Retro News: A Brit in Switzerland and automatic wristwatches
16/10/2023
Translation: Elicia Payne
Welcome to the second article of our Retro News series! Here you’ll learn all about an important event from the past. This time: 100 years ago, an application for a patent laid the foundation for the mass production of automatic wristwatches.
Switzerland is the undisputed country of watchmakers. But who was the inventor? In the case of the automatic wristwatch, it wasn’t a Swiss, but the Briton John Harwood. In this article, you’ll learn why the first automatic watches actually came from Switzerland.
Mechanical watches have been around for centuries, but it was only from the turn of the 20th century that people wore them on their wrists. With the help of the crown (the turning knob on the side of the casing) people back then wound the spring in the case so that the watch didn’t stop.
However, John Harwood, an English inventor, saw further potential for improvement and developed a special pendulum for the fine clockwork. The pendulum used the imbalance created by arm movements to constantly wind the clock and the automatic wristwatch was born.
For the originals, you have to go to Switzerland
When it came to revealing his invention and making it ready for mass production, Harwood’s patent filed in Great Britain, July 1923, wasn’t enough. Switzerland was the centre of the watch industry, and the cities of Biel/Bienne, Le Locle, Grenchen and La Chaux-de-Fonds in particular were – and still are – world-famous for it. It was here that he wanted to get his automatic wristwatch ready for serial production.
On 16 October 1923, Harwood went to the «Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property» in Bern and submitted his application for a patent. Almost a year later, the time had come. On 1 September 1924, the Federal Patent Office published Harwood’s invention under number 106583.
Source: European Patent Office
In order to get his automatic wristwatch on as many wrists as possible, Harwood started working with Fortis, a company based in Grenchen (Canton of Solothurn). By 1926, mass production had begun and the new automatic wristwatch was introduced to a wider audience as the «Harwood Perpetual» at the Basel fair.
Automatics still fascinate people today
Harwood’s self-winding mechanism formed the basis for later developments of the mechanism. For example, the luxury brand Rolex adopted the automatic technology and came into conflict with Harwood as a result. To compromise, a Rolex advertising campaign in the 1950s featured a portrait of Harwood next to the advertised automatic watch. The Rolex automatic watches of the «Oyster Perpetual» series still bear the term coined by Harwood in their name.
Nowadays, many watches have become «smart» and can do much more than just tell time. Nevertheless, mechanical automatic wristwatches are still in demand. Some also allow a direct view into the clockwork through a viewing window.
Fortis, Harwood’s first cooperation partner, also still produces high-quality automatic watches today. In memory of their inventor, a few years ago the company requested to rename the street of its Grenchen headquarters John-Harwood-Strasse. In 2021, the new street name was inaugurated and John Harwood was immortalised in Google Maps.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out the first feature in our Retro News series too. There, Anne looks back at the 30th anniversary of the dinosaur blockbuster Jurassic Park.
Are you a fan of mechanical watches too? Or do you always wear a smartwatch?
Header image: Rudenkois/Shutterstock
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
