Pocket Watches – Back in Fashion

Click the picture to see all pocket watches

Pocket watches have jumped back into the fashion consciousness. They pre-date wrist watches and are generally associated with formal attire. But now we are noticing a big increase in the numbers of pocket watches that are being searched for and bought. The pocket watch has had a long history starting in the 16^th century when horological technology advanced so much that it could be contained in small instruments.

At that point only the very wealthy could afford a pocket watch and they became a status symbol for successful people. The first watches were actually pendant watches, they were too bulky to fit comfortable inside a pocket. Pendant watches have also made a comeback in the last few months, although they are now much smaller, designed not out of necessity but to create style.

The pocket watch has had a makeover as well. The first were really quite inaccurate, normally gaining at least an hour a day. Pocket watches used to be without exception mechanical, this meant that every day they had to be wound up. Some pocket watches are still mechanical often with the complex internal machinery exposed so that you can see it working. These kind of mechanical pocket watches are known as either full hunter pocket watches or half hunter pocket watches, depending on how much of the mechanics are visible.  The look of these mechanical pocket watches is very traditional and ties in with the lean towards vintage fashion that is currently a staple of the fashion world.

Watch makers are now also making some contemporary quartz pocket watches. The design of these pocket watches tends to be less ornate and smoother, with the designers tending to go for modern snake chains rather than the traditional open link watch chains. We recently added a new collection of pocket watches to Find Watches and have received a good response to them. Whereas a pocket watch used to be an expensive purchase they are now affordable and accessible to the fashion conscious youth.

All this goes to show that fashion often looks back whilst moving forward. Classic style is back in fashion and we think that pocket watches look suave and are perfect for the range of social events that the summer has to offer.

If you would like to look at our current collection of pocket watches please follow the link.