How to Wear a Pocket Watch

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Without a doubt, the most popular steampunk accessory has got to be the pocket watch. This is what any steampunk fan needs to complete the look. Traditionally, in the industrial era, pocket watches would have been worn by locomotive operators to ensure trains arrived at their specific stops on time. Other, higher class members of society would have used pocket watches to simply tell the time during their daily lives. Pocket watches are seen as having a Neo-Victorian feel as well as a unique way of feeling the power of the past, present and more retro-style future. I hope that you enjoy today’s article on how to wear a pocket watch.

There are a few ways in which a pocket watch can be worn. In fact, there are 3 different types of chains; the Albert T Bar, the Belt Bar and the Bolt Ring. Each of these is designed to fit onto a different piece of clothing. One place where someone may choose to wear a pocket watch may be at a wedding.

Wearing a Pocket Watch with a Waistcoat

Traditionally, you would use the Albert T bar chain to attach the pocket watch to a waistcoat. You would want to feed the chain through the buttonhole of your waistcoat and then place the pocket watch into your pocket leaving the chain showing as a decorative piece.

Wearing a Pocket Watch with a 3 Piece Suit

Furthermore, you may choose to wear a pocket watch with a full three-piece suit or perhaps a two-piece without a waistcoat. In order to do this, you would want to attach the pocket watch to your suit jacket. Like the waistcoat, you could feed the chain through the jackets buttonhole and slip the pocket watch into your jacket. However, if this is not possible, you could also use the Bolt Ring chain. This allows you to attach the chain onto the loop for your trouser belt and put the watch safely into the pocket of your trousers.

Wearing a Pocket Watch with Jeans or Steampunk Trousers

Lastly, you could wear a pocket watch with jeans or steampunk trousers. The suggestion is you wear darker colours such as black, grey or very dark blue as lighter, more casual colours may contrast with the pocket watch. Also, possibly choose a slim-fit pair of jeans or trousers as this will have a slightly better look. Just like the suit jacket, use the Bolt Ring chain to attach the pocket watch to your belt loop and then secure it in your trouser pocket. Bringing your jeans or trousers together with a shirt and/or blazer creates the perfect smart casual look.

Choosing the Perfect Pocket Watch

The next important step is choosing the perfect pocket watch. One particular pocket watch, this bronze pocket watch from I-MART, can be bought on Amazon for just over £5. This pocket watch is great for anyone not quite sure if they would wear one or not. To see the clock face, you simply press on the stem of the pocket watch. Similarly, to change the time, you removed the stem from the watch. However, it is important to note that this pocket watch comes with a necklace chain. In order to wear the pocket watch in the ways mentioned above, you will need to buy a chain separately.

Next, we have a vintage, skeleton pocket watch from BOSHIYA which can be purchased on Amazon for around £15. This pocket watch is brilliant for steampunk fans as it is decorated it with mechanical gears giving it an excellent steampunk theme. To change the time on this pocket watch, you simply pull the crown away from the base of the watch and turn it clockwise until you reach the desired time. This pocket watch runs on a wind-up mechanism. In order to do this, the crown gets turned for about 25 to 30 times and it is suggested you do this in the morning time.

Finally, we have a stunning skeleton pocket watch from SIBOSUN which you can buy on Amazon for about £18. This pocket watch has a beautiful black, alloy design and the clockface has gold-coloured Roman numerals. This pocket watch is a true bargain as its incredible design makes it look a lot more expensive than it actually is. Like the previous item, this pocket watch also runs on a wind-up mechanism meaning no batteries are required.