Pocket watch etiquette?

[Oliver K]

Hello, i understand that back then (and in modern times) that there's an etiquette for hats, you must take your hat off while talking to people, etc, i believe.

What i would like to know, is was there an etiquette for pocket watches? everyone looks at their smartphones nowadays, oblivious to whats going on around them, was it the same for pocket watches? was it considered rude or anti-social to check the time while someone is talking to you? was there a specific way of using a pocket watch?

I also wear a pocket watch and waistcoat, and when i check the time i do feel like i'm using it wrong, also, Edwardian fashion is cool and i think it should make a comeback.

I will appreciate any light on this subject, if any.

 

[Michael C Brady]

Hello The_One_And_Only,

As you surmised there was indeed an etiquette for the wearing and usage of a pocket-watch. First and foremost; it was considered incredibly bad form to check the time while in polite company. It is my understanding that for evening social events - which in the upper classes dictated 'white tie' or, perhaps slightly more rakishly at that time, the beginnings of what we would now know as 'black tie' - pocket watches were usually omitted completely from the outfit.

As a side-note, it is common to see men sporting twin chains on their waistcoats. While one linked to a watch, the other was most often attached to a 'vesta'. These cases contained friction matches and featured a rough surface for striking and lighting them. They have become extremely collectable in recent years.

~Mike

 

[Oliver K]

Hello The_One_And_Only,

As you surmised there was indeed an etiquette for the wearing and usage of a pocket-watch. First and foremost; it was considered incredibly bad form to check the time while in polite company. It is my understanding that for evening social events - which in the upper classes dictated 'white tie' or, perhaps slightly more rakishly at that time, the beginnings of what we would now know as 'black tie' - pocket watches were usually omitted completely from the outfit.

As a side-note, it is common to see men sporting twin chains on their waistcoats. While one linked to a watch, the other was most often attached to a 'vesta'. These cases contained friction matches and featured a rough surface for striking and lighting them. They have become extremely collectable in recent years.
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~Mike

Thank you very much!

I do have a gold-plated double Albert chain, that i, ironically received on Christmas day, i did not realise that vestaboxes were the standard thing to put on the other chain, i put my my watch and a jewelers loupe on my double-albert, a fine combination indeed.

 

[Michael C Brady]

Thank you very much!

I do have a gold-plated double Albert chain, that i, ironically received on Christmas day, i did not realise that vestaboxes were the standard thing to put on the other chain, i put my my watch and a jewelers loupe on my double-albert, a fine combination indeed.

Yes I think that's a fine combination!
I wore a waistcoat and chain for work at one point - although with my keys attached at the end! This would inevitably end in disappointment when curious people would ask to see my 'pocket watch'.

~Mike

 

[Oliver K]

Yes I think that's a fine combination!
I wore a waistcoat and chain for work at one point - although with my keys attached at the end! This would inevitably end in disappointment when curious people would ask to see my 'pocket watch'.

~Mike

haha! that is what the double-albert is for, keys in one pocket, watch in the other pocket.