Best Front Pocket Watches in 2022

Dapper and dashing pocket watches have provided astute gentlemen with a new dimension to the otherwise standard suit look. Everything from the chain construction to maintenance, how to properly wear one and how to preserve them, is all covered in this comprehensive guide. This isn’t just for purchase; this is your pocket watch resource.

What to Look Out For When Buying a Pocket Watch

Case and chain material - Your pocket watch could be an antique one day, but only if it lasts long enough. Materials that last usually include stainless steel, 14k gold, silver, nickel alloy, and brass construction (the latter is less common now).

Dial window - While wrist watches usually see sapphire crystal dial windows, pocket watches are more often to be made of mineral or Krysterna crystal. Both are durable, usually scratch-resistant, and provide you with ample protection for something that’s going to spend time on a shelf, or in your pocket.

Warranty - Normally, we just cover warranties on individual products. However, pocket watches encounter more maintenance issues (more on this later) than standard wrist watches do, and as a result, you should have a bulletproof warranty for a minimum of two years to ensure you’ll have all the help you need when it comes time to repair.

Movement duration - Pocket watches are traditionally hand-wound, which means it’s up to you to keep them in check. A good watch should have a twenty-four hour minimum before it has to be wound-up again.

Jewels used - Jewels are used in watch construction, and pocket watches are no exception. We simply urge you to read up on over-winding and maintenance before continuing with a purchase that contains jewels.

A Brief History Of Pocket Watches

We have the masterful minds of Italians and Germans to thank for these magnificent timepieces. Around the late fourteenth century, spreading all the way into 1524, when they were in full production, pocket watches were born. Peter Henlein, who was a master locksmith in Nuremberg, Germany, had created one of the most stylish and functional timepieces to date, setting a trend that spread across all of Europe.

Pocket watches were the reigning champions until just after World War I, when wrist watches really took off. During that war, they were referred to as trench watches, used by soldiers who awaited on timed instructions and orders to thwart incoming attacks.

How to Wear a Pocket Watch

Yes, there’s a right and wrong way to go about it. Let’s be honest: pocket watches provide more style than function these days, so of course there’s going to be a wrong way to wear it. Here’s a quick list of each.

Don’t

• Let the chain just dangle; it looks awful, gets caught on things, and gets scuffed-up
• Loop the chain around a part of your body (seriously, we’ve seen people do this)
• Connect the clasp to your shoes or bottom hem of your pants

Do

• Slip the watch case into your three-piece vest pocket, connecting the link to a spot just above a button on your shirt
• Place your watch case in your side pocket, with the link drooping slightly, before attaching to a higher piece of clothing (ideally, the lip of the interior pocket of your sports coat to give a seamless, blended look)
• Have it in an accessible spot that makes sense; while it’s for fashion, if you go to show someone your watch, you don’t want to awkwardly twist your body while trying to dig the watch out

Three Styles To Augment With Front Pocket Watches

There’s men’s style, and then, there’s you. You don’t want to be grouped in with a bunch of hipsters for using a pocket watch, so add it to these three timeless styles to add a touch of flair, without trying to be a show-off.

#1 Nine-to-Five Man

You’re wearing a suit every day, and you don’t just grab whatever’s at Goodwill. You enjoy cufflinks, three-pieces and excellent shoes. Tossing the chain of a pocket watch into the mix can add a nice bit of a vintage look.

#2 No Life ‘Til Leather

Leather jackets look boss, but having fifty million pockets on the breast of it doesn’t really look that good. You want a touch of hardware, so go ahead and toss the pocket watch hanging chain look into it. If you have two side pockets on the jacket, clip it onto the top and dip the watch chain halfway into it.

#3 It’s Always Casual Friday

While you shouldn’t go beard, man bun and flannel shirt, you can use the chain of the pocket watch to add to jeans, a button-down, sleeves-rolled-up look with a nice pair of sneakers that mix in with the chain look. Bonus points for the belt buckle matching.

Front Pocket Watch FAQ

Q: Can you overwind a pocket watch?

A: Yes, you absolutely can. If you overwind, you’re risking damaging the more fragile internal components of your watch, such as jewels. This can put stress on your overall system, from the balances to the mainsprings, as well as the watch pieces themselves, like the hands and winding mechanism. Overwinding can be done, and it can wreak serious havoc.

Q: Can any pocket watch be engraved or customized?

A: It depends on the material, and where you’re going to get the custom markings done. Most shops will happily engrave your watch, but they’ll need a touch of info on it first. It’s sort of a liability prevention method; if it’s really old, or the material is crummy/thin, you’re going to encounter some shops that won’t do it. They don’t want to be at-fault when your watch kicks the bucket.

As far as customizing goes, it’s a rarity these days. Generally, you’re just going to see watchmakers create a finished product and sell it. You can find custom small shops around the world that will make unique watch bodies, all the way down to the number of jewels used, but it’s going to require some research, locating and a lot more money.

Q: What are the most common maintenance issues with pocket watches?

A: Pocket watches have been known to encounter more issues than your standard wristwatch. All of the following can be fixed, and as far as we know from personal experience and research, these are the most common issues to occur:

Dried oil or grease - You’ve never heard the term “Not-very-well-oiled machine” before because it doesn’t work. Your pocket watch needs a certain amount of grease and oil to keep everything flowing perfectly. This is a simple fix, but if left unchecked for too long, can cause long-term damage.

Broken bBalances or mainsprings - This is where you run into issues with parts, especially if enough time has passed, and enough watermakers have gone out of business. These parts can be crafted with enough creativity, but it’s why we recommend buying a burner watch (more on this later) to strip extra parts from if you really like your watch.

Not getting regular Sservice - Most amateur pocket watch collectors don’t know how the intricate systems work, or they don’t repair/replace them properly. To avoid issues, nip the biggest maintenance issue right away: don’t let it be sedentary.

Q: Do the movement plate types matter?

A: They don’t really matter for structural purposes (we’ll discuss durability a bit in the next section), but they do affect the size and depth of your pocket watch. Plates house all of the internal working components of your pocket watch; here are the three different types used:

Full plate - These were almost exclusively used during the early 1800s in America, especially in New England, where watchmaking was (and still is) heavily in motion. These have two plates that rest on either side of the internal gears, with one component rests on the top plate. This allows that top component to act as the entrance to the conduit of internal gears.

¾ Plate - Thinner, smaller watches were made to be lightweight and not take up too much space. They also use ¾ plates to get there. You don’t have a full top plate; about ¾ of it still remains (usually in two separate pieces), and that ¼ that’s actually cut-out is done so for the balance components to align properly.

Bridge plate - Most pocket watches that are considered skeleton watches utilize the bridge plate. This allows a lot more gear to be visible, giving a raw, elegant look to it. Way back when, watchmakers used to put false bridges on their pocket watches to make it look more pricey, even if it wasn’t.

Q: What is a “Full-Hunter” pocket watch?

A: It simply means that there’s a spring-loaded case cover, meant to protect against scratches, dust accumulation, and general wear-and-tear. These can preserve the life of your pocket watch from structural issues, crash protection, and help prevent light from penetrating the dial window and fading colored markers.

Q: If I have a skeleton pocket watch, is it more fragile?

A: We’ve covered skeleton wrist watches in the past, and find that it’s a regular question., After all, it looks like the body is crafted of fewer materials or less durable ones at that. You’re already looking through a durable dial window, which is set in a sturdy case. The only part that makes a pocket watch a true skeleton one, is when the dial back appears to not be there..

In some cases, it’s made of see-through acrylic, and in others, it’s just simply not there. This does not damage the structural integrity of your pocket watch. In truth, most dial backs aren’t exactly sturdy themselves. The structural integrity of any watch relies on the case and dial window. If your watch gets run over or drops off a skyscraper, and the case/window break, the rest of it is good as gone. Having a skeleton pocket watch doesn’t make them more fragile.

Q: Are antique pocket watches worth the money?

A: An antique is when the parts are no longer being regularly manufactured when you have to hunt them down from mom-and-pop style watch dealers across the country (or across the globe). Unless you’re all about collecting, restoring, and displaying an inventory of pocket watches, they’re not worth the money.

Many pocket watches made today try to fit a “unique antique” style, taking away a bit of the allure from older watches. If you simply admire the antique look (and I think most of use who love pocket watches, in fact, do enjoy that look), you’ll be able to find a vintage appearance on a newer watch with little to no trouble at all.

Q: Should I invest in watch parts?

A: If you’re going to have that one watch until the end of time (bad joke), then you’d do best to grab additional parts. Some gents will just buy two of the same watch, not wind the second one, and store it away for later. It’s the same mentality of purchasing a “parts car” that you just rip pieces from when you need to repair your primary car.

If you do decide to grab another watch, you’ll want to protect it from the elements while it’s waiting to be used/have parts taken from it. Grab a soft case, like a suede or velvet bag with a drawstring, put it in there, and keep it in a box that blocks light. There’s no reason why those metal parts shouldn’t still be working years later.

Q: How do you clean a front pocket watch?

A: First of all, you don’t use jewelry cleaner. Pocket watches are not at all designed to take that on. It’s going to eroda finishes or leave scummy residue, especially if it’s textured or engraved. You’re going to use a simple cleaning solution that’s probably available in your home right now.

Drop two teaspoons of baking soda (not baking powder) into a cup, after putting one half-cup of white distilled vinegar and one half-cup of hot water in. Whisk it with a fork until you get a tiny bit of froth on top, signaling that it’s mostly active.

Wet one corner of a face cloth, and rub it onto the exterior of the pocket watch case in circles. You’ll start seeing a certain shine coming back. This solution will also work if you dip the chain into it, and thoroughly dry it (even if the chain material is anodized to prevent corrosion, you never want to test the waters and come out on the wrong end).

Now for the interior. It gets a bit trickier here, because that solution you’ve just made will leave streaks along the dial window. For this, use some straight white distilled vinegar on a folded-up paper towel, and gently wipe down the dial window in streaks. Just a dry section of the face cloth to dry the dial window; when you use another paper towel, you’ll get a few fibers stuck on it here and there. After all is said and done, you should have a good-as-new pocket watch.

Bonus info: if the watch has been sitting there for a while, and it’s built up serious layers of grime from sweat in your pocket, use the fingernail scraper on a standard pair of clippers to gently pull the gunk off. The solution is going to erase trace amounts of this stuff, while also sanitizing the pocket watch. If you use the scraper for the heavy duty stuff, and you’re gentle with it, you’ll have an easier time cleaning the watch itself.

Q: Why aren’t more gents rocking pocket watches?

A: They’ve fallen out of use, but never out of style; we’d like to think that it’s their loss, and your gain. Everywhere you look, there’s a digital watch of some sort. Even wrist watches have become more about style than their have about function (not that we’re knocking that). Your phone, alarm clock, any sign outside of a bank; there’s a digital clock wherever you turn to, meaning nobody is reading analog watches anymore.

So we’re stuck on digital. Then, you have the guys who actually still use analog watches for function. Those are the guys using a wrist watch, because in this fast-moving world, nobody really has time to reach into their pocket, pop the hood, and read the watch, only to close the clasp and slip it back where it came from. That gives you a very unique point to work from: at any given event, you’ll be one of the only - if not, the only - gentleman sporting a pocket watch. It’s a way to be remembered, and a way to look completely dapper doing it.