Zero Hour: Telling time was a matter of survival and strategy during WWI (2014)

Posted by NaOH 1 day ago

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Comments

Comment by momojo 6 hours ago

> “Wristlets,” as they were known until the 1920s, were designed for women. As the name implies, they were essentially bracelets designed for showing off jewels (and shapely wrists), and were equipped with a tiny watch face for decoration rather than practicality. It would take one of the twentieth century’s greatest rebranding campaigns to persuade military men to strap time to their wrists.

TIL

Comment by wildzzz 2 hours ago

My grandmother had a ladies Rolex cocktail watch where the case was about the size of a dime.

Comment by EGreg 5 hours ago

No way!

I thought watches were adopted by men for practicality.

I guess people before WW2 would take watches out of pockets.

What about high heels? Originally for men, eh?

Not exactly. I suspected it: Roman high-soled shoes or high footwear (bushkins) were also worn by sex workers to identify themselves to potential clients in the streets.

Comment by abrowne 3 hours ago

I read that high(er?) heels were popularized by Persian cavalry. They help you to keep stable while shooting a bow in the saddle.