Archives & heritage

A history of watch advertising: 1920-1929

By Marco Strazzi

June 2023

A history of watch advertising: 1920-1929

By Marco Strazzi

June 2023

A history of watch advertising: 1920-1929

T

he rise of the wristwatch was unstoppable, punctuated by events that bolstered its image and cemented its success. The Swiss Fair in Geneva (1920), the Paris Exhibition (1925 – famously known as the birthplace of the Art Deco style), and the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona (1929) celebrated the fusion of technology and jewellery, consolidating the appreciation of the female audience.

Athletes, explorers, aviators, and show business stars wore their timepieces as they engaged in a variety of activities, all of which garnered media attention. Watch brands recognised that associating their products with contemporary heroes offered a significant advantage in capturing the male market, and advertising played a crucial role. Longines associated itself with aviation records, Rolex launched the Oyster by pairing it with swimmer Mercedes Gleitze, and several manufacturers capitalised on the success of sports competitions to promote their chronographs.

1922: This advertisement, published to celebrate 75 million watches sold by Ingersoll, reflects how the brand, like much of American industry in the early 1920s, still tended to identify wristwatches with a female audience.

At the same time, watch technology broke new ground, and advertising campaigns highlighted these innovations. LeCoultre, Harwood and Glycine introduced the first two-level movement, the first automatic wristwatch and the first with the Geneva Seal, respectively. Most advertisements showcased rectangular and square-shaped cases, which, in the eyes of customers, had the merit of emphasising the distinction with the typically round pocket watch. The latter’s presence in advertisements diminished significantly, as it became clear to everyone that the future belonged to the wristwatch.

1925: Pictured here are some of the jewellery watches presented by Ebel at the 1925 Paris Exhibition, a style and an event emblematic of the Roaring Twenties. — 1925: Pictured here are some of the jewellery watches presented by Ebel at the 1925 Paris Exhibition, a style and an event emblematic of the Roaring Twenties.

1925: Audemars Piguet, a specialist in complicated watches from the outset, miniaturised their movements to fit the cases of wristwatch models, with a focus on rectangular shapes, as its audience's taste dictated. — 1925: Audemars Piguet, a specialist in complicated watches from the outset, miniaturised their movements to fit the cases of wristwatch models, with a focus on rectangular shapes, as its audience’s taste dictated.

1927: Longines, the official partner of the International Federation, built a strong association with aviation. This ad highlights the records set by pilots who relied on its timepieces. — 1927: Longines, the official partner of the International Federation, built a strong association with aviation. This ad highlights the records set by pilots who relied on its timepieces.

1928: This presentation introducing the Rolex Oyster – the watch that “defies the elements” – emphasises a recurring theme in Rolex communication: precision certified and recognised by official control agencies.

1929: “Wind your watch by tipping your hat”: the greatest innovation of the end of the decade was the automatic wristwatch, patented by British inventor John Harwood and manufactured in Switzerland.

1929: Featuring a movement that met the stringent standards of the Geneva Seal, Glycine offered “the precision of a pocket chronometer in a wristwatch”. This wording implies that wristwatches were on the cusp of surpassing pocket watches in the eyes of the public.

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