A pocket watch- A symbol of taste and tradition

A pocket watch comes in several types and designs and also in different winding movements. As such, each of these watches is considered to be extremely stylish and functional and they make for terrific collector’s items. Known to be in use from as early as the 16th century, these watches have adapted to the changes in society and technology and have consistently managed to be in the limelight throughout the world. The earlier designs of these watches did not come with any form or covering for the dial. As such, these can be called as coverless pocket watches. Some of these designs are highly intricate and all of them are hand-made. As such, the dials themselves have different designs and intricate carvings and they make for extremely stylish yet extremely functional timepieces which could easily fit into any pocket and could be used very easily. Later, as new needs arose for man, these watches then adapted to those needs and so, hunter case pocket watches came into the picture. These watches come with different types of covers for the dial and so the dial is fully or partially protected. This system made it easier for people who indulged in outdoor activities such as hunting, sailing, warfare and so on to use pocket watches. The types of the covers include full covering, partial covering and crystal covering and multiple door covering.

As far as the winding movements are concerned, the first models were known to have a key driven winding and setting movement system. A watch key had to be used to manipulate the winding or the setting arbor in order to power it and set the time. Later, the stem winding and setting movement system came into the picture which eliminated the need for pocket watch keys. These became extremely popular and most collections after the 18th century were powered by this mechanism. Subsequently, the lever setting and stem winding movement system came into the picture and was made compulsory for all railroad pocket watches. It required removal of the bezel and the crystal in order to pull out the setting pin which could then be used to turn the crown. This system offered protection against inadvertent time settings. Another system that came into play later on was the stem winding and pin setting movement which was basically the same as its predecessor but instead of pulling out the pine, it had to be depressed.