How pocket watches got cool again, from ‘watchtok’ to Peaky Blinders – first invented in 1510 and treasured by James Dean, pocket-sized timepieces on a chain (still) make great conversation starters

Oct 18 , 2023

When everyone has a smartphone anyway, why not make your watch a real conversation starter? From vintage gangster movies to the #pocketwatch TikTok trend, nothing quite says suave like a dial on a chain, as evidenced in this Hamilton model. Photo: Handout

Earlier this year the Horological Society of New York staged “Pocket Genius”, an exhibition spotlighting over 50 pocket watches. The pieces on display spanned from the 1690s – when they were mounted on a chain or leather fob and worn inside a waistcoat pocket – to contemporary classics of the 1990s.

In June this year, a pocket watch handmade by British watchmaker Roger W. Smith, a man of such stature in horological circles he’s known to leave enthusiasts starstuck, sold at auction by Phillips for a cool US$4.9 million.

A Breguet pocket watch from the exhibition “Pocket Genius” at the Horological Society of New York. Photo: Handout

“The auction was masterfully curated by Phillips and the price the watch achieved is beyond all expectations,” Smith told reporters after the auction. “It really is a profound moment for me. Pocket Watch No 2 is the most important watch I have made and, for the watch to have received such interest, has also been very humbling.”

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But perhaps the biggest sign that pocket watches are having a moment in 2023 is that they have lit up “watchtok” on TikTok. The hashtag #pocketwatch has had more than 42 million views.

A pocket watch can easily be paired with jeans. Photo: Hamilton

Some of the videos are posted by vintage watch enthusiasts, others Peaky Blinders enthusiasts (and the occasional amateur hypnotist). The point being, a style of watch first invented in 1510 by German locksmith Peter Henlein, and which was seen as an elaborate status symbol in the 18th and 19th centuries, doesn’t seem out of place in 2023.

Perhaps it’s because one of the key trends this year was the necklace watch, with the likes of Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Van Cleef & Arpels and Chanel all putting out dazzling options. Or the seemingly never-ending nostalgia for bygone days.

James Dean, on the set of the classic East of Eden in 1954, in California, sporting his pocket watch for luck. Photo: Getty Images

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Maybe, like James Dean, you want to wear a pocket watch attached to your trousers as a lucky charm. He bought one when he was a struggling actor in 1951 and credited it as turning his fortunes around, insisting on wearing it in films such as East of Eden. You don’t need to scour vintage sites and auction houses to pick up one either: the likes of Hamilton and Tissot offer modern-day versions.

But mostly the return of the pocket watch fits with increased appreciation for watchmaking and craftsmanship. Special pieces that can fit into your pocket and make a great conversation starter? What could be more 2023.

Timepieces

The Horological Society of New York staged an exhibition of pocket watches this summer, while a vintage piece by British watchmaker Roger W. Smith recently sold for a cool US$4.9 million
When everyone has a smartphone anyway, a watch primarily serves as a marker of style – and from vintage gangster movies to the #pocketwatch TikTok trend, nothing quite says suave like a dial on a chain