European Pocket Watches

From Bréant to Boyle, the tradition of European pocket watches was synonymous with beautiful pieces that told time with perfection. The manufacturing of pocket watches in Europe is as old as the 15th century, yet creators even in the 18th and 19th centuries celebrated this heritage by maintaining high standards of production rendered in styles befitting haute couture.

Since humankind’s earliest days, the desire to tell time has been persistent, but the development of simple spring mechanisms by the end of the 1400s allowed innovative spirits to develop the first movable timepiece. Over the subsequent generations, this technology became increasingly refined, allowing portable watches to become not only less bulky but also to tell time more reliably and with fewer windings during the day.

Though the pocket watch began to wane in popularity with the introduction of the wristwatch and digital technology, it nevertheless remains a striking statement piece today, with those who wear them giving a nod to the timepiece’s rich history.

Quick Facts

• English King Charles II is often credited with popularizing the wearing of a watch that slipped into one’s pocket in the 17th century. Prior to his day, watches were often simple suspended from one's dress
• Benjamin Franklin’s marvelous 18-carat gold pocket watch safeguards its own history, as each of its owners have engraved their names and dates on it. According to the watch’s record, it has changed hands three times since Franklin’s possession in the 18th century
• With the development of time zones in the late 19th century, accurate time telling became all the more important, particularly for those managing the movement of trains (it was because of train travel that time zones were established)