Aviator's watches: The birth of aviation and the modern wristwatch

Wristlets. At the turn of the 20th Century, wrist watches were nearly non-existent. Although Patek Phillipe created the first wristwatch in 1868, it was a one of special order for a woman. In 1880, Constant Girard developed wristwatch based on a pocket watch made by special order for German naval officers and ordered by Emperor Guillaume I of Germany. Two-thousand watches were produced. These early wristwatches were called wristlets. At this time men still preferred pocket watches, wristwatches being considered for the feminine gender.

Alberto Santos-Dumont and the "14 Bis" at Bagatelle field, Paris.
This picture is from Wikipedia Commons.

The birth of aviation and the modern wristwatch. In 1904, Alberto Santos-Dumont, a pioneer Bazilian aviator based in France, complained of the difficulty of using pocket watches while flying his dirigibles to his friend Louis Cartier. In response Cartier, designed a flat wristwatch with a square bezel. He presented this first wristwatch designed for men to Santos-Dumont. The model is what we know today as the Cartier Santos-Dumont. By 1911, Louis Cartier this mens wristwatch was in commercial production. This was the first men's wristwatch available to the general public.

A white gold manual winding Cartier Santos-Dumont.
The case measures at 44.6 x 34.6 mm, with a thickness of just 5.6 mm.
The Cartier Santos-Dumont line of watches lives on today.
This line has been in existence for 100 years.

The very first mens wristwatch was designed as a pilots watch. In that sense, aviation and wristwatches have a strongly intertwined history which continuous until the present day.

Part II - The Luftwaffe and the "big" pilots watch.
Part III - The RAF, RAAF, RCAF and the Air-King.
PArt IV - The Mark XI.