Primax Trench Watch

The history of the trench watch is as fascinating as it is rather dramatic. These watches rose to fame during the 1910’s as World War I raged on. Soldiers headed to conflict needed time keepers and carrying around pocket watches was no longer ideal. The solution came in the form of the wristwatch. Much like their pocket watch predecessors these trench watches were fitted with enamel or porcelain dials, this made for a beautiful but delicate watch. Crazy to think many survived unscathed. What makes this watch distinctive is not its size, movement, nor aesthetic. What stands out here is its yellowish plastic crystal. You see, at night during war time the radium luminescence emanating from the dial would prove to be a hazard. Lurking around the trenches the enemy could spot the hunkered down soldier, and in a result giving away the entire squadron’s position. Watch manufacturers would try to darken the dial luminosity by outfitting the watch with a dark crystal. In this case a yellow one.