This Gruen Tank-style watch is another lovely angular art deco era design that show an emphasis of bold yet original hour indicators and hands. Rectangular watches were often called “Tank” shaped, as a reference to a design popularized by Cartier. This lovely piece in an 18k gold tonneau (barrel) -shaped case used art deco style Arabic hour numerals and epitomizes the style-forward thinking of watch design in the 1920s. For many years, the famous brand experimented with a variety of different designs, some borrowed by brands even today. High-end Swiss watch maker Patek Philippe was historically much more experimental in their designs than they are today. Modern Santos piece still resemble the original with their elegant square case, distinctive bezel, and classically legible dial. The Santos is still produced today by Cartier, and has spawned a range of models over the years. The Santos is considered to be the first ever “mass produced” timepiece exclusively designed to be worn on the wrist, and first went on sale in the 1910s – so it is a bit before the 1920s, but it is such a classic it is worth being on the list. In the 1900s Louis Cartier developed a watch for his pal Alberto Santos-Dumont to be worn in the early days of flight. A true classic, the Rolex was a pivotal part of Rolex’s long term success and would have certainly been on the wrist of active high-society men in the late 1920s. Most Oyster watches came with precious metal gold or sterling silver cases. The Oyster was not exactly a diving watch, but as a water resistant timepiece it was certainly good for swimming, and general wear. The Oyster had a recognizable hexagonal or cushion-shaped case with a clear dial that on most versions had Arabic numeral dials. “Oyster” is still in the official name of many Rolex watches. In the 1920s Rolex released the Oyster, which was the first water resistant watch with a patented case with a screw-down crown and caseback that Rolex still uses by name today. Let us know what you think and if there are pieces that you feel are missing that should have been on the wrists of people in the 1920s. In rounding-up interesting watches that would fit into the world of The Great Gatsby, we looked at both vintage watches actually from the era, and watches from today, based on styles from that era. 1920s era timepieces were quite bold in their designs compared to watches from two or three decades later. This was not the birth of the wrist watch, but helped cement their manliness in mainstream culture.
Soldiers from the war often adapted pocket watches with lugs so that they could be strapped to their wrist.
The end of World War I created a shift in the minds of many men who originally saw wrist watches as feminine. Scott Fitzgerald focuses on the ultra-wealthy, who would have been keen to adopt the latest high-end trends and styles. Some of the best brands that make watches today were around back then, and of course the dominant design ethos of art deco was a major influence of watch design. It was when both men and women started to adapt wrist watches over pocket watches. The 1920s, in a sense, was the first real decade of the wrist watch.
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With the 2013 movie adaptation of The Great Gatsby book being released shortly, we wanted to take a look at some of the best wrist watches from the roaring 20s.