Pocket Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Pocket Watches
19th Century American Antique Pocket Watches
Diamond, Enamel, Gold
Late 20th Century Pocket Watches
Diamond, Platinum
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Pocket Watches
Silver, Enamel
Early 19th Century Unknown Renaissance Antique Pocket Watches
Pearl, Enamel
Early 20th Century Australian Art Nouveau Pocket Watches
Gold, 14k Gold
1880s Central American Victorian Antique Pocket Watches
18k Gold
1990s French Contemporary Pocket Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1880s Swiss Antique Pocket Watches
Diamond, 14k Gold
1860s English Victorian Antique Pocket Watches
Silver
1890s European Antique Pocket Watches
Gold, Enamel
1860s English Victorian Antique Pocket Watches
18k Gold
1820s English George IV Antique Pocket Watches
18k Gold
1990s Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
Gold, Steel, Stainless Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Pocket Watches
Stainless Steel
Antique and Vintage Pocket Watches for Sale on 1stDibs
Can you pull off a vintage pocket watch? Of course you can. With a suit and a waistcoat, a pocket watch can be a refreshing alternative to a wristwatch.
The earliest pocket watches were luxury items, and, owing to cost, they weren’t commonplace until the 19th century. Artfully crafted pocket watches were a symbol of wealth, and manufacturers such as Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe became known for theirs. (Today, they’re among the most sought after by collectors and enthusiasts.)
At the onset, pocket watches resembled small round table clocks, and pulling your small round table clock — perhaps of the silver variety — out of your breast pocket in front of someone else demonstrated unequivocally that you cared about punctuality. For collectors, pocket watches are big, and that means a larger canvas provided for functions without crowding the dial. For example, the Marius Lecoultre pocket watch — made circa 1890 — does everything but uncork your wine.
In the late 1800s, the open-face pocket watch became a staple on the American railroad. It was a requirement for railway workers to wear a pocket watch, as the timepieces were responsible for keeping conductors on schedule. This was a boon to the watchmaking industry, with companies like Hamilton, the Elgin National Watch Company and the Waltham Watch Company producing high-grade and workingman’s watches.
By the 1930s, wristwatches comprised the bulk of watch manufacturing in America, superseding the pocket watch. Suddenly, if you wanted to know the time, you merely glanced at your wrist. But given their vintage charm and our general appetite for good design, pocket watches are a piece of statement-making jewelry and today can prove complementary to your formal attire in a manner that is stylish and unconventional.
Let time take its course — browse a vast selection of antique and vintage pocket watches available on 1stDibs designed by legendary brands such as IWC, Cartier and more.