Certified State Alchemists, in the popular Anime series, are given pocket watches with a military symbol as a reward for their accomplishments. Replicas of these pocket watches can be purchased by both fans of the pocket watch and fans of the Fullmetal Alchemists series. The pocket watch has come a long way since its inception, from being mandatory railroad gear to the prize of fantasy heroes and much sought after collectibles.

The first reference to the pocket watch was recorded in 1462, when the Italian clock maker Bartholomew Manfredi offered the Marchese di Manta a pocket watch. However, it was not until the 16th century, with the invention of the spring driven clock, that the pocket watch was first known to be manufactured. Spring driven clocks started appearing in the late 15th century, in Italy and Germany. By the year 1510, a Nuremberg master locksmith named Peter Henlein was regularly turning out pocket watches.

The early pocket watches were generally either a hunter cased watch or and open faced watch. The simple difference between the two is that one has a hinged front cover - the Hunter, and the other, the Open Faced, does not. During the 16h century, these pocket watches remained cumbersome and were worn around the neck.

The pocket watch later became recognized for more than just a time piece or a decorative accessory. It became a fixture in the railroad industry starting around the mid-19th century. As railroading increased, pocket watches became an essential tool for railroad workers in the event that an accident occurred. The year 1887 saw the introduction of specified standards for railroad grade pocket watches, but it was not until the disastrous train accident in 1891 on Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway in Ohio, that the railroad industry got real serious about the use of pocket watches.

This train wreck was the result of an engineer's watch stopping for a few minutes. It led to the development of more precise standards and greater reliability for the pocket watch.
In 1893, it became mandatory for railroad grade pocket watches to strictly comply with General Railroad Timepiece Standards. The standards were again revised with the introduction of diesel electric trains. It was then required that electromagnetic fields should not affect the accuracy of the pocket watch.

The pocket watch soon gave way to the wrist watch, even though there was a slight resurgence in the 1970's and 1980's. The pocket watch, has however, remained as a much sought after collectible item. It also certain symbolic representations in novels and television series like Dr Who. A pocket watch appears to be almost a necessity in any depiction of hypnosis. It certainly works better than a wrist watch for this purpose, the swinging motion was sure to induce a hypnotic state.

Today, pocket watches are still being made. Retirees in the US and Canada still receive a gold or silver pocket watch as a memento of long service. While it is no longer a fashion statement today and technology has replaced the need for the lowly pocket watch as an accurate time piece, the pocket watch still conjures up images of antiquity, tradition and cultural symbolism.

Learn more about this author, Joan Schroeder.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about The history of pocket watches?
We want to hear your view. Write now!