Despite smartwatches and phones helping us keep track of time, the humble wristwatch remains a sartorial staple. Combining fashion and functionality, watches are just as much pieces of jewellery as they are markers of minutes and hours.
While men made the switch from pocket watches to wristwatches during the First World War, out of practical necessity, women were already ahead of the curve. The traditional pocket watches of the 18th and 19th centuries were impractical for wearing with the elaborate dresses of the time. So, fashionable women of the era attached pocket watches to accessories such as bracelets, necklaces and brooches.
