Commanders must pay special attention to this point during training."Īlthough wristwatches had been worn by military men before the Great War, and by civilian men for special purposes, e.g. A later section of the same document gives instructions for this "All officers must acquire the habit of checking their watches daily with the official time, which can be obtained from the Signal Service. The importance of watches during the Great War is emphasised by the extract reproduced here from the 1916 British War Office document "Instructions for the Training of Divisions for Offensive Action." A delay of even 30 seconds in starting must be avoided, therefore watches must be synchronised. The phrases ack-emma and pip-emma were used for am and pm before the adoption of 24 hour time. “The attack will begin at seven thirty ack-emma”. Whereas in earlier conflicts a unit could time its movements visually by watching for signals or simply keeping watch on units on its flanks and advancing as they moved, in the Great War the front was too wide for these methods to be effective. The execution of orders and coordination of manoeuvres and attacks by timing was vital. Army units deployed across the vast fields of battle had difficulty communicating with headquarters. The Great War was the first time in British Army history that battles were conducted by generals in remote field headquarters from where they could not see the front line. War Office Field Instructions 1916: Click image to enlarge. Unbreakable glass crystals made from celluloid were introduced in late 1915 instead of more fragile glass crystals that were vulnerable to the inevitable knocks in the cramped conditions of the trenches. The vitreous enamel dial has skeleton Arabic numerals and skeleton hands called “poire squelette” to take radium based luminous paint. The most important features are the luminous dial and unbreakable glass. The trench watch shown here is typical of an officer's watch from the Great War. Wristwatches made before the war did not have luminous dials, but it quickly became apparent that a luminous dial was a necessity for an officer's wristwatch in the dark confines of the trenches. In the trenches activity continued day and night, and attacks were generally started in the early morning darkness to take the other side by surprise. Once the coast was reached in Northern France and there was no possibility of either side outmanoeuvring the other, it changed into a static war as the opposing sides dug into trenches.
The Great War began as a war of movement, with the opposite sides trying to outflank each other during late 1914 in the so-called “race to the sea”. I have a number of men's wristwatches from before the Great War, including a man's IWC wristwatch from 1906 and a Longines man's wristwatch from 1909, both of which were most likely originally purchased by serving officers in the British regular army. A wristwatch became an essential part of an officer's kit, and officers were expected to purchase one using the allowance that they were given to purchase their kit uniform, sword, revolver, etc.īy the time of the Great War, wristwatches had evolved from the leather wristlets carrying a fob watch that were first worn by soldiers on the North West frontier in 1885 into purpose made wristwatches.Įven though civilian men didn't wear wristwatches before the Great War, some manufacturers realised that there was a demand from military men for wristwatches and created the first purpose built men's wristwatches with simple wire lugs to attach a leather wrist strap. This practice continued unbroken from 1885. Following on from this early experience, military men were the first large group or section of the male population to routinely wear purpose made wristwatches. British military men on manoeuvres first used leather wristlets to wear small pocket watches on their wrists from circa 1885. 189190 Clamshell Waterproof WatchĪ Typical Great War Trench Watch: Click image to enlarge.Ī wristwatch provides a convenient and practical way to check the time compared to a pocket watch. Bocks and Rams: IWC and Stauffer Trademarks.New product: Leather and Sterling Alberts.Savonnette and Lépine Watches and Cases.Converted Wristwatches - Transitional? No.Bears Galore! Three Bears and 0♹35 Silver.Borgel 2: Taubert & Fils and Taubert Frères.Borgel 1: François Borgel and Louisa Borgel.
Straps for Vintage Fixed Wire Lug Trench Watches or Officer's Wristwatches
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