Origin of the term FIELD WATCH
The Genesis Moment
by Stan Czubernat
Every story has a beginning. Every term or phase has an origin story. The term Field Watch is no different and it's exact origin can be traced back to the "genesis moment" where an entire genre of wristwatches were born.
On October 20, 1917 Charles Depollier filed a trademark name registration with the United States Patent Office for the name "Field and Marine", the trademark name registration (122,198) was granted by the United States government on July 9, 1918. But, according to the trademark registration paperwork Charles Depollier began using the name "Field and Marine" on October 1, 1917. This was the proper name given to his fully waterproof wristwatch, the Waltham Depollier "Field & Marine" Waterproof Watch. Charles Depollier was the owner of the world famous watch case manufacturing company, the Dubois Watch Case Company located in Brooklyn New York. The company "J. Depollier & Son" was a subsidiary of the Dubois Watch Case Company. The 1918 Depollier Field & Marine Waterproof Wristwatch was manufactured under the name J. Depollier & Son.
The 1918 Waltham Depollier "Field & Marine" Waterproof Wristwatch was in fact the world's first waterproof wristwatch and it featured a screw down crown. A high end version of the Waltham Depollier Field & Marine Waterproof Wristwatch was released the following year. The 1919 Waltham Depollier Thermo Waterproof Wristwatch, it too featured a screw down crown. The high end 1919 Waltham Depollier Thermo was made in .830 silver and 14k solid gold.
In 1918 the Waltham Depollier Field & Marine Waterproof Wristwatch was tested for 500 hours for waterproof ability by the United States Army Engineering & Research Division under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Mauborgne. It was also tested by the United States Bureau of Standards, America's physical science laboratory, in Washington D.C. and it passed these official government waterproof tests with flying colors. Numerous official United States government reports and documents back up these facts.
A Field Watch is an extremely durable, waterproof, highly legible and simple wristwatch originally designed for military use in the field. It prioritizes functionality over decoration or complications. The key characteristics typically include high contrast dials, commonly with black or white dials featuring Arabic or shadow box numerals with luminous markers, numerals and hands for quick easy reading in low light or tough conditions. The movements must be highly reliable, robust and able to withstand shock. They originally had minimal features like hours, minutes & seconds but modern versions of the Field Watch have added complications. The case materials are rugged and typically feature screw down crowns. The crystals must be very tough for extreme environments. Field Watches usually have canvas, leather or nylon straps.
The 1918 Waltham Depollier Field & Marine Waterproof Wristwatch checks every one of these boxes and was the
very first to do so, 108 years ago.
This is why in 1918 the United States War Department purchased 10,000 Field & Marines from Charles Depollier, purchased contract number 160615. The 1918 Waltham Depollier Field & Marine was in fact the world's very first waterproof wristwatch
MIL-SPEC.
The 1918 Waltham Depollier Field & Marine Waterproof Wristwatch is the archetype of the Field Watch genre.
Field Watches now account for approximately 32% of the North American wristwatch market according to the 2025 report published by Research Intelo.
Thank you Mr. Depollier, your innovations and namesake that launched the Field Watch genre still echo loudly with the
millions of Field Watches that have been made around the world.
