Looking for a pocket watch.

I went looking through older threads for info on one here, and the last thread I found was 2 years or such old. I was hoping for some current advice on brands out there and the average prices to get something EDC, with a reliable solid quality.

So, what is out there for brands and styles I can trust?

I own to vintage pocket watches, Hamilton and Elgin. Both were under $200. The Elgin was acquired from an Ebay seller from whom I would not hesitate to buy another watch. The Hamilton was a local antique store find. The tag in the window said it was serviced. Both keep time well enough. Not perfect, but just fine for my purposes.

Illinois makes several levels, all of good quality. You can pay anywhere from $25 to $2500 depending on collector value and rarity, but they are all quite nice.

So what I am hearing is that there are still not really any good options in the brand new department...

Shinola is a little pricey for a quartz watch, but I have one of their wristwatches and it gets compliments every time I wear it.

Shave_Rat said:

So what I am hearing is that there are still not really any good options in the brand new department...

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Seiko is still making some pocket watches. I don't know anything about them, though. There's also a company named Charles-Hubert that makes a bunch of models, but I don't know anything about them either. sorry

Tissot makes some nice pocket watches. There are several production watches out there on offer, but you have to make some decisions about what you want. The most obvious choice is between a battery driven quartz watch, or a mechanical watch? Also, open face or covered? Arabic or Roman numerals? Modern looking or classical?

No, the pocket watch is not dead, and some of the vintage timepieces are available for less than you might think.

I was looking at this site the other day and they had few new pocket watches. http://www.watchdoctor.co.nz/collections/pocket-watches
Don't know anything about the brands or reliability but they do look nice and not over the top in price.

It just seems to me that for something so basic, made with technology from the mid-1800's, a solid workhorse type pocket watch shouldn't be impossible to find for under $130. Heck, it shouldn't be hard to find them under $100. Seems to me that over all my search is pretty much in vain, unless I take he chance on vintage and hope I don't have to sink money into repairs once I buy it.

There are new wind up pocket watches and battery powered ones, so modern technology seems to be encased in a old design.
I would guess the running gear is the same as a modern watch, so the price difference is only in the case and the trim.
The more you want it to look nice the more the price goes up, engraving etc.

cleanshaved said:

There are new wind up pocket watches and battery powered ones, so modern technology seems to be encased in a old design.
I would guess the running gear is the same as a modern watch, so the price difference is only in the case and the trim.
The more you want it to look nice the more the price goes up, engraving etc.

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I can get the prices going up once you are talking manking them really nice looking, using engraving, precious metals, etc.. It just seems that any basic one under say $150-$200 brand new has been called out by most as being pretty unreliable as far as keeping time and not just randomly stopping to work. I guess maybe with most people carrying a cell phone that has a clock on it, watches in general are becoming just a luxury piece, and that is part of the issue with driving out the makers of the solid basic models.

Here's one if you can splash the cash
http://www.antique-watch.com/category-20th-century-watches.html

This website has really good reviews/the owner is good to talk to:

http://www.oxfordpocketwatches.co.uk/

Shave_Rat said:

So what I am hearing is that there are still not really any good options in the brand new department...

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I remember seeing ones by both Seiko and Orient ... one was wind-up and the other was quartz (but for the life of me I can't remember for sure which was which.) IIRC they were in the $200 range.

Shave_Rat said:

It just seems to me that for something so basic, made with technology from the mid-1800's, a solid workhorse type pocket watch shouldn't be impossible to find for under $130. Heck, it shouldn't be hard to find them under $100. Seems to me that over all my search is pretty much in vain, unless I take he chance on vintage and hope I don't have to sink money into repairs once I buy it.

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Well, modern production is based around mass-producing stuff in order to get a decent, low price. Pocket watches are pretty uncommon nowadays, so not a "sold in every walmart" sort of thing. You can, I believe, get cheap pocket watches ... and yes, I mean "cheap". But if you don't mind correcting the time once a week or so, it's a good way to find out if you really like the idea of a PW in daily life.

Thrift stores may be a good place to find some pocket watches.

Do you have a wrist watch currently? I'm just thinking you could probably find something to replace the watch strap to essentially turn it into a pocket watch. Not necessarily the most glamorous solution, but you seem more interested in the practicality anyway. Just a thought.

ByMyBeard said:

Do you have a wrist watch currently? I'm just thinking you could probably find something to replace the watch strap to essentially turn it into a pocket watch. Not necessarily the most glamorous solution, but you seem more interested in the practicality anyway. Just a thought.

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My grandfather actually did this his whole life. He found this leather pouch thing that you can attach both of the places on a watch that would normally attach to a strap. it had a flap that went over the top and buttoned. There was no chain or anything. I can't seem to find anything about them on the internet.

Funny, I saw straps that would make a pocket watch into a wrist watch. Should be able to go the other way too.

yakster said:

Funny, I saw straps that would make a pocket watch into a wrist watch. Should be able to go the other way too.

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... not if you want the clicky-open thingy ...

Doc4 said:

Well, modern production is based around mass-producing stuff in order to get a decent, low price. Pocket watches are pretty uncommon nowadays, so not a "sold in every walmart" sort of thing. You can, I believe, get cheap pocket watches ... and yes, I mean "cheap". But if you don't mind correcting the time once a week or so, it's a good way to find out if you really like the idea of a PW in daily life.

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Actually, if the "cheap" ones will hold time decently and only need correcting once a week, I'd probably be ok with that for a starting point.

ByMyBeard said:

Do you have a wrist watch currently? I'm just thinking you could probably find something to replace the watch strap to essentially turn it into a pocket watch. Not necessarily the most glamorous solution, but you seem more interested in the practicality anyway. Just a thought.

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I have a couple, sitting in a box, I think I could find them if I needed to with minimal searching. I actually don't like wearing wrist watches. They tend to get in my way, get roughed up really fast and easily. The metal bands always catch and pull hairs out, which is annoying, and the leather bands just don't have the look to them I like. lol

Shave_Rat said:

Actually, if the "cheap" ones will hold time decently and only need correcting once a week, I'd probably be ok with that for a starting point.

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Go to Amazon and search "pocket watch" ... you will find lots of inexpensive *cough*cheap*cough* watches ... lots of "steampunk" pieces, and so forth ... to choose from. Chinese quartz ... ya gets what ya pays for ... but I'm guessing they will be "reliable enough" for most folks.