Waltham WW1 Trench Watch - J. Depollier & Son - Sterling Case - Enamel Dial - Circa 1916

The wristwatch was born in the mud of the First World War. A man in the trenches, rifle in hand, could not stop to dig a watch from his pocket, and so it moved to his wrist. The first of them were makeshift. A movement built for the pocket was set into a small case, fitted with a pair of wire lugs, its dial painted with numbers that could be read in the dark. They were sold across the counter as wristwatches, though before the war the wristwatch had been a woman's ornament and a fighting man would not have worn one. This Waltham was one of the first made in 1916 and still running today.

The case carries a name worth knowing. Stamped inside the back is the mark of J. Depollier and Son of New York, the firm of Charles Depollier, who holds an unusual place in the history of the wristwatch. Working with the United States Army during the war, he built one of the first wristwatches sealed against water, closed by a screwed-down crown, almost ten years before Rolex made its name on the same idea with the Oyster of 1927. That sealed watch was his landmark. He made plainer cases as well, in nickel, silver, and gold, and Waltham fitted its movements into them. This is one of the plain sterling cases rather than the waterproof type, though it carries the same maker and the same silver, with the case number 435846 struck beneath the mark.

The dial is white enamel, fired hard and glassy, signed Waltham beneath the hands. The numerals are large and military, outlined in gilt and filled with a luminous compound long since darkened to amber. A sunk seconds dial sits at six, and the cathedral hands hold the same aged glow. The whole face was meant to be read at a glance, in the dark if it had to be.

The movement behind it is signed by the American Waltham Watch Company of Waltham, Massachusetts, and runs on fifteen jewels. It is a grade 365 of the small three-zero size, a caliber Waltham had made for pocket and pendant watches and which, in these years, was pressed into service on the wrist. Its serial number places it in 1916, in the middle of the war.

The case is sterling silver in the plain trench pattern, with a snap-on back, fixed wire lugs, and a fluted crown at the side. It rides today on a custom bund strap i had handmade exactly for this watch.  It has a perfectly sized case width and lug length to fit this case, dark brown with cream stitching.

The watch runs. The silver has darkened and toned with age and carries the scratches of its years, heaviest at the bezel, all of it in the photographs. The enamel has held its white, and as with any enamel a century old it is worth studying the images closely for fine hairlines before you buy.

Terms: Please review all photos carefully as they are a part of the listing. This is a vintage timepiece. Accuracy, power reserve, and water resistance are not guaranteed. Vintage watches may require periodic service. Performance can vary with wear, temperature, and position. I am happy to service any unserviced watch listed on the site, please inquire about service charges when purchasing.

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