In today’s market it became a rare occurrence to encounter someone with a pocket watch. This is understandable, since the wristwatch seems much more convenient. After all we do not live in the 19th century anymore, now do we? Even wristwatches seem to be falling out of fashion. These intricate pieces are slowly being absorbed by our smartphones or smart watches. I would urge you to reconsider and not abandon these accessories for a phone. Yes, you gain convenience, however you lose on style and also, surely it’s not that bothersome to look at a nice watch. However let us explore wristwatches in another post. Today we will be focusing on our old friend the pocket watch.
The pocket watch has been around for a while and has quite a rich history. The design of one of my pocket watches even has a legend that Napoleon created that style of a watch. There are four main designs or styles:
First and foremost we have the simplest open face watch. This one is quite self-explanatory in its design. Just like any pocket watch it features a chain and that’s pretty much it. This type of watch does not have a cover or anything close to a lid. Personally I tend to avoid these watches because they tend to scratch quite easily, they are however the oldest design and so one can find many vintage variations.
On we go to the full hunter. We get this one from the fact that many aristocrats tended to use the pocket watch to tell the time while on the hunt. Full hunters are probably the most widespread watches. They feature a cover. This is the start of the pocket watch that people flick open in a cool manner. The cover also provides resilience and so protects the face of your precious watch.
Now we get to my personal favorite, the half-hunter. This design comes with the legend that Napoleon was once in battle and became very annoyed with the fact that he had to open his watch all the time to check the time. In a fit of rage he grabbed the case and cut a hole on the cover so he could still see the hands. This is what this watch provides. We still get that fancy case and cover action, but it is also much quicker to note the time. Unlike Napoleon’s the hole on the case is covered in protective glass.
Lastly we have the watch for the life of the party type person. Along comes the double-hunter. So we are familiar with the fact that when you press the button on the crown of the watch, the cover springs up and uncovers the face. Well this one has to covers, for the face as well as the back. This type a watch looks very nice and will definitely attract some attention. This one, however takes a lot of confidence to pull off well. Also a personal problem I have with it is its potential fragility. If you buy a good watch it will not break just from existing, however I personally always get a bit uneasy and do not feel as well donning one of those, but that’s just a preference.
Today watches have three main mechanisms. We have the quartz powered boy that requires a battery change every once in a while. There are the self-winding ones that get powered by your movement. Lastly we have the mechanical watches that need to be wound up every day. Quartz has the advantage of being everywhere so therefore will give you a very wide selection. However if you buy a fancy watch you’ll be stuck going to change the battery, because I doubt you’ll go around digging in that fancy beast. Self-winding mechanisms are more prevalent in wristwatches since you need movement for the winding to occur and the pocket watch does not move around much when it’s in your pocket. My personal recommendation is the mechanical build. First of all you will carry a very fancy instrument with many gears that just screams precision. Also you’ll just have to turn the crown for a few times and that’s it, making this watch the ultimate sign of independence.
Most watches come with the chain, but in some cases you are asked to choose between a belt chain and a waistcoat one. If you only plan wearing the watch with a waistcoat than absolutely go for the latter option. I prefer the belt chain. With it you can wear your watch as long as you have a pocket to put it in. It is very unusual for someone to sell pocket watches without the chain. If that is the case or maybe you just do not like the chain provided by the seller, feel free to replace it, just do not commit a crime like a golden chain with a silver watch.
Overall pocket watches are very different, however at the same time extremely similar, so most sellers provide a small information slip with the relevant things to do to keep your watch in perfect condition. Should that not be the case, do not be afraid to ask. The sellers who deal with classical fashion and accessories are usually happy that someone is taking an interest in their products and provide you with great care.
Last piece of advice is to look at the price. Do not go on the extremely cheap. Those watches don’t hold long and literally fall apart. I am a loyal customer of Mount Royal. They make great quality products that are also quite reasonably priced. What I would not encourage you to do is buying a watch of one of major brands that mostly deal in clothing. They tend not to offer great quality as well as esthetics, so you mostly pay for the brand’s name on a mediocre watch.
Now feel free to do what you want, but another thing I would encourage you to do. Buy a fancy pocket watch, but do so to celebrate an achievement, something important, or to signify something personal. This will make that simple timepiece so much more valuable. It will also remind you ever day of the reason why you bought it.
No go and buy a fancy pocket watch, you beautiful gentleman!