John Harwood (watchmaker)
John Harwood (1893–1964) was a British watchmaker who invented a self-winding wristwatch.[1][2]
Early life
Harwood was born in Bolton, Lancashire. During World War I he served as an armoury staff sergeant, developing an automatic pistol and a screwdriver whose blade turned on impact.
Career
After the war he served a watchmaking apprenticeship with Hirst Brothers and Co of Oldham. In 1922 he moved to the Isle of Man to set up his own watch repair business.[3]
In 1923, supported by a local businessman, he developed a self-winding wristwatch and applied for a
Awards and honours
In 1957 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the British Horological Institute.[5]
Trivia
John Harwood had a son, John (d. 13 August 2019), who followed his father's career, becoming too, a horologist, initially in Harrow, Middlesex, before moving to Dunster, Somerset, where he maintained a shop for many years.
References
- ^ Harwood biography
- ^ Watkins, Richard. "The Origins of Self-Winding Watches, 1773 to 1779".
- ^ "Fortis: 100 years in the making". Retrieved 16 May 2012.
- ^ "The Harwood Pioneer Automatic Wristwatch". Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
- ^ "wrist-watch; self-winding watch; watch-case | British Museum". The British Museum. Retrieved 8 December 2020.