Pocket watches, meant to be carried in the pocket as opposed to wrist watches strapped to the wrist, were popular till the end of the nineteenth century. Today, pocket watches are popular as collectors’ items.
Some records date the existence of pocket watches to as far back as the fifteenth century. Pocket watches were popular in Italy, Germany, England and other European countries by the early seventeenth century, and became immensely popular in the United States in the second half of the nineteenth century. However, the usage of pocket watches declined by the early twentieth century, although there were brief resurgences of their usage after the second world war and in the early 80s.
A pocket watch typically has a dial covered with crystal, with a chain to secure the watch to the coat or the lapel. The face of the watch may or may not be covered. The pocket watch where the face and the crystal are covered is called a ‘hunter-case’ pocket watch. The cover is spring-hinged and can be made of metals like gold, nickel, etc. Pocket watches also differ by the type of watch movement. The earliest watches had watch-keys to wind the watch and set the time. These were then replaced by watches where winding and adjusting time was done with the help of the crown of the watch. Some types of watches even had a lever or a pin to the set the time.
Pocket watches are of several types. Some are vintage pocket watches made decades or even centuries ago, while there are new pocket watches made in modern times also. Vintage pocket watches have originated in different countries but most vintage pocket watches collected today have their roots in the US. Some of the famous vintage US pocket watch makes include Hamilton, Waltham, Ball, Illinois, Hampden and Elgin.
Modern pocket watches are manufactured in several countries like France, UK and USA. Some modern pocket watch manufacturers are Camero and Jean Marcel of Switzerland, Charles-Hubert of France and Colibri of UK.
Today, pocket watches are great reminders of the charm of the old world when the pace of life was less hectic. The beauty and detailing of a pocket watch stands out in contrast to most of the mass-produced watches of today. To own a pocket watch is to preserve a piece of history from oblivion.
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