How to Wear Pocket Watches

In the modern age, a timepiece is the most important part of our life. Our journey of life depends on time. Let us talk about the age when timepieces were not invented and how they evolved.

The invention of sundial took place before 1500 B.C. and from there began the measurement of time. The Egyptians broke the time in 12 parts considering the sun’s activity. 

Pocket Clock/Watches

These watches were made to carry in the pocket and were called men’s pocket watch. These came into existence in the 16th century and became popular from then onwards. These watches used to have a big dial that was attached with a chain to secure. Although the accuracy was poor in those days the technology gave way to new developments. Earlier they were bulky and were of egg-shaped. The front case was round to protect the dial and covers were decorated with the grill so that people could see the time without opening the cover. 

Types of Pocket Watches

The pocket watches were of two types. One is the open face and another is the hunter pocket watch. Open face watches have a winding knob on the top of the dial and at the bottom of the second dial. Whereas the hunter watches have a hinged metal cover for their protection from damage. 

Mechanism of Pocket Watch

It has primarily five major components: a main spring, a gear train, a balance wheel, an escapement mechanism, and a clock face. The mainspring gets compressed when a pocket watch is wound, the mechanical energy produced is used the power the watch. The mainspring is attached to a cylindrical barrel with gear teeth. The gear teeth help in rotating the four wheels attached to one another and additional gear teeth. The centre wheel is attached to the barrel which helps in the escapement mechanism. 

The escapement mechanism is a pendulum move back and forth motion with every rotation of the centre wheel. This is because one end of the escapement mechanism is attached to the balance wheel, therefore helps in the movement of the escapement mechanism in regular interval, thereby allowing the watch to keep time.

Pocket watches are a surely classy and impressive accessory, but nowadays pocket watches have been superseded by wristwatches and smartwatches. 

Combining the features of pocket watches with modern design, called as wristlet came into existence as people find wristwatches more easily accessible than one kept in the pocket. However, pocket watches have high vintage value depicting the history and embrace the art and fashion of the Victorian era, when they were nearly ubiquitous. 

Give and Take is one of the renowned online suppliers of watches where you can find every brand of watches and clocks ranging from Casio watches for men to Elizabeth Rose for women. Their beautiful collection of timepieces also includes pocket watches.

Styles of pocket watches

The subject of pocket watches has always been intriguing after all the pocket watch was the world's first wearable tech game changer. Pocket watch has been one of the most revolutionary creations in the history of mankind. The pocket watches are taking the market once again by storm.

Pocket watches are available in so many designs, styles and sizes in the market. Let’s learn about them.

Open Faced Watches

In an open-faced watch, there is no metal cover to protect the crystal. The time can be read without removing the case. It is characteristic for an open-faced watch to have the pendant located at 12:00 and the sub-second dial located at 6:00. Traditionally the stem would be located above the ''12'', allowing the owner to hold the watch by the pendant and read the time. This style of pocket watch used to get broken as its face was made of porcelain during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Now the revived timepieces are quite chic and sturdy.

Full Hunter Case Watches

A hunter-case pocket watch is a case with a spring-hinged circular metal lid or cover, which closes over the watch-dial and crystal, protecting them from dust, scratches and other damage. In England fox hunting men found it easy to open their watch and read the time with one hand, while holding the reins of their hunter horse in the other hand. And from there, the name hunter case was derived.

In those old days, hunter-case watches have the lid-hinges at the 9 o'clock position and the stem, crown and bow of the watch at the 3 o'clock position. Contemporary hunter-case pocket watches usually have the hinges for the lid at the 6 o'clock position and the stem, crown and bow at the 12 o'clock position, as with open-face watches.

Half Hunter Case Watches

With full hunter case watches, time-keeping was a bit difficult as the cover had to be opened every time the person wanted to check the time, and this is why the half-hunter was created. The half hunter pocket watch has a cover that has a crystal, glass or hole through which the owner can see the hands of the watch without opening it.

Double Hunter

The features of double hunter pocket watch are similar to the full hunter pocket watch. The front face of the pocket watch is covered with a protective lid. In case of the double hunter pocket watch, there is a lid which opens on the back of the pocket watch also. It is provided so that the mechanical movements of the pocket watch can be viewed. Also, it makes the pocket watch easy to stand on its own so that the time can easily be read. On double hunter pocket watches, the ''12'' would be located just below the stem of the pocket watch, which would mean when the watch is sitting on its own, the time would be facing the correct way.

Double Half Hunter

The double half hunter pocket watch is a blend of the double hunter and the half hunter pocket watches. It used to have a front and back hinged-lid which fully opens. Also, like the half hunter pocket watch, it has a window on the front lid of the pocket watch which enables the owner to view the dial of the pocket watch, with a protective covering to prevent the dial from being damaged. With these pocket watches you can also view a mechanical movements from the front or the back of the pocket watch.