How did Geneva become the renowned capital of watchmaking, and more precisely of luxury watchmaking? Explanations.
If the first wristwatch was created in 1810 by Breguet for Caroline Bonaparte, sister of Napoleon I and Queen of Naples, the wristwatch was then considered as an exclusively feminine jewel, men preferring the fob watch.
The First World War favored the development of the wristwatch among men, because it was more practical in the trenches. It was indeed much more practical to have a watch on the wrist in the trenches. In 1969, the invention of the quartz movement democratized the purchase of precise and inexpensive watches.
Geneva and watchmaking
In the 16th century, the theologian Jean Calvin fled France to Switzerland and helped the council of Geneva to reform the laws. A reform of 1541 forbade ostentatious luxury such as jewelry, leaving the many Geneva jewelers in a more than precarious situation.
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