The first watches were worn as jewellery because they were too inaccurate to have any real value as time keepers and only had an hour hand.
Watch making started in the mid-1500s but it wasn't until in 1657 in Germany when the balance spring was added to the balance wheel that accuracy improved to a usable degree. Around the same time, a minute hand was added and watches became useful for time keeping. Switzerland is the birthplace of the international watch making industry and is still the home of many of the world's iconic watch making companies.
The 1850s to the end of the century saw the growth of the watch making industry with the establishment of many new companies including Cartier, Omega, International Watch Company and Breitling. Switzerland was a big player in this development, but other European countries including France and Germany, along with the USA were also significant. In 1854 the production of machine tools led to the possibility of mass production and a change in the industry from hand built watches. Any watches from these early days are worth investigation by those who sell luxury watches. Rolex was formed a little later in 1905.
The first accurate watches were pocket watches and it wasn't until 1868 that the first ladies' wristwatch was made by Patek Philippe. In 1880 two thousand wrist watches were made by Constant Girard for German naval offices, but men's wristwatches were still not popular.
In 1904 the Brazilian aviator, Alberto Santos Dumont asked Louis Cartier to design a watch for him. He wanted to time his flights while keeping his hands on the wheel and so a wristwatch would be more appropriate than a pocket watch. The watch that Cartier designed, known as the Santos, was on sale to the public in 1911. This was the first men's wristwatch.
The First World War saw a big shift from the use of pocket watches to wristwatches. Soldiers in the trenches preferred to wear a wristwatch than to have to find a pocket watch and after the war most men wore wristwatches.
Various activities have led demand for the introduction of new watches. Sporting events such as the Olympic Games require accurate time keeping. For the three Olympic Games from 1920 in Antwerp, Paris and Amsterdam, TAG Heuer watches for used for time keeping. Since the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, Omega has been the official timekeeper. Rolex are the official time keepers for Wimbledon and the Australian Open. There are a lot of different watches made by these leading brands and it should be possible to find watches that look good and that demand a good price should you wish to resell luxury watches.
