Welcome vaporist for this new article of Steampunk Store. Since we are not all collectors or antique dealers, we decided to talk about pocket watches and their origins. You can also consult on your online store the guide: How to Wear a Pocket Watch?
Welcome to the story of an iconic timepiece
Let's put ourselves back in the historical context to visualize and understand the daily time of men and people in the ancient world. With the stars as reference points, which will define the seasons, we will start using the hourglass. Naturally, the sun and the candle will also be used at night. The candle that will allow during a theater for example, to define the beginning and the end of a first act. A reliable way to count the hours, although a little restrictive.
An accessory appeared in the 16th century when mechanical elements began to become more refined, the pocket watch . The pocket watch is this small pocket located inside a jacket and which therefore allowed the watch to be stored. In addition to its function of measuring time, it was long considered an accessory in the dandy style and intended for the upper class. The wealthiest people had pocket watches that matched the clothes of the time, especially the suit , they were used to distinguish men and assess their rank in society.
This jewel was admired and had an inestimable value in the eyes of its owner. According to tradition, a watch was part of a man's inheritance , to be passed down from generation to generation. This is why today, only a few rare people still own an original pocket watch .
The advent of the mechanical pocket watch
The most beautiful pieces are made of gold , silver . Argentan is also widely used. It is an alloy with zinc and copper that will simply copy the look of silver. Then come the more modern watches that use stainless steel , steel , because it is stainless. By the way, for the little anecdote, there was a way to know if a person would make a good watchmaker or not. This person had to touch a metal point, take it in hand, turn it in all directions. He was asked to come back a week later, if the point touched was rusty, he could not claim this profession.
The peak of pocket watch manufacturing was the 19th century during the Victorian era. The democratization of the object as well as the industrial revolution allowed the bourgeois environment to take themselves for gentlemen . The period was conducive to the most beautiful achievements. Musical pocket watches were born, for example, which could be used as an alarm clock… the distant ancestor of our current smartphones (or almost). The first mass-produced collector's watches were born. The work done on certain models where it is possible to see all the chiseled and moving parts is superb. This was the birth of mechanical watches called skeletons .
We will often find white enamel dials , the generalization of three hands and see the appearance of the first complicated watches . These are technological feats because already holding the second with the second hand was not an easy task. For the time these watches have a hand for the date, the choice of the day and the choice of the month and even the moon phase. The crown which allows the watch to be wound and which will ensure that the balance and the spring are at their maximum load is also more and more worked. The force is constant and will then make this ticking called the escapement . Note that the case , as beautiful as it is, has only one main purpose, to protect the balance and the precision mechanism .
The wristwatch and pendant watch for men or women?
Historically, men only wore pocket watches . The first wristwatches and pendant watches were reserved for women . The smaller size was nice, but the taste for precision was sorely lacking among men, making it mainly an object of fashion and refinement .
Men's Pocket Watch: Choose Authenticity
It was not until almost the First World War that a radical change in this custom took place. Indeed, on a battlefield, to synchronize squads and especially the first planes, soldiers began to use them for their practical side where one could monitor the time on one's wrist at a glance. Having become indispensable, the wristwatch then experienced intensive industrialization, gradually causing our magnificent vintage and steampunk watches to disappear (well, not entirely fortunately).
Quartz or mechanical watch, manual or automatic?
When you turn the crown : if it turns in a vacuum it is a quartz watch. If you feel a little resistance it is a mechanical watch . The quartz watch has a battery and will last less time since it has electronic components.
There is a choice between the classic mechanical watch range with manual winding or the automatic mechanical watch range. The mechanical watch with manual winding: it is necessary to regularly wind the watch manually by turning the crown.
The automatic mechanical watch : the watch is wound by the movements of its owner's wrist. A rotor or "weight" (half-disc) turns on its axis through each movement and winds the timepiece. It is nevertheless possible to wind it manually if necessary.
Why wear a hand-wound pocket watch?
Now we all have our phone or our smartwatches ... but nothing beats a pocket watch with work on it, which certainly cost a little more but is a beautiful vintage object , sometimes a transmission of time. It is a beautiful heritage to pass on from father to son, from mother to daughter.
Look at modern objects as they are disposable, they rarely last more than five years. Watches made according to the rules of the art, with the quality of the rubies and other precious stones used, prevent the alteration of the movement and the movements from stopping and breaking. The materials used were very very solid.
Here you go,treat yourself to a simple and pretty pocket watch first, you will learn to appreciate this old-fashioned and precious object and will also become, like us, passionate about these styles of designer accessories with a timeless look that goes so well with steampunk .
