Pocket watches appreciation thread

[scarlet knight]

A good friend of mine has a large pocket watch collection. I have pictures of some of it. I will ask him if I can post my pictures of his collection.

[FeelingTheBlues]

Originally Posted by WatchEater666

Great thread. Thank you for making it! Personally, I love pocket watches because they are from a time where knowledge wasn't the same everywhere because of the internet.

This meant wildly different manufacturing techniques, and so the variety is immense.

I have a Waltham from the 1890s or maybe 1880s. A simple pocket watch with very nice geneava waves on it in particular. I was impressed by how soft and well executed they are. The watch I actually found at a warehouse I moved one of my brands into in 2020! It was just sitting there. The warehouse was used as a WWII-era ammo storage depot previously...so I guess that makes some sense.

I would love an original breguet pocket watch at some point.

I am glad you enjoyed it.

I like your philosophy! In a way, my approach to acquiring these has been different from how I go on about buying wristwatches because the domain, in my opinion, is rather something else. I believe I wear them much more than nearly every other collector but I have gone about it much like they were artefacts.

I would love to see pictures of your Waltham, when you have the chance. I find it incredible that you would have found it this way! Do you wear it at all? Also, did you find anything else in that warehouse?

In regards to your point about manufacturing techniques, I’d agree with you because of my personal experience with the ones I have. Interestingly, a watchmaker friend of mine suggested that there would have been but a few suppliers of movements because in his opinion, many pieces look like they have the same calibre. I have to think that even then, depending on the years to which we are referring, the trade would be noticeably different from what we see today. I know in the late 19th century and early 20th, LeCoultre was already a supplier for many maisons and it included pocket watches.

Although I stated that my chronograph’s maker is just about unknown, I did read about one other model that had a LeCoultre in it, perhaps mine has one as well. Could I then presume my very movement is also in a few other timepieces? Perhaps all different brands? Or, could the maker have dealt with many suppliers depending on what complications they needed?

Oh, and a Breguet pocket watch wouldn’t be too shabby indeed!

Originally Posted by scarlet knight

A good friend of mine has a large pocket watch collection. I have pictures of some of it. I will ask him if I can post my pictures of his collection.

If he agrees, it’d be great! I look forward to his response.