When was the wristwatch invented?

The wristwatch, today the most common watch available, was first manufactured by the Swiss watch manufacturer Patek Philippe in 1868. During World War I, military personnel found that the wristwatch was far more beneficial on the battlefield than the day’s popular pocket watches. Soldiers fitted their watches into primitive “cupped” leather straps so they could be worn on the wrist, thereby freeing up their hands to operate weaponry. It is believed that the Swiss watchmaker Girard-Perregaux equipped the German Imperial Navy with similar pieces as early as the 1880s, which they wore on their wrists while synchronizing naval attacks. Many European and American officers kept their wristwatches once the war was over, thus popularizing wristwatches in America and Europe. In 1926, the Swiss watch manufacturer Rolex patented the first waterproof and dustproof wristwatch, the Oyster.