Do you favour your Regency heroes fashioned with a pocket watch?

The pocket watch was one of the essential fashion items of the era. No fashionable gentleman would leave the house without his pocket watch. This was a symbol of wealth, status, fashion, and intelligence.

Prior to the Georgian era, during the early 16th century, we see the first “clock-watches,” but they were large, heavy, and worn around the neck. There was no glass over the dial, only a hinged brass cover. It only had an hour hand, no minute hand, and needed to be wound at least twice per day. These were the first spring-loaded miniature clocks, quite different from the weight-driven clocks of the era.

Throughout the 17th century, the design became more intricate, allowing for a minute hand and longer-lasting winding so that by the 18th century, one only needed to wind it at the beginning of the day. Rubies were used as bearings for more accuracy.

It was during the 18th century we see the pocket watch attached to a ribbon or watch chain and carried in the fob pocket, adorned by fashionable gentlemen as a sign of wealth and taste. They were only owned by the elite. The craftsmanship could be quite stunning with artwork on the back, jewels encrusted on the face, etc.

All pocket watches until the Victorian era had key-set movements requiring key winding. Our Georgian era gentlemen would have wound their pocket watches every day. Their watch would have also been open-faced, as the flip-open cover was not seen until the Victorian era.

For a terrific explanation of how the watch worked mechanically can be spied here:

www.thenakedwatchmaker.com

Their social importance is demonstrated in early historical letters, which indicate how the purchase of a pocket watch is used to show off one’s wealth to other social elites…

To read more about the ribbons, chains, and fobs, check out this lovely post: