Very much an item for museum display, this is a rare surviving example of the very first wristwatches ever made for use by officers in the trenches of World War I. Sold by Harrods in London, this is a very high quality and historically important item.

In immaculate original condition, this item stands out among the vintage IWC watches for sale here. It will appeal to the antique pocket watch collector, but also to wristwatch enthusiasts looking for something slightly different.

Created by Zenith especially for high society London jeweller Birch & Gaydon, the Land & Water is an early and much sought after moisture proof officer’s watch. Quality is remarkable and not easy to find in comparable condition.

In gold, this is a luxurious version of the type of early wristwatches used by officers serving in the trenches of World War I. We see very few gold hunters and this one by Zenith is among the best we have ever offered.

Extremely attractive, this is a very important example of how the wristwatch began to gain its own stylistic identity away from its pocket watch ancestry. Retailed by Asprey, the high society London jeweller, during World War I.

This is an extremely interesting piece that would make the perfect representative sample of a World War I wristwatch in any serious collection. Manufactured by Longines, it was sold new by one of the most prestigious jewellers in London.

This watch may be unique in that its early history is known to us. It comes complete with a folder of documentation giving details of the enlistment, day to day conduct and discharge of its original owner, a soldier in the Durham Light Infantry.

Given new as a gift by members of an aristocratic masonic lodge out in colonial India, this is a very fine example of an early officer’s wristwatch that has been built to an extremely luxurious specification, by one of the most respected of the Swiss houses.

In superb condition with its original box, this is an exceptional vintage ladies’ Rolex watch from just after the Great War. A newcomer at the time, Rolex forged its reputation for striking design and technical superiority with pieces like this one.

There is a strong argument that Girard-Perregaux was the creator of the first wristwatches. This exceptional item is the earliest vintage Girard-Perregaux watch that we have offered for sale in more than twenty five years.