Case no. 400150.

In the early 1900s, the wristwatch was not yet in fashion. However, as WWI came, soldiers started strapping their pocket watches onto their wrists and thighs for swift reading of the time. As soldiers were looked up to by the general public, civilians slowly started demanding wristwatches from the Swiss watchmaking companies. The earliest were merely small pocket watches with wires soldered onto the case. But they quickly evolved into a category of their own.

This particular watch was made around the end of WWI and is thus an incredibly early example of a wristwatch. The silver dial has a beautifully aged warmth to it as well as the most incredible enamel numerals. The combination of silver and blue enamel is striking. The elongated case shape of the watch makes the piece appear just as much as a piece of elegant jewelry as it does a watch. Although made more than 100 years ago, it seems unquestionably modern.

Provenance: The watch was bought around 1920 by Knud Nielsen. Nielsen was a successful engineer and businessman, who amongst others was the CEO of Preussen Elektra. Interestingly, Nielsen also won the Danish championship in cycling the one-mile distance (approx. 7.4 km) on June 6, 1897. He crossed the line after just 12 minutes and 25 seconds. When Nielsen passed away, the watch was given to his daughter - hence the engraving (31/5–1938) on the bracelet. The watch was then handed down to her son, who has chosen to part with it.