If you are interested in collecting vintage jewlery, consider taking a look at antique watches.
Besides buying and selling antiques and writing, I also work part-time as a tutor at a local community college. Last week, I needed to find a wrist watch with a second hand to help time a student on a short speech. I have not worn a watch for years. As I wandered through the tutoring center looking at wrists, I only found one, and that watch was on the wrist of a fellow tutor who is probably in his late 70s or early 80s. No one else was wearing wrist watches.
That evening, I was throwing away newspapers that we had not used for packing our goods when I ran across an article talking about the decline of wrist watch sales, with the exception of really high-end wrist watches such as Rolex and Patek Philippe.
"Hmm," thought I. "Perhaps this means that wrist watches will become a hot seller to today's young adults in the future…."
Pocket clocks
Pocket clocks were made as early as the 1460s. Spring-driven pocket clocks were developed at the end of the 1400s and the manufacturing of these heavy, boxy clocks spread throughout Europe during the 1500s. These early clocks were actually worn around the neck. During the 1700s these clocks shrunk in size to a point where they could be carried around in pockets.
It was the advent of railroads that spurred the use of pocket watches during the second half of the 1800s. Pocket watches became mandatory equipment for railroad workers to help prevent railroad accidents. Exact standards for these pocket watches were established in 1893.
History of the wrist watch
Patek Philippe invented the first wrist watch in 1868. Since wrist watches were considered a woman's accessory, pocket watches continued to dominate the men's watch market. This trend continued until World War I, when soldiers found that using a wrist watch was much more convenient than pulling out a pocket watch when they were under fire. In addition, pocket watches were relatively expensive and were unaffordable for the rank and file. Since more and more battles were being coordinated by time, the Army started to issue cheap, mass-produced wrist watches that the soldiers were allowed to keep when the war ended. The day of the pocket watch was largely over and the day of the wrist watch began.
Today's modern timepieces
Today, it looks like more and more consumers are turning to their cell phones and iPods to find the time. Cell phone manufacturers are also increasing the size of the numbers shown on phone screens to increase their appeal to older adults.
Where does that leave us as antique dealers today? Keith and I do not deal largely in watches. Our friends that do tell us that antique men's wrist watches and pocket watches continue to be a strong seller. Interestingly, women's wrist watches do not sell well and are often scrapped for parts or for the value of any gold or silver that they include.
Who knows if this will continue to be the case in the future?
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