| By :
Mark Etinger
It was a symbol of power and class. The pocket watch, developed sometime in the 1400s, is still viewed today in relation to wealth, social influence, and cultural power. Sure, today you can send the same message with any number of ladies Fossil watches or Raymond Weil watches. But from the 15th century up until World War I, the pocket watch amongst the premium symbols of cultural elitism. The pocket watch was at one point so popular that men's suits were being specifically designed to accommodate them. In its history, the pocket watch has had thousands upon thousands of different designs. But as the more knowledgeable watch enthusiasts are aware, there were two basic styles: The Open-Face Pocket watch and the Hunter-Case Pocket Watch. The difference in style can be depicted by the watches cover, or "face." Open-Face pocket watches noticeably will not have a cover, while the Hunter-Case noticeably will have a cover. Therefore, the Hunter-Case Watch will offer more protection to the product. Perhaps ironically, all American railroad employees have been required to use Open-Face watch designs since 1908… the design that offers less protection (There is also a version of this style dubbed the "Half-Hunter" style of pocket watch design, which consists of a glass-panel lid specifically designed to allow wearers to view the hands while offering a layer of protection.) As previously mentioned, pocket watches started becoming popular in the 1400s. But it wasn't until two-hundred years later that watchmakers started realizing the advantage of branding their creations. In the seventeenth century, watchmakers started the tradition of signing their products dials as a way to make their creations more original. Approximately two hundred years after that, the watchmakers started soaking specific parts of the watch in oil, which led to more fluid hand-movement and adding to the products elegance. Many Nautica Watches and other luxury brands still use these methods today... techniques created over two-hundred years ago. It was during this era that the second-hand was created, an advancement that became the norm of the industry by the 1800s. While this advancement might seem obvious today where it is commonplace, time-keepers were blown away by the opportunity to track time more adequately than had ever been done before in history. It was here, with pocket watches counting seconds that we see the earliest versions of the stop-watches we all hated in gym class. For the past 600 years, pocket watches had become kings of time-keeping. Yes, wrist watches did exist, but they were considered feminine, and even to ladies were quite unpopular. However, World War I changed all that. When you're in a foxhole fighting for your life, every second mattered… and what the young soldiers quickly realized was that for this exact purpose, a convenient wristwatch became a valuable tool and an asset over a watch you needed to pull out of your pocket. Soldiers all began wearing wristwatches, putting to an end the belief that the wristwatch was for ladies only. The trend continued even during times of peace, as the world decided the convenience of not having to reach into your pocket became more likable than the classic symbol of the pocket watch. Still in existence, pocket watches have become significantly less popular in the last 90+ years. However, even the biggest TW Steel watches fan would have to admit there is something hilariously ironic in the fact that most non-watch-wearers these days constantly reach into their pockets – pulling out a cell phone – to figure out what time it is.
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