Beauty Emerges from Purpose

How watchmaking's form-follows-function principle transformed utilitarian timepieces into coveted works of mechanical art while maintaining their essential purpose.

In 1916, as World War I raged across Europe, a peculiar transformation occurred on the wrists of soldiers. The pocket watch, long a gentleman's accessory tucked away in waistcoats, was being strapped to wrists with leather holders and makeshift lugs. This adaptation wasn't born from fashion but necessity—officers needed to synchronize attacks and time a…