As with many fashion trends in times gone by, the wrist watch was first made fashionable by royalty — specifically Queen Elizabeth I who was given one in the late 1500s. It was an adaptation of the pocket watch made more feminine and worn as an adornment accessory.
The very first widely worn wristwatches were designed exclusively for women and called wristlets. Men of the late 19th century and early 20th century still kept track of time using a pocket watch. They considered the wristlet a fashion trend that would, like all others, come and go; and the wristwatch would at that time never be considered by men as anything but a feminine bobble for women.
The wristwatch as a useful way to conveniently keep time for men actually started out as a wartime necessity. The British army in their fight against South Africa in the Boar War in the early 1900s strapped pocket watches to their wrist so that they could hold their weapons and still synchronize maneuvers with other troops. The first wristwatches for men were promoted to the military for men going into active service. Many of these influential men found the convenience of not fishing in a pocket for their...