Men’s 1915 Waltham Wire Lug Trench Watch

As hard as it is to believe, there was no real men's wristwatch market prior to WWI. Wristwatches, or "wristlets" were primarily ladies’ novelties – small altered pocket watches worn on ribbon straps around the wrist or hooked to bracelet chains. While men's wristwatches were produced in very limited numbers for certain military applications as early as the turn of the century, men of the day considered watches worn on the wrist to be effeminate and undesirable. World War I changed these views, as intensified warfare made fishing around in one's pocket for a watch a bit too time-consuming. Rumor has it that a German infantry officer took out his pocket watch, tied it to his wrist with a handkerchief, and thus the men's wristlet was born-not of fashion but of sheer necessity. 

While America was the leader in the world's watch production until WWII, some American companies, such as Hamilton and South Bend, didn't see the wisdom in chasing such a foolhardy fad. Waltham, however, did participate in the war effort of WWI, thereby producing what have come to be known as some of the first men's wristwatches to be put into production.

This example is a very rare example of a men's Waltham wire-lug wristwatch in sterling, circa 1915, putting it among the first available to be shipped overseas. Not only is this example an early watch, it is an early water-resistant attempt, having a screw back and bezel as opposed to a snap front and back. This earliest of wristwatches is oversized at a hefty 42mm lug-to-lug and 35mm in diameter, not counting crown. Its porcelain dial is completely original and made specifically for these "wristlets," with boxcar Arabic numerals in jet-black relief, surrounded by graduated outer minute register. The "second's cut" sub-second register is hand-ground and slightly counter-sunk, graduated to the second by bar markers and every 10 seconds by Arabic numerals. Restored “stained-glass” hands are as bold and handsome as the day they were fitted at the factory. The magnificent case is in pure sterling silver and made by the famed Dennison Watch Case company, founded in Birmingham England in 1879 by the same Dennison family who, 20 years earlier, was in part responsible for the founding of Howard and Waltham Watch Companies in the United States.

This restored case is quite historically significant, as both back and bezel are threaded and – unlike Swiss cases of the day – "coin-reeded" so that it may be gripped and unscrewed by hand, not requiring a special case-back tool. This quality proved invaluable to soldiers slogging through trench warfare during the Great War and in 1916, seeing the benefits of this case, Rolex turned to Dennison Watch Case Company to case their movements. To this day, Oyster cases have these reeded or coin backs, part of the original Dennison design. The back unscrews nicely to reveal hall-marks of the traditional anchor or "town's mark," signifying it was made in Birmingham, England; the lion passant, or sterling standard mark, and a "q," indicating the case was submitted for assay in 1915. This example is also stamped "DENNISON WATCH CASE COMPANY" and "A.L.D.," both identifying the manufacturer. The crown is in good condition and undoubtedly original, an early waterproof attempt that would later be perfected by a threaded, screw-down crown in the "Oyster Waterproof." The movement is, of course, a solid nickel 7 ruby-jeweled Waltham imported and cased by Dennison for the English market, making it a refined piece and quite pricey for the day.

The movement is fully marked "A.W.W.C. [American Waltham Watch Company], Waltham, Mass/F & S [faster and slower regulation] and the serial number, which corresponds with the case's 1915 assay submission. We've completely overhauled the movement, having cleaned, oiled and timed the watch so that winds and sets effortlessly, keeps good time. The two-piece black cordovan strap you see on the watch is our own recreation of the correct strap for this watch, down to the hand-wrought sterling silver buckle. This Dennison-cased Waltham is certainly an exceedingly desirable part of horological – or watch-making-history and a growing rarer by the day. If you're looking for a commonplace watch that one can see on 50 wrists a day at 10 times the price, this watch is not for you. If, however, you're looking for something your heirs can treasure and you can enjoy in the meantime, you've found it.