A History of Men’s Watches

 

In the summer of 1916, a fashion trend that was emerging in Europe began to puzzle the Americans on the other side of the pond. People were starting to wear bracelets with clocks on them. Time, for the first occasion, had shifted to the human wrist. The reason this was such a groundbreaking move was that up until then, time was either read on a standard clock or a portable pocket watch. The industry has come along was since then but to truly understand the origins of how a KANE watch came into existence lets wind the clocks to the beginning of the story;

 

 

 

In 1868, Swiss manufacturer Patek Philippe developed the first wristwatch. Its purpose was designed specifically as a decorative piece of jewelry for women and over the following years, watches became an item for the ladies. Men on the other hand, were used to the traditional pocket watch that they felt at the time served them well. However, as with most moves in the male fashion world, it was the military that surprisingly acted as the catalyst for the rise in popularity among men’s watches. During both World War’s it was imperative that soldiers could precisely synchronize their movements. The traditional pocket watch required a free hand to use and took both time and effort to simply check the time, something that during the heat of battle was impractical. Slowly, men began to modify their pocket watches by strapping them to their wrists with leather, improvising the classic wristwatch. Unsurprisingly, these became known as the “trench watch” (similarly to the “trench coat” that also got its name from military origins). So we should thank the soldiers not only for their service but also for changing the game with beginning a revolution of timeless men’s watches.

 

 

Watches had now begun to become functional and popular accessories for both men and women. In 1926 wristwatches were produced to be water resistant. Our watches at KANE are all resistant to water up to 5ATM meaning they can remain intact up to 50 meters deep In pressure (we will create a blog post on this so don’t worry if it may seem alien at first)! Up until the 1970’s watches were mechanically run, however during this period the first quartz movement based watches began to appear. The Quartz movement enabled affordable and extremely accurate timekeeping and as a result became extremely popular around the world. Every KANE watch is equipped with a quartz movement by MIYOTA. And yes, we will also be bringing you a blog post in the near future focusing on the movement of our men’s timepieces. However we chose to build our watches with a quartz movement in order to give you the most efficient, thinnest and lightest design for an affordable price (starting at €99).

Today there seems to be a surplus of choice when it comes to watches. Technological and design elements have improved and progressed hugely since the emergence of the first wristwatches and therefore knowing what watch will suit your needs can be challenging. For this exact reason we consciously decided to create a men’s watch that focuses on the essential details, the time. In a sense we are bringing back the true essence of what a watch is, a device to keep you on time, but translating that into a smart and functional modern design. As Carl Sagan once said “you have to know the past to understand the present and the future.” At KANE we hope to keep the essential pieces that make a watch tick, while adding a flavor from the future through a minimalistic and chic design. Our watches combine the functional nature of what a watch is with style and grace to give you an aesthetically focused timepiece to help you stay focused and on time. Remember, it’s your time.