Watch fobs

February 23, 2006 4:48 PM

Does anyone know anything about watch fobs for pocketwatches?

I have a 1905 Elgin pocket watch that has great sentimental value that I'd like to carry with me from time to time. Unfortunately, none of my clothes, with the exception of one pair of jeans, has a watch pocket.

I'd like to find a secure method of carrying it, without the likelihood of losing or damaging it. Any ideas?

Secondary question: I briefly thought of having the watch engraved with the date my grandfather got it, and my name 100 years later. Tacky?

posted by pjern to Grab Bag (11 answers total)

How big is it? Small pocketwatches go well in vests, while you should be able to carry a larger one in a regular pants pocket. Many fobs are now made for modern belts, and you just sling it down into your pocket. I carried one like that for years, and never had a problem.

I like your engraving idea. Actually, I love it.
posted by Astro Zombie at 4:51 PM on February 23, 2006

I used to wear a pocket watch all the time. It came with a chain that I would either wrap around my belt or run through a belt loop. Then I would just keep it in a pocket. One thing to consider is that you don't want to keep anything else in that pocket that can scratch the watch. It took some time to adjust to not putting anything else in that pocket. I also like the idea of engraving the watch, but I would consider putting your grandfathers name in it too. If one of your decendants gets the watch someday, it might be confusing to them to have your name and a date long before you were born on the watch.
posted by jefeweiss at 5:31 PM on February 23, 2006

I think your engraving idea is the opposite of tacky. It seems like a good idea.

The only person I've ever known to bring off a pocket watch in daily wear always kept it in a vest pocket. He had a lot of vests.
posted by ikkyu2 at 5:39 PM on February 23, 2006

If you want to carry it on a regular basis, you can have a little patch pocket for it sewn on the inside of your front pockets by any reputable tailor. This is a cheap and effective way of keeping the watch from getting scratched up without losing your pocket for anything else. In jeans, the little "5th pocket" on the top of the right hand front pocket is actually a vestigal watch pocket. For nicer trousers and suits, you can have a waistband watch pocket made, which is a very nice, traditional way for carrying a watch, and showing off a nice fob.

As is the vest method of carrying a watch, and displaying a fob.
posted by paulsc at 6:10 PM on February 23, 2006

I'm all for pocket watches, but I don't like fobs. I small felt envelope should keep it protected.

I am currently in the market for a reliable used pocket watch. I have a similar one to yours, but it is not reliable. I have a picture of my great-grandmother on one side. I thought about putting in a picture of my boy-friend, but I decided that it was my great-grandfather's watch first.

Whomever you pass the watch on to is going to like having the history. I think engraving it with your grandfather's name and your name is a great idea. IMHO, that is.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 6:20 PM on February 23, 2006

/ahem/ a small felt envelope. Long day at work and a very stiff martini... my apologies.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 6:21 PM on February 23, 2006

I meant my grandfathers name *and* date in the original post; I wasn't too clear. I'm just excited and happy that it still runs after a century.
posted by pjern at 7:22 PM on February 23, 2006

If it hasn't been cleaned in many years, it will surely be worth a full service. Watches of that era were frequently only 6 or 7 jewel movements, and wouldn't keep time well if not cleaned, oiled, and regulated on an annual basis.
posted by paulsc at 7:43 PM on February 23, 2006

paulsc: I just had it serviced and it's running fine. Check out my link above, which has full details.
posted by pjern at 7:53 PM on February 23, 2006

I don't know about carrying or protecting pocket watches, just wanted to chime in and say the engraving idea is great.
posted by cmyk at 8:15 PM on February 23, 2006

I am also a huge fan of pocket watches, but don't wear mine that often precisely because it's so hard to fit sensibly into a wardrobe. I found that a watch chain running into my pocket often looked and felt like a wallet chain, which wasn't a look I was really going for. More importantly, most pants today are fairly loose, so even if you keep your watch pocket empty it will bounce against your thigh and other things, probably not the best thing. I do have one pair of jeans with a fifth pocket big enough for my heirloom watch, and wear that from time to time. When I was swing dancing, I wore it with a vest and thought it looked great, but I've yet to find vests I can wear on a regular basis that don't make me feel a little costume-y.

Good luck! Watches are wonderful!
posted by allan at 6:52 AM on February 24, 2006