21 years: 2005 - 2026

Blog: Gay Frères ‘Army’ bracelet

First published: 31 January 2026, last updated 13 March 2026.

I make additions and corrections to this web site frequently but, because they are buried somewhere on one of the pages, the changes are not very noticeable. I decided to create this blog to highlight new material.

Note that these articles also get updated, especially soon after they are posted when additional information may be added. Check the “last updated” date to see when the article was last updated.

The section below about the hammer with handle mystery is from the page about Gay Frères.

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‘Army’ Bracelet

Brook & Son advertisement for ‘Army’ Bracelet, December 1918
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Swiss trade press advert for Gay frères ‘Army’ Bracelet, November 1917
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Watch with silver ‘Army’ Bracelet
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On 20 September 1916, Gay Frères registered the word ‘Army’ as a Swiss trademark. This was used for expanding bracelets intended for trench watches.

The advertisement from a Swiss watch trade newspaper by Gay Frères in November 1917 says that the design was both patented and registered (breveté et déposé).

Gay Frères were granted a number of patents for expanding bracelets or ‘bracelets extensible’, two in 1911 and one in 1913.

The Army bracelet design was registered in Britain, receiving the Registered Design (RD) number 657662 on 22 September 1916. This can be seen stamped onto one of the expanding links of the bracelet in the advert from 1918 by Brook & Son of Edinburgh, with the trademark ‘Army’ on the other expanding link.

The bracelet consists of two lengths of chain that clip onto the lugs of a watch case. Joining these chains are two hollow sections, each made of two pieces, one of which can slide within the other. Between the sliding sections are spiral springs which compress as the watch and bracelet are slid over the hand, and then expand to provide the tension that holds the watch on the wrist.

Advertisements for the Army bracelet appeared quite late in the war. The earliest known mention of the bracelet by Brook & Son was in June 1918, advertisements with pictures appear to have begun in December 1918, after the war was over. The Army bracelet was also advertised by Birch & Gaydon, the earliest known advert from April 1918.

Two of these bracelets have been seen, both made of silver, although not marked as such. The Gay Frères advert shows two alternatives for the clip that secures the bracelet to the watch's lugs. Only the type shown on the right, and in the Brook & Son advert, has been seen.

Despite the effusive claim in the Brook & Son advert that the bracelet is ‘Far superior to the best leather strap’, they are quite rare, which suggests that they didn't sell very well. One reason for this may be that, although the name and design were registered in 1916, it seems to have been some time before the bracelet was advertised. The earliest known adverts are from 1918. The other reason might be that it looked like a lady's bracelet and, given that men were only just getting used to the idea of wearing wristwatches, anything that made them look delicate and feminine would not appeal to the majority of men.