Pocket Watches... extinct? or stylin?

[Al "Shifty" Schultz]

Reading the article about Rolex in the latest issue of FE got me thinking about the old school pocket watches. I have a few, and to be honest when I'm suited up for a very formal event, I've often worn one, similar to cufflinks, tie clasp, etc. It just seems fitting. My oldest pocket watch was my Great Grandfather's, it's silver and he purchased it in 1897 to celebrate the birth of my grandfather. It actually takes a small key to wind it up!
I have another silver one with a silver Liberty Half Dollar mounted in the cover from the 1940's. Generally, they sit on a shelf in my Sin Cellar along with some old rare coins, and some silver and gold bars.
Anyone else have any old school pocket watches? Or occasionally wear them for "formal" occasions?

 

[safetekk]

They're cool as hell but I hate having shit in my pockets. If I need something to play with I'll poke a hole in one of them.

 

[gibsonknives]

I’ve got an old Hamilton 992 lever set railroad pocket watch size 16 from 1918. Was a gift from a dear old friend before he passed. I’ll get it out of the safe tomorrow and share some
Pics

 

[Milo'sSyndicate]

I have a ton of them around here in a basket somewhere, were my Grandfather's and his Father's.....

 

[gibsonknives]

Here’s a couple pics of the Hamilton Lever set railroad pocket watch. In the second pic you can see the crystal/bezel has been removed to reveal the lever at around 1:00 which is raised to allow the time to be set. Once set your lower the lever, replace the bezel and wind the watch

 

[Steven Donovan]

I was just going to say... the old railroad style pocket watches, especially in the old Hamilton line... very very nice pieces.

 

[Jake V]

I think they are awesome and have been tempting me. I’ve also been watching a few companies that turn old pocket pieces into wrist watches. Vortix, Fret co

 

[Al "Shifty" Schultz]

Here’s a couple pics of the Hamilton Lever set railroad pocket watch. In the second pic you can see the crystal/bezel has been removed to reveal the lever at around 1:00 which is raised to allow the time to be set. Once set your lower the lever, replace the bezel and wind the watch

Very cool!

 

[John Kleespies]

When I was younger (up until my mid-thirties) I didn't like the feel of wristwatches so I always wore pocket watches. Like @safetekk I don't care for a bunch of stuff in my pockets, but I found that if I kept it on a perfectly lengthed chain looped to my belt, it would literally hang in my pocket rather than sit in it, and it felt like nothing was there.

A few times over the years, I tried going back to them, but the advent of iphone-style smart phones (aka, my mid-thirties) has turned those into my new pocket watch and so an old-school pocket watch seems redundant. So, to answer the original question "Are pocket watches still stylin'?" the honest answer is yes, because literally everyone is using them... they're just called cell phones now.

In an ironic twist for me, I'm a school administrator and we've now established rules where students aren't allowed to have their cell phones out during the day. For this reason, I'm forcing myself to wear a wristwatch so as not to break the rule that I've set upon my students while I'm out doing yard duty... and I'm constantly checking to see how much longer until the bell rings! It's gotten to the point where I'm mostly okay with a wristwatch, and I'm actually looking at some of the "real" ones, like a Seiko Automatic... maybe if I find a used one that will make the price more palatable. There will be no Rolex's in my future.