From their introduction in the early 16th century until the end of World War I, a pocket watch was the most common way of telling the time. Subsequently, especially after the appearance of wristwatches, they fell into disuse. Today, however, there are pocket watches to suit all tastes and they are experiencing a second youth.

What are the parts of a pocket watch?

More than a hundred components can be found in a simple watch, while more complex watches can have more than a thousand parts. All these parts must be designed and assembled, thus forming the different parts of a watch.

But here we are not going to worry about the most complex components of a watch, but we are going to describe the basic parts of a pocket watch and what their function is. In this way, you will get to know your beloved watch a little better.

The watch crown

The crown of the watch is the little wheel at the top of the watch. The material it is made of is the same as the rest of the watch, the crown features precious stones, such as sapphires or rubies.

It has several functions, one of them is to wind the watch, if it is mechanical (manual winding), or to stop its operation (in the case of battery-powered watches) to save energy.

The crown is also used to set the time, to do this, you must pull it slightly until you feel a click, at that moment the hands can rotate freely and once the correct time is set, you must press it to let the watch continue to operate normally.

The watch case

It is one of the most important parts of a watch since inside it is the whole mechanical structure that makes it work. They are manufactured with different materials, although generally in metal, ceramic, or plastic. In luxury watches, we can find a case made of stainless steel, gold, silver, or platinum.

Depending on the style of the watch, the case comes in different finishes such as matte or polished. Also, its design can change a lot, from classic pocket watches, with undecorated or carved cases, to very fashionable steampunk style watches.

What is the difference between a mechanical pocket watch and a quartz watch?

First, we must make it clear that to function, both types of pocket watches need a power source. If we are talking about a classic wind-up mechanical watch, what makes it work is a coil spring. The operating time will depend on the length of that spring. For most watches, the wearing time is about two days.

In the case of a Quartz pocket watch, its momentum is produced by energy stored in a battery. It uses a quartz crystal that vibrates at a certain frequency when it comes into contact with an electrical current and produces mechanical movement.

The elements that make up the watch case are as follows:

Internal mechanism: here we include all those mechanisms that transform into movement the energy provided thanks to the spiral spring in winding watches or the battery in battery watches. The parts that make up these mechanisms are the gear train, the escapement, and the regulating element.

Dial: when one thinks of the parts of a watch, the dial is the first thing people consider, as it is the most striking part, on it is the hands that indicate the hour and minutes and the markers that can be Arabic or Roman numerals. The classic watches usually have a single dial but there is a great variety that has more than one and where information such as the month, day, moon phase, etc. is offered.

Glass: like the window of a house, the glass (i.e. the transparent cover of the watch face) allows people to see inside the watch clearly while protecting the device. Depending on the watch, the crystal can be made of plastic, glass, or sapphire. Today's watches use sapphire crystal because it is more durable and resistant to scratches and friction.

Cover: in most pocket watches, we find that the dial crystal is protected by a cover, which is usually opened by pressing the crown. To avoid wearing out the pin that holds the cover so that it does not open, it is advisable to also press the crown when we want to close the cover. In more modern watches, it is very common that the watch has two covers, front, and back.

The watch chain

Its specific name is a fob, it is the union between the watch case and the piece that holds it to the vest or pants. This union with the garment can be of different types: clip, ring to attach to a button, or a small hook that is inserted through a buttonhole of the vest.

Note that the chain should be kept loose enough to allow it to show off, but be careful that it is not too loose, as it could become entangled with some other object.

Generally, the chain is made of the same material as the watch and has the same appearance as its case, although in some cases another material may be used to make it stand out, as may be the case if you want to wear the watch as a necklace. Keep in mind that the chain is the element of the watch that is most visible when wearing, so in high-end watches, it can be made of gold or silver, which although less resistant, it is much more elegant.