Wrist compasses generally emerge at the end of the 19th C and start of the 20th C. Early on they were created by putting a couple of strap lugs onto a pocket watch style compass. This trend lasted for the first half of the 20th century. The first example is a Swiss made compass for the English market and the Variation mark would date it to about 1895.
The following is an example of a Cold War era wrist compass from the former USSR.
Later wrist compasses evolved for the outdoor market.
During the 1960’s and 1970’s the market for wrist compasses was increasingly satisfied by Japanese suppliers.
Towards the end of the 20th C and early 21st C wristwatch compasses were popular, where the watch movement case flips up to reveal a compass.
