Pocketwatches

[Anthony Jordan]

Exactly the same as you wear a wristwatch---on the opposite side of the hand you favor. I am right handed so I wear it on my left---kind of a cross draw.

I wear mine on the left also, although I would generally take it out using my left hand, which I suppose makes me rather strange!

 

[jamespowers]

I wear mine on the left also, although I would generally take it out using my left hand, which I suppose makes me rather strange!

There ain't no such thing as strange in here. I only wear my gun on the right as that is my drawing hand.

 

[Gin&Tonics]

If I am wearing a single chain with the T-bar through a buttonhole, I prefer to wear the watch in my left (lower) waistcoat pocket.
This way, the watch can stay in the pocket if the waistcoat needs to be temporarily removed during the day.

That makes perfect sense; even though I wear mine in my right lower pocket, I transfer it over if I need to remove my waistcoat for some reason.

 

[esteban68]

Ok here's my little collection of pocket watch and chain, the watch is of no particular note or value( other than sentimental) for that matter, I guess it's a Swiss 5 or 7 jewelled watch from around 1890-ish...the watch has it's original? nickel chain, the two other chains came from my wifes side of the family and was her maternal great grandfathers, the watch and two of the medallions are from my paternal grandfathers side bizarrely both families lived near to each other and the boys often played together until the Great War put an end to that!

J.Blunt was my wifes great grandfather and he played football as a youth and was also in the St Johns Ambulance until getting called up in 1916 hence no year medallions until 1919

.

 

[esteban68]

The watch and the two seperate football medallions were from my late grandfathers side, we are not sure whom they belonged to as the family came under great stress after his two older brothers and father? were all killed in 1915 shortly after joining up in the Sherwood Foresters, they were keen sportsmen and died just two weeks apart;

The two seperate chains and the medallions are all hallmarked silver, one of the medallions has a silver gilt crest on it and one a rose gold crest on it and the two seperate medallions one of which is 9ct...the two seperate medallions only came to me very recently, I am thinking of having the two silver chains made up into one longer/decent chain.

 

[Shangas]

There's no such thing as an "original chain". Watches and chains were sold separately, not as sets.

 

[esteban68]

Yes I guessed that Shangas, I meant that it was purchased at the same time and worn together from day one?, there is little wear to either the watch loop or the 'snap' fastener.

 

[Shangas]

The loop is the 'bow'. Yes, if there is a lot of wear, then it would indicate that the watch and chain were paired together for a significant length of time. The wearing is of course, caused by the nonstop scraping of the chain against the top of the watch.

It's a beautiful watch, even if it's a rather simple one. What I like is the impressive display of fobs. What's that one with all the dates on it? The second photo, with all the years linked together? Is there some significance to that?

 

[esteban68]

It's a St John's ambulance corps medalllioin and the year bars, you git the main medal when you joined and one for each succesive year, I believe Joseph joined early in 1915 then got called up in 1916, story goes he applied to go in the Royal Army Mediucal Corps but was refused and put in the Sherwood Foresters, my wifes grandmother (his daughter)said he used to say he was always looked after by his comrades due to his medical skills, this might explain why he survived the war and returned in 1919 to rejoin the St Johns in which he continued to serve until 1926 when he was forced out of work like many others, he was forced away from home trying to earn a living and sending it back home!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I just purchased this pocket watch. Tell me that I did good.

http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/s...cct=/showthread.php&__utmv=-&__utmk=147559607

Thanx!!!
Charlie

 

[Gin&Tonics]

Bruce - very lovely. I particularly like the elegant skeletonization of the face showing the movement. That is a very beautiful pocket watch and you get bonus points in that it's a mechanical! Provided it's of good quality manufacture, which it should be as Gent's Emporium seems to sell very good quality stuff, it should give you years of reliable service.

Couple of minor points - you should make a habit of winding your watch AND setting the time at the same time daily, or depending on the length of the mainspring, every other day. This is due to the fact that any mechanical watch will lose time gradually due to the friction inherent in the mechanism. If you don't reset the time periodically, you will be out by a few minutes within a couple of weeks. I suspect there will be documentation supplied with your watch which will tell you how long it's designed to run for.

Congrats on purchasing a beautiful watch and welcome to the brotherhood of pocket watch wearers!

 

[Shangas]

Ideally, the watch should be wound roughly the same time every day (for me, it's after I wake up in the morning).

Given that it is mechanical, it ain't gonna keep super-amazing atomic-clock time. It's a pocketwatch. Not a marine chronometer.

Regulated to the best possible accuracy, you can expect it to keep reasonably accurate time for about 2-3 weeks at a stretch. My railroad chronometer can manage this for roughly a month (but that's really stretching it).

My only concern is that it's chrome-PLATED brass. Not sure how long that's going to last before it starts wearing off. In my experience, plated stuff will start brassing before the year's out.

 

[Gin&Tonics]

Ideally, the watch should be wound roughly the same time every day (for me, it's after I wake up in the morning).

Given that it is mechanical, it ain't gonna keep super-amazing atomic-clock time. It's a pocketwatch. Not a marine chronometer.

Regulated to the best possible accuracy, you can expect it to keep reasonably accurate time for about 2-3 weeks at a stretch. My railroad chronometer can manage this for roughly a month (but that's really stretching it).

My only concern is that it's chrome-PLATED brass. Not sure how long that's going to last before it starts wearing off. In my experience, plated stuff will start brassing before the year's out.

The nice thing is that it's brass underneath, which can be quite lovely in and of itself, so it will probably acquire a nice patina over time. Chrome is a fairly durable material, though, from what I understand, so it should hopefully hold up well.

Another point, on that topic, is never to put ANYTHING hard or metallic in the same pocket as your watch; it will obviously mar the finish and detract from an otherwise beautiful watch.

 

[Shangas]

In MY experience, a top-quality mechanical pocketwatch, properly serviced and regulated to keep the best possible time, will keep accurate time for roughly a month. Say, 3-4 weeks.

Within that time, you'll probably get an inaccuracy buildup of say, +/- 2-3 minutes. Which is about 30sec to a minute a week. That was the traditional railroad-standard level of accuracy (+/- 30sec a week).

My watch is a railroad watch. And I've found, that's the level of accuracy that it keeps.

 

[Talbot]

I can't speak for pocketwatches but have replated a few watch cases. Done properly with multiple platings, chrome holds up very nicely and is durable if cared for.

It is an expensive task, the primary cost driver being case stripping and preparation. The material you plate with is not a huge cost determinant, however my experience plating with nickel and gold (especially rose gold) has not resulted in a durable finish.

If you are going to replate a case keep in mind that the thickness of the plating will effect case tolerances and some extra fitting work will be neccessary.

 

[jamespowers]

In MY experience, a top-quality mechanical pocketwatch, properly serviced and regulated to keep the best possible time, will keep accurate time for roughly a month. Say, 3-4 weeks.

Within that time, you'll probably get an inaccuracy buildup of say, +/- 2-3 minutes. Which is about 30sec to a minute a week. That was the traditional railroad-standard level of accuracy (+/- 30sec a week).

My watch is a railroad watch. And I've found, that's the level of accuracy that it keeps.

Sounds about right for the Illinois that I have been wearing for a few weeks now. It is still currently exactly the same as the quartz clock I set it to last week.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

My pocket watch is in Indy at the moment. It should be here tomorrow.

 

[Shangas]

Sounds about right for the Illinois that I have been wearing for a few weeks now. It is still currently exactly the same as the quartz clock I set it to last week.

Yes, that's quite right James. Short of a marine chronometer, the railroad watch is the most accurate handwound mechanical timepiece.

I sync. my watch with the USNO Master Clock once a month. At the end of 30 days, at most, it's only about 2 minutes off. Last time I synchronised it, it was at 30 minutes past the hour. The clock said it was 32 minutes past. So that's pretty damn good for one month.

 

[jamespowers]

Yes, that's quite right James. Short of a marine chronometer, the railroad watch is the most accurate handwound mechanical timepiece.

I sync. my watch with the USNO Master Clock once a month. At the end of 30 days, at most, it's only about 2 minutes off. Last time I synchronised it, it was at 30 minutes past the hour. The clock said it was 32 minutes past. So that's pretty damn good for one month.

I'll take that kind of accuracy.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

So far my new watch seems to be keeping time with the clock on my Blackberry.