Featured French Wrist Watch

I acquired this little gem a few years ago. I was going to keep it but unfortunately I'm one of those people who ruins watches when I wear them - they stop - so I'm going to list it for sale, then someone who loves it can wear it.
It's silver, has the French crab mark, and another that I can't make out. It's marked inside "Hinard à Villedieu-les-Poêles". I know where Villedieu-les-Poêles is - it's not far from me, and famous for its copper pans (its name translates loosely as 'God's town of the pans' ). I believe 'Hinard' might have been a jeweller (bijoutier) rather than the watchmaker. I've traced a Marc Hinard, bijoutier, born in 1888 and resident there in 1912. It works, and I had it cleaned by a local jeweller/watchmaker.
However my knowledge of watches is virtually nil, so I wonder if I could call upon the expertise of those in here if they could offer any further information.
Now - the odd thing. It doesn't show any sign of having been 'converted' from a pendant to a wrist watch but the number 12 (XII) is next to the winder, so, when it's on the wrist, it's a quarter turn round from where wrist watches normally sit.

 

Paging @afantiques

 

that looks like a normal Swiss pocket watch which was altered to a wristwatch for motor car drivers.

 

Lovely.

 

Could it be a watch designed for a left-handed person, to be worn on the right-hand wrist?

 

That was my first thought (not the motor car drivers, there weren't many of those about in the period when this was probably made). But I can't see any evidence of its having been altered.
I did wonder whether early wristwatches would have had the numbers positioned like this until makers realised it would be easier to have them a quarter-turn anti-clockwise.

 

It would still be in the 'wrong' position.
I've always worn watches on my right wrist (once digital ones were invented!); the numbers are still the right way up...

 

The decorated back... Ditto for old transformation, with carefully soldered lugs; the crown too is a replacement and its "foot" has been shortened.

J'aime beaucoup la traduction style "Sky! My husband" de Villedieu-les-Poêles"!

 

Bit more info - I realise I didn't specify its size. The dial is just under 1" diameter (23mm), so it's quite small and the strap isn't really long enough for a man's wrist. (I know men vary in size...) A lady's watch. The person I bought it from said it belonged to her great-grandmother.

 

maybe a lady's watch, why not. but look once at the position you hold the steering wheel in a 1920s oldtimer. it may even be that she wore it inside the wrist or on top of the wrist; on those old cars you had no time to unclasp the steering wheel and look at the watch. no servo steering.

 

1920s Driver's watches designed as such, had articulated lugs, allowing the watch to be worn on the edge of the wrist, facing the driver
https://boomertime.com/solditems/T3830/T3830.htm

 

Oh, that's clever!

 

this is a transitional wire lug or "trench" watch, I believe they were all like this before somebody figured out moving the #12 90 degrees. AFAIK the "trench" name relates to the beginning of wristwatches, i.e. WW1.

 

Trench watches had a metal cover, pierced, over the dial. The term is specific but widely misused.

This is an early conversion or adaptation as you can see from the pin-set movement, very unusual for a wristwatch. There were no conventions for early wristwatches, thigs took 20 years to settle down to a standard format.
Anything that worked was made and sold, and some conversions used older watches like this one.

An early driver's or pilots watch would be worn over clothing, no air-con then, just lots of leather coats.

 

Thank you @afantiques - now I know there's a name for that method of setting the hands. Do you think its age ties in with the jeweller that I traced (born 1888, resident in the town in 1912)?

 

I'd say the movement is as old as the jeweller, but there is no knowing when they first met.
1912 is as likely a date as any. The older movement may have been used for sentimental reasons.

 

This is a "real" trench watch. I spent a small fortune having it cleaned & repaired, so I could pass it on to my son. (Sentimental value & all that...) It belonged to his GG-grandfather during WWI (and is engraved on the back with name & dates.)

My son treasures it, and even wore it for his wedding this past October:

 

Very nice @SBSVC - have you seen the movie "1917" by any chance? I spotted a few trench watches in that film (an amazing film BTW)

 

Yes, I have seen it - I thought it was wonderful!

When I was growing up in New England, my education in history was sadly lacking...

We had American History umpteen times over the years, and it was always the same: started with "the explorers" and went on thru the Industrial Revolution, with a heavy, heavy focus on the American Revolution. Most times, we never even made it to the Civil War before "running out of time" for that school year.

As for World History, forget it! Ancient History, yes, but relevant, more recent world history? Not a whit...

(Meanwhile, at the age of 23, I married a Military Historian. Over the years, he has been able to answer just about ANY history question I've ever asked!)

Anyway, as an adult, I began reading about WWI and WWII - and Korea - and Vietnam - assiduously. Honestly, I knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the first three, but since I lived thru the Vietnam era, I had a slightly better grasp on things. To this day, I read all sorts of books about the wars of the 20th century, and I occasionally supplement it all with a film or two.

Thanks for asking!