignant scenes.

connieseamaster

Dedicated wrist watches were expensive, but having the unit gunsmith weld a couple of lugs to your pocketwatch so you could put it on your wrist was not.

I think the watch on the wrist of the soldier at 7:06 is too small to be a marriage. It looks smaller than the width of his little and ring fingers together so not much more than 30mm.
At 9:05 the soldier lying down in the blue shirt has a wristwatch on too.

 

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Canuck

·May 6, 2020

I don’t fully understand the hallmarks on this Swiss made case marked W & D (Wilsdorf and Davis, Rolex), but I believe the date letter to be 1915-16. Wrist watches were around prior to WWI.

 

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Professor

·May 6, 2020

The fellow soldier looking over the left shoulder of the soldier with the watch at 7:09 looks like he may also be wearing a wrist watch. The watch is not visible but it appears there is a strap on his left wrist. It doesn't look like a shadow.

 

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Als 27

·May 6, 2020

Bless them all each & everyone of them .... irrespective of what time piece they may or may not be wearing...
The pain, the loss, the suffering, the carnage, never forgotten....
Brave Brave people Thank you,
Just words but never ever will they be enough.

 

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Flintlock

·May 7, 2020

queriver

Thanks for posting. Many poignant scenes.

I think the watch on the wrist of the soldier at 7:06 is too small to be a marriage. It looks smaller than the width of his little and ring fingers together so not much more than 30mm.
At 9:05 the soldier lying down in the blue shirt has a wristwatch on too.

Yes good, and I just noticed the guy further back in the trench is holding up a helmet with his rifle. These guys are all deliberately letting the camera see their watches. I could make a Rolex joke but rather think they are deliberately sharing them with us over 100 years in the future.

 

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CdnWatchDoc

·May 7, 2020

Here is an example of a Birks signed watch (wristlet) bought by workplace colleagues for one of them as he went off to the front. Silver case, nicely done inscription, clearly 1915.

This is ad for a Waltham wristlet dating to 1913, indicating these were available before the war. Followed by a Waltham wristlet, likely from a similar era, with the lugs adjusted to 90 degrees. Looks great on a modern replacement Kitchener strap!

 

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ConElPueblo

·May 8, 2020

queriver

Thanks for posting. Many poignant scenes.

I think the watch on the wrist of the soldier at 7:06 is too small to be a marriage. It looks smaller than the width of his little and ring fingers together so not much more than 30mm.
At 9:05 the soldier lying down in the blue shirt has a wristwatch on too.

Modern marriage watches may be made out of men's pocket watches, but many - if not most - of the first ones were made by adapting women's watches which were much smaller.

I am not sure if the "marriage watch" moniker is particularly well here anyways, as they watches rarely was recased, but only had lugs attached.

 

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dennisthemenace

·May 8, 2020

Here's a photo from 1915. Spot the wristwatches.

 

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SpeedyPhill

·May 8, 2020

I have a small collection of small format WW II RAF & Luftwaffe photos showing young pilots wearing wristwatches but that's something after we have completed the " The Right Stuff " topic with our Jet Age photographs 😁

 

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JimInOz

·May 8, 2020·Melbourne Australia

Canuck

I don’t fully understand the hallmarks on this Swiss made case marked W & D (Wilsdorf and Davis, Rolex), but I believe the date letter to be 1915-16. Wrist watches were around prior to WWI.

The marks indicate that the case was hallmarked as "imported silver" at 0.925 quality and assayed in London in 1915/1916, so you are on the mark.

 

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JimInOz

·May 8, 2020·Melbourne Australia

ConElPueblo

Modern marriage watches may be made out of men's pocket watches, but many - if not most - of the first ones were made by adapting women's watches which were much smaller.

I am not sure if the "marriage watch" moniker is particularly well here anyways, as they watches rarely was recased, but only had lugs attached.

My take on it.

Many pocket watches were converted to wrist watches in the name of fashion following the introduction of factory models by Cartier, Omega et al. This was accomplished by the addition of lugs or loops welded or soldered to the original case.

Most were small calibers as the demand for Hublot sized monstrosities had not hit the fashion influencers in that era.

I call these "conversions".

In later years, there was an abundance of pocket watches (and movements) and the fashion of "wrist watch" had become well established. So, movements were taken from pocket watches and put into purpose made wrist watch cases.
Therefore, marrying a movement from one family to the case of another family.
This practice has continued until now, as evidenced by the creations of "Wandolec" and other Ukranian "entrepreneurs".

I refer to these as "marriage watches".

 

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Archer

·May 8, 2020·Omega Qualified Watchmaker

JimInOz

movements were taken from pocket watches and put into purpose made wrist watch cases.
Therefore, marrying a movement from one family to the case of another family.
This practice has continued until now, as evidenced by the creations of "Wandolec" and other Ukranian "entrepreneurs".

I refer to these as "marriage watches".

I know everyone brings up the Ukranaian watches when this topic comes up, but not all of them are done as poorly as those are.

 

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Omegafanman

·May 8, 2020

I hope this helps with the ID - very interesting post /thanks

 

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Canuck

·May 8, 2020

An earlier thread on this topic.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/vintage-omega-information-needed.21902/#post-238535

 

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JimInOz

·May 8, 2020·Melbourne Australia

Archer

I know everyone brings up the Ukranaian watches when this topic comes up, but not all of them are done as poorly as those are.

Very true, but unfortunately, the good have been overshadowed by the bad and the ugly.

 

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DManzaluni

·May 8, 2020

Like this slightly obvious lapel watch conversion floating around

. interesting that the three quarter plate configuration doesnt necessarily mean it is a cheap movement!