

(Although do note that refinished watches won’t.)

Some pocket watches were barely used, but most show a pattern of wear consistent with being held in certain spots around the edges. This is the most obvious tip-off, if the pocket watch runs on batteries, it is reliably late-20th century or younger. Here are a few tips, ranging from obvious to more obscure, on some ideas for dating a pocket watch:īatteries. How Can I Tell if My Pocket Watch is Antique? How Can I Tell if My Pocket Watch is Antique?.Cyma, Lucerne, and Zenith are all certified Swiss-made brands that you will run across frequently. The other well-known producer of watch movements is, of course, Switzerland. We have dedicated an entire section to exploring a selection of vintage Elgin pieces. One of the most well-known US brands is Elgin, from Illinois this brand sold pocket watches for just over a century, starting in 1864. Hamilton, Hampden, Hunter, Illinois, Waltham, and Westclox are all reputable US brands-frequently based in Massachusetts or Illinois, these companies produced pocket watches throughout the first half of the 20th century (some before and/or after). There are several well-known high-end brands, but the brands listed here are on the more economically priced rung… (In related news, railway companies were a strong influence in the institution and regulation of time zones.) Of course, the general populace caught on to the effectiveness of pocket watches and they became a cultural phenomenon. To prevent casualty-inducing errors, the engineers and operators relied on accurate timings-everything had to be precise and timed to the second (at times), each officer’s pocket watches synchronized to the same time was the easiest and surest way to accomplish the feat. Telling time has always been a human proclivity, but pocket watches really took off during the advent of railway systems.
