Are you one of those gentlemen who enjoy a making a statement, subtle and understated at the same time? A watch chain hung from the vest (the exact tailoring term for a waistcoat) is an achievable yet very personal and individual stylistic declaration. Patek Philippe makes bespoke pocket watches that can be provided on streamline-link gold chains with the brand’s Calatrava cross emblem all included as part of the assembly should you so wish; effectively creating purposeful man-jewellery.
The modern man may elect to fashion a pocket watch to a belt loop on jeans or from a lapel buttonhole with the watch nestling in your breast pocket in a fob-watch setup. The appearance which is considered to be the pinnacle of looks, though, is achieved by having ones watch and chain slung across a waistcoat, and three-piece suit style options have rarely looked stronger.
Nice, too, that Depp will reprise his role as the Mad Hatter in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass, to be released in 2016 – for pocket watches, of course, feature strongly in Lewis Carroll’s books and will no doubt make an appearance in the upcoming film.
If you want to acquire your own timepiece to finish off your look then why not take a look at the vintage pocket watches and antique marine watches Pieces of Time have available for you to choose from?
We have chosen5 of our currentfavourites from our vintage collection:
Swiss Centre Seconds Deck Watch by Longines
A 20thCentury Swiss centre seconds lever deck watch with British military markings in a stainless steel open face case. Keyless 16 jewel gilt bar movement marked with the Ministry of Defence broad arrow, going barrel. Plain cock with polished steel regulator, compensation balance with blue steel overcoil hairspring. Club foot lever escapement. Signed and numbered white enamel dial with centre seconds, Arabic numerals, and blue steel gold hands. Plain stainless steel open face case with screw bezel and back marked “Acier Inox – Staybrite”.
Rare Chinese Market Duplex with Enamelled Movement
A rare mid-19thCentury enamelled duplex for the Chinese market in a plain gold case. Key wind Tixier calibre movement with gilt champleve blue and white enamel cock, bridges and suspended going barrel. Silvered engine turned plate. Garnet endstone in a gold engraved setting, polished steel regulator. Blue steel stop work and screws. Polished steel three arm balance with three blue steel affixes, spiral hairspring. Steel crab tooth duplex escape wheel allowing the hand to appear to beat seconds. White enamel dial with Roman numerals, centre seconds, blue steel hands. Plain gold open face case, gold oval pendant and bow, button to release the back cover. Glazed gilt sprung cuvette with apertures for winding and hand set.
Silver Turkish Market Captains Watch
A late 19thCentury Swiss double dial lever made for the Turkish market in glazed silver case. Keyless gilt bar movement with going barrel. Plain cock with polished steel regulator, uncut bimetallic balance with spiral hairspring. Club foot lever escapement. Signed white enamel dial with subsidiary seconds, two independently set chapters, the left of Turkish numerals and the right, Roman numerals. Blue steel seconds hand, decorative gilt hands. Unusual silver open face case glazed on both sides to reveal the movement.
Rare Skeletonised Repeater with Glass Dial
A rare 18thCentury skeletonised quarter repeating Swiss verge with glass dial in a stone set consular case. Full plate fusee movement with three round pillars. The plate and barrel cover pierced and engraved to reveal the trains and blue steel mainspring. Engraved cock, polished steel coqueret set with a garnet, small circular blue steel regulator geared to a plate carrying the index pins. Plain three arm steel balance. Push pendant a toc quarter repeating on two blocks in the case. Winding through the rare glass dial which reveals the polished steel quarter repeating work below. Underpainted white Arabic numerals, decorative gold hands. Double sided two colour gold consular case, the bezels set with a row of white stones.
Silver Gilt Mystery Watch
A late 19thCentury Swiss mystery watch in a silver gilt double sided case.The gilt cylinder movement is relegated to the crescent shaped portion of the watch between the glass dial and the pendant. Keyless with going barrel, small plain three arm gilt balance with blue steel spiral hairspring, polished steel regulator. Glass dial with gilt Roman numerals, and minute markings, engraved silver gilt masks. The gilt hands are driven by a second glass disc which has a toothed wheel attached to its outer edge which engages the train. The miniature motion work for the hands is set between this glass disc and glass dial. There is no provision to set the hands apart from moving them manually, which is normal in these watches. Plain silver gilt case glazed back and front. Rectangular button in the band to release the sprung front cover, gilt crown.
