1886
- For the first time watches are awarded the Geneva Seal (also called: Geneva hallmark, Poinçon de Genève) by the Geneva test office Bureau Officiel de l'Etat pour le contrôle facultatif of montres de Genève, as a quality seal.
- The German watch manufacturer Junghans starts the production of pocket watches, but suffers several setbacks at the beginning.
- Alfred Helwig, the later inventor of the flying tourbillon, is born on 5 July 1886 in Goldbach/Niederlausitz (Germany).