The mid 1930s were a pivotal point in the time keeping industry, with the transition from pocket watches to wrist watches. The general acceptance of the wrist watch as a serious time keeping device took some time. There were two major reasons for this. The first was linked to the fact that the first few wrist watches made were crafted as bracelets with ornate faces and delicate hands with very little regard to precision in time keeping. The second reason was that men found it bothersome to have something on their wrists and questions about discomfort began to be raised. It was after the First World War when soldiers were given wrist watches in view of accessibility that mens wrist watches were even considered as an alternative to the pocket watch. Companies such as Elgin, with its Lord and Lady Elgin watches, and Hamilton with its Lexington, were the first few to emphasise utility, accuracy, and precision as virtues in a wrist watch. This was a distinct step away from the earlier emphasis on purely aesthetic attributes of wrist watches. Increasingly, men as opposed to women were being targeted as prospective customers ( Polansky).
It is also necessary to remember that between the First and Second World War the reference to time had become more frequent. Every walk of life had come to be governed by precise time schedules. public transportation followed schedules, radio programs were aired according to scedules, factory workers reported to work and were expected to have time sheets, women were required to meet childrens bus schedules for schools, the list was growing longer every day. Consequently, frequent references were being made to time and the wrist watch was the most effective and accessible means of telling the time (Ecker).
Suzanne B. Sostmann in her exhibit on women's hats, raises a few points that I found important in my analysis. She has pointed out that an article may have its origins in a very practical setting but can evolve into a fashion piece, for example scarves that were worn by women in factories to keep their hair from getting in the way, became a fashion statement when adopted by leading designers of the time. The wrist watch which was introduced as a part of the military gear for soldiers in the First World War came to be a fashionable accessory to all mens wardrobes over time. She has also raised the point that what is a need at one time becomes a want at another. While wrist watches were essential in the smooth operation of war maneuvers, they became desirable after they came to be seen as a fashionable addition to a mans wardrobe. The last point that I would like to refer to in Suzanne's exhibit was that it was possible to buy a reasonably priced article and depending on how it was presented it coud be made to look pricey or buy something expensive and have it for merely functional purposes. The Lady Elgin Watch was known for its accuracy and most women that bought the watch had precision more than elegance on their minds. However, the Adeline watch by Ingersoll though beautiful did not hold much promise in the precision department, yet, it sold well because it was beautiful and affordable (Bailey p198).