Some say (or at least I do) that the earliest wristwatches were those made for women exclusively. And these were generally made with hour and minute hands and were void of the small seconds hand; these watches were time, less.
Take for instance the Bulova "Miss America" I blogged about previously. It is void of a seconds hand and given the size of this watch, if a seconds hand was incorporated, you'd likely need a pair of opera glasses for it to be functional.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Ks_b7UH-5PGRvnJnbEBspqZmeOrs0NfVTIdQqGwXWxSB0A1rZHBaea9txxX2v1PwzcypNTf0yOUCVUoZHkCW7KiJmjx7aggUvcK1DtuijKmncIu6WnYcYleD3QeIugclKs9IphFPR1M/s640/1928+Bulova+Miss+America++1169.jpg) |
1928 Bulova "Miss America" |
I'd suggest that a great number of vintage wristwatches that did use a seconds hand used if for more decorative than practical purposes. The seconds hands on many wristwatches are so small you'd be hard pressed to time a 90 yard dash. Functionally, a more practical approach was the sweep seconds hand like that used on my Hamilton Sea Rover II below.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBnT1bBLpOq0DssRT_QVPmdipyrWl1o5vWRtMt1ok6NV8LGIEDcdvSEPHaOdB9QtMsMrhBm1PaFHO2NjN0ZgpaZwM7DT3-2GldmeRcRfMtGkZrwHLhyphenhyphenGIDH4jJCd2szrNkD8e71UXQdM/s640/Hamilton+Sea+Rover+II++1172.jpg) |
Hamilton Sea Rover II c. 1964 |
Or, looking at an older wristwatch than my Sea Rover, the practical seconds hand was incorporated as a distinct feature used in the wristwatch like the Hamilton Seckron featured in the 1935 Hamilton dealer catalog below. I love the catalog descriptor "and others requiring split-minute precision". BTW, I'd love to have a Seckron but they sell for much greater than my weekly allowance (however if I could get a Seckron today for $55 like the price in the catalog, I'd have many).
Still, as a decorative feature, the use of the seconds hand in pre-1950s wristwatches was used in very interesting ways and added to the overall aesthetic appeal of a retro watch. Check out the following watches in my collection that incorporate a seconds hand beautifully.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iEPVuAP1Snn__iC_h339QCeMZCEYNb-peCYNOJkqn4YYtD7_alJ7MWHkF82lcgkVkq2npkoEW1Jji9T2wYTknt1x7-xJOCL4SmKWN6try4W-fpbr3-13bfV61rkQZ-Ln2TsxGhSIygQ/s640/Hamilton+Putnam++1171.jpg) |
1933 Hamilton Putnam |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoIupgXhnJMsNgcRtbXOtZvsDYPyKfOWcFt0M34l6QKKQlQgPlgPYhhZUt5_4H91gU1EaTOR6emnorfFZXH7UPIwiGQnTK9TVONb897FPevqA9HJhcPzhrxvaRECz0UJSq_2mm7jvEy8/s640/1931+Elgin+Avigo.jpg) |
1931 Elgin Avigo |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXWfozO76AEvt-yVu5QYai1D4Vt3oiiGjrAzwTTaXJOp6JBCB95S_dQA2uE0fy1ILj0ppE6UatHtrcAYMZh7ayx5H7ORgGlTwtH9poolpjuXD6PxmcqfWqB-9AVifglCHSW4becy5eDM/s640/Hamilton+Endicott++1169.jpg) |
Hamilton Endicott c.1940 |
Whether the vintage wristwatch is void of a seconds hand, or incorporates one for pure aesthetic and design, or is incorporated for split-minute precision, all of them are truly Time Less.
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