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Pocket watches aren’t nearly as popular as wristwatches nowadays, but they’re arguably just as cool if you’re into horology. Sure, you can’t wear them on your wrist, but the finishing on some of these pocket watches, at a fraction of the price of a comparable wristwatch, is hard to beat. You can find enamel dials, temperature-blued hands, and hand-finishing on movements. All of this will set you back maybe a couple hundred bucks, as opposed to thousands (or maybe tens-of-thousands) for those features on a modern wristwatch. Pocket watches need love, too, especially American pocket watches.
American Pocket Watches – The Most Bang For Your Buck
I love American pocket watches, because they’re usually highly-finished and won’t break the bank. I reviewed two of my personal favorites in the below video – including the heirloom Hamilton pocket watch I’ve already written about previously.
I typically find myself browsing for American pocket watches from Waltham, Illinois, Hamilton, and Elgin. They’re just so cool. The only thing that really stops me from adding more of them to my collection is the fact I can’t wear them on my wrist.
Waltham introduced the system of interchangeable parts to the watch industry. This innovative system allowed it to become one of the first watchmakers in the world to mass produce a complete watch all by itself. This also allowed it to churn out quality watches at affordable prices. Florentine Ariosto Jones (an American) took the American watchmaking system originally established by Waltham and ran with it. He moved to Switzerland and founded IWC in Schaffhausen.
Before the Quartz Crisis, and even before the rise in popularity of Swiss brands in the US, American watchmaking was a powerhouse industry. Some brands like Hamilton are obviously still around and popular, but under Swiss ownership.
Swiss Pocket Watches Are Cool, Too
The third pocket watch in my stable is actually Swiss – an Omega that was gifted to me by my wife’s family. This one came all the way from Prague.
This Omega has a cool 24 hour dial, which is also done in enamel. I like the idea of owning an Omega pocket watch specifically, because the company actually took the modern name “OMEGA” from its 19-ligne ‘Omega’ calibre – a pocket watch movement – that it released in 1894. Prior to the release of this movement, the company was called Louis Brandt & Frère. The pocket watch is literally foundational to Omega’s history and brand, therefore.
Like the movements produced by the American-watchmaker Waltham, this “Omega” caliber utilized interchangeable parts, and was one of the first Swiss movements produced on a modern production line. This was revolutionary for the company and the Swiss industry, as it not only allowed for mass production of the movement itself, but it also meant wide availability and access to parts, making the repair and servicing of movements feasible on a global scale.
Wrapping Things Up
Pocket watches are really great for what they are, and they’re jam-packed with horological history. For a few hundred Dollars, you can score a pretty sweet Waltham pocket watch. You can hold a piece of watchmaking history in your hands, produced by a company that introduced the world to the American watchmaking system.
This led to the creation of one of the most celebrated brands in the world, IWC. It’s also probable that it sparked the flames for Omega’s first mass-produced movement (as well as its name). This is why I think pocket watches should get more love from the watch community as a whole. On the bright-side, however, I think that the lack of interest makes these watches undervalued (in a day and age where wristwatches are getting increasingly expensive).