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1900s
During this time, men were smartly and formally dressed. Men during this time carried pocket watches that dangled from gold or silver chains. The two leading American watch companies during this time were the Waltham Watch company and Elgin. link text -
1910s
Hamilton, founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892, introduced it's first wrist watch in 1917. The company became the official watch supplier to the US military during WWI. The wristwatch for men was accepted by the masses after WWI as they were only worn by women at the time. link text -
1920s
The Cartier Tank was one of the most desired watches in the 1920s. In 1926, Rolex developed the first waterproof watch. It was not for diving, but was good enough for swimming. Oyster watches were worn by wealthy gentlemen and the cases were made from precious metals. link text -
1930s
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso dominated the 1930s. The Reverso was created in 1931 thanks to polo. Players would often find their watches broken. Due to this, a patented watch case allowed the watch to be flipped over on the wrist with a "polo ready" protective metal case back. The Reverso was born. link text -
1940s
Wrist watches quickly went from prized possessions to essential military equipment during WWII. Bulova, Elgin, and Waltham watch companies dedicated themselves to making the A-11. This watch had a black dial with white hands, numbers from 1 to 12, and hand-wound hacking movement. link text -
1950s
Rolex released three pieces in the 1950s that are still classic today. These were three professional tool watches for high-action pursuits. The Rolex Explorer was for mountain climbing, the Rolex Submariner was for diving, and the GMT-Master could tell time in two different time zones at once. link text