With the introduction of the wrist-watch in the years leading up to World War I, and then the development of the quartz mechanism that made mechanic winding watches largely obsolete, pocket watches were relegated to the back seat in the watch world.

When did pocket watches stop being used?

A modern mans going to wear a wristwatch.” By the Great Depression, wristwatch production had eclipsed pocket-watch production; by World War II, the pocket watch was obsolete. The Great War, as one U.S. paper put it in 1919, had “made the world safe for men who wear wrist-watches.”

Where are pocket watches kept?

waistcoat pocket The pocket watch is placed in your waistcoat pocket and the chain is passed through a button hole. The end of the chain, or the fob, is tucked into your other waistcoat pocket.

How old is the oldest pocket watch?

The oldest pocket watch that still works is the spherical Melanchthon Watch from 1530, belonging to Philipp Melanchton. Its 48mm diameter would run between 12-16 hours on one winding. Its engraving is in German, but translated to English it reads; Philipp Melanchthon. To God alone the glory.

How long should a pocket watch chain be?

The chain is fastened around the wearers neck by connecting the swivel clasp from one of the arms (normally used to attach a watch or fob) to another section of the chain. In general, chains worn in this manner should be at least 15 long for a short choker style, and 16 or longer for a looser necklace.