Pocket watches, which disappeared after the advent of the wrist watch in the early part of the last century, are making a POCKET WATCH quiet comeback as a style and status symbol. Almost all major luxury watch brands now have a line of pocket watches. Unlike a century ago, the modern pocket watch can be hooked to a belt hoop and stored in the trouser pocket. If you are the waist coat type, hook it the old-fashioned way using a vest chain. So, if you are looking for a new accessory to raise your style quotient, here are a range of pocket watches, most of which you can buy, and others that you can admire.
BLANCPAIN VILLERET 0151-3631
This pocket watch has a 44.55 mm half-hunter case (enabling one to see time through the outer lid) in 18K red gold and a self-winding movement with a power reserve of 40 hours.
AUDEMARS PIGUET CLASSIQUE POCKET WATCH
It comes in a 59 mm, 18K gold hunting watch case and features a perpetual calendar with minute repeater, split time chronograph, hours, minutes and small seconds. It also has a hand-wound mechanical movement.
BREGUET POCKET WATCH 1907
This is a typical double hunter pocket watch, which features a protective lid each on the front and back of the case. It is a ‘Grande Complication’ watch in a 56.5 mm, 18K yellow case featuring a grand strike and a tourbillon. The strike hammers are visible in two apertures at 7.30. It has a hand-wound movement with a power reserve of 50 hours.
VACHERON CONSTANTIN REFERENCE 57260
This double dial horological masterwork was specially created for an anonymous buyer two years ago. It is the most complicated watch ever made, with 57 complications, 10 patents, 31 hands, 2,826 individual components and 242 jewels, packed into its 98 mm, 18K white gold case that weighs 957 grams. It took eight years and 85 different prototypes to create the time piece.
CARTIER ELEPHANT POCKET WATCH
It is a high jewellery secret hour elephant décor pocket and pendant watch, with a quartz movement. It comes in a rhodiumized 18K white gold case and pendant set with 63 briolette-cut brown diamonds (9.42 carats), 5 rose-cut brown diamonds (0.52 carats), 1 round-shaped brown diamond and 769 brilliant-cut diamonds (11.55 carats), with 1 brilliant-cut diamond hour marker at 12 o’clock.
IWC SAVONNETTE LADY‘S POCKET WATCH
This historic piece from 1909 is in 18K rosé gold with diamonds. The Calibre 64 is a hand-wound movement.
JAQUET DROZ POCKET WATCH PAILLONNÉE
It comes in a 50 mm, 18K red gold case with an 18K red gold chain and has a Paillonné dial in blue Grand Feu enamel. Features include hand-winding mechanical movement and a power reserve of 40 hours.
PIAGET HIGH JEWELLERY POCKET WATCH
This high jewllery watch from 1981 with a hand-wound skeleton movement comes in a case made from yellow gold and rock crystal set with 221 diamonds (approx. 6.86 cts) and 314 rubies (approx. 92.02 cts).
ROGER DUBUIS HOMMAGE MILLÉSIME POCKET WATCH
Part of a Roger Dubuis homage project to watch making skills of the late 19th and early 20th century, which will use restored vintage movements from that period as the base to create new watches. This first watch in the series uses a restored mechanical hand-winding movement called Calibre RD181 that incorporates a minute repeater, bi- retrograde perpetual calendar and chronograph. It comes in a 60 mm, pink gold case with Roger Dubuis’ signature hand engraved on the case back. The sapphire crystal dial has pink gold counters.
BELL & ROSS PW1 HERITAGE WHITE DIAL
A vintage-looking watch with basic functions, it comes in a 49 mm, glass bead blasted steel case with PVD finish. It boasts of manual winding mechanical movement.
MONTBLANC COLLECTION VILLERET TOURBILLON CYLINDRIQUE POCKET WATCH 110 YEARS EDITION
This world timer with 24-hour time zone display with day/night indication for the Southern and Northern Hemispheres comes in a 60 mm, 18K white gold case. It is powered by a hand-wound mechanical movement with a one-minute tourbillon. The power reserve is of 48 hours.
HYT SKULL POCKET
A fluid-driven watch in a 59 mm titanium and black DLC titanium case with a customisable, leather-embossed cover. It displays time through green retrograde fluidic hours and seconds. The manual winding mechanical movement has a power reserve of 65 hours.
PANERAI POCKET WATCH 3 DAYS ORO ROSSO – 50 MM
It comes in a 50 mm, 18K polished red gold case with an 18K polished red gold chain and is powered by a hand-wound mechanical movement with a power reserve of 72 hours. There is a hinged cover at the back.
BAUME & MERCIER CLIFTON 1830 FIVE-MINUTE REPEATER POCKET WATCH
A five-minute chiming watch that comes in an 18K red gold case. The chime is activated by a trigger at 4 o’clock. The transparent case-back reveals the hand-wound skeleton movement. The power reserve is 46 hours.
TISSOT SAVONNETTE
The name comes from a French word for pocket watches with a back and front cover. This piece is the reinterpretation of a model that dates back to the 1930s. It comes in a 48.5 mm golden and palladium brass case and is powered by a quartz movement with a battery end-of-life (EOL) indicator.
LONGINES RAILROAD POCKET WATCH
Inspired by the railway clocks of the late 19th and early 20th century, this watch with the basic function of hours, minutes and seconds features a railway-style minute track on the dial. It comes in a 49.5 mm steel case and is powered by a manual-winding movement. The power reserve is 53 hours.
FRÉDÉRIQUE CONSTANT FC-700MC6PW
This pocket watch has a 45 mm rose gold plated stainless steel case with a hinged case back and displays hours, minutes and seconds. It has a hand-wound movement with a power reserve of 42 hours.
