The wrist watch: A necessary accessory for the working class.

At inception wristwatches were almost EXCLUSIVELY worn by women. The very earliest production of wrist watches heard of, dates back to the 16th century and they were referred to as bracelets. Until then, women wore watches as an ornament around their neck (pendant to a chain), while men on the other hand used pocket watches.

Wristwatches were first worn by men in the military towards the end of the nineteenth century. This was as a result of complains from soldiers, on the difficulty of frequently opening a Pocket watch, while timing a bombardment during war. It was clear that using pocket watches, while in the heat of battle, or while mounted on a horse was impractical, so officers began to strap the watches to their wrist.  The Garstin Company of London patented a ‘Watch Wristlet’ design in 1893. Clearly, a market for men’s wristwatches was coming into being at the time.

These early models were essentially standard pocket watches fitted to a leather strap, but by the early 20th century, manufacturers began producing purpose-built wristwatches.

Today, this accessory is not only a fashion statement but comes in handy to, keep you punctual, meet up with a deadline, organized and conscious of when events are taking place or took place.(if you work behind the desk, or you a field project manager you shouldn’t go out without this accessory).

Typically, it is more of a rule that you should wear your watch on your non-dominant wrist. That is, if you are right-handed, you are to wear your watch on the left arm and vice versa  . The logic is that your non-dominant hand isn’t frequently used, so when it’s on that wrist, your watch is less likely to get damaged. Also, wearing the watch on your non-dominant hand means it’s less likely to interrupt whatever action you performing.

So what type of watch are you supposed to have on for a formal outfit? A dress watch is much appropriate. A leather or mesh strap watch will the perfect.

For other occasions, you can style other type of watches.