A delve into the fascinating history of watch lugs: Indispensable design features that redefined timepieces from pocket to wrist.

Contrary to the time-honoured pocket watch, the wristwatch evolved as a cultural trend in the 20th century. Both shared the same functionality despite their differences, but with the intention of being worn on the wrist, practical changes had to be made. Watch cases shrank dramatically, from averaging a diameter of 50mm—with a range of 43mm to 55mm—to a more wrist-apt 30mm by the roaring ’20s. The crown, initially at 12 o’clock, moved to a more accessible position at 3 o’clock. But the real game-changer was the emergence of lugs, which facilitated the attachment of straps and bracelets.

As the 20th century dawned, pocket watches were considered a man’s timepiece. But upon entering World War I, all changed when soldiers needed a hands-free alternative to pocket watches. Early wristwatches - then referred to as ’trench watches’ or ‘wristlets’ - emerged. Initially, jewellers welded lugs to pocket watches, or soldiers would sometimes solder lugs themselves. These primitive prototypes eventually evolved into factory-converted wristwatches and, ultimately, dedicated production wristwatches. Soldiers returning home wearing their wristlets helped shift the perception of wristwatches from effeminate to rugged and masculine. By the 1920s, the popularity of wristwatches began outshining pocket watches, prompting a huge surge in civilian sales.