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Our assortment: antique pocket watches, a journey into the past

Do you feel the same way as we do? Whenever we hold an antique pocket watch in our hands, we immediately feel transported back in time a few decades. To an era when people still strolled the streets every day with bowlers and walking sticks and were usually smartly dressed.

I don't think I need to mention that those times are long gone. Nevertheless, for us pocket watches are one of the most important remnants of that generation. In our eyes, they convey a great elegance coupled with a certain originality.

Nice-to-know:
In the past, antique pocket watches were also often called sack watches, because they were literally stowed in the "trouser pocket".

Differences & subtleties of antique pocket watches

You may have already skimmed our assortment on individual pocket watches and noticed that all models are very similar in shape and also the materials used. With a few exceptions, they are round across the board and housed in a gold (or sometimes silver) case. Significant differences, on the other hand, can be seen in the dial and the watch hands.

Some antique pocket watches are also equipped with a cover that protects the watch display from dust, dirt and scratches. Others come without a protective mechanism and therefore need to be handled with extra care.

Another important feature that almost all antique pocket watches have is the popular round eyelet, which is attached to the upper end and serves to attach a wide variety of chains.

High quality products, high quality brands!

High quality antique pocket watches are not bargains. But honestly, they should not be! Quality paired with a special brand always has its justified price. For this reason, we have a lot of pocket watches in our assortment, which come from absolutely high-quality luxury manufacturers. For example from Omega, Tissot, Patek Philippe, Vintage or also A. Lange & Söhne. The prices range from a few hundred to several ten thousand euros per pocket watch.

Antique pocket watches and their movements

Now we come to another important point: how does a pocket watch work, or rather, which movement beats inside? Again, many models are similar, as they are usually made with a hand-wound movement.

The name actually says it all: in order for the pocket watch to run, it must be wound by hand every day. For many owners of an antique pocket watch, this small but delicate manual work has become an important daily ritual. And let's face it, it's exactly this special mechanism that makes a pocket watch special in the end!

Another great advantage of the hand-wound movement is that very few parts need to be installed in the pocket watch. As a result, pocket watches are much less prone to malfunctions and also less expensive to maintain, as only a few components are needed for repair.

However, there are antique pocket watches that work with a stem escapement. Although such watches are becoming increasingly rare, you can find one or two models in our store.

The verge escapement was an extremely important component in the history of pocket watches and was first used for watches in the 17th century. Due to the special construction of ascending wheel, wheel balance, spindle and springs, the spindle escapement made it possible that watches could not only be used stationary, but could suddenly be taken along and thus worn on the body.