Pieces of Time have taken a moment to look back at how the mechanical pocket watch has evolved of time since the beginning of its impressive existence.
When the first pocket watches came about in the 16th century they were all mechanical pocket watches and were hand driven. Whoever was in possession of one would have to use a small key which was connected to the watch and would have to turn it until the watch was fully wound. This was carried out by opening up the back of ones watch and inserting the key into the winding-arbor. The key was also used to set the time and was found on the front, named setting-arbor.
However, in the late 1800’s this was all set to change when the shift to stem movements, which eradicated the use of the key, making the watch easier to set due to the fact that you only needed to change it with your hands.
To upgrade the mechanical watch, designers sought to allow the movement to run in a smoother and more efficient fashion so makers began to include higher upgraded jewels into the movement. It was common practice that each watch should contain at least 7 jewels ranging up to as many as 17 jewels in the most prevalent and exclusive movements.
There are two different styles when it comes to mechanical pocket watch- one being the skeleton watch with its transparent features and the other being the option of a movement that covered up the internal workings of the piece. Choosing either design ultimately boils down to personal opinion, each have their own individual appeals but this is what makes the mechanical pocket watch so timeless (no pun intended) as there is something to suit everyone.
