How do I wear an antique watch chain?

Antique watch chains, including trombone and curb link styles, are traditionally fastened across a waistcoat with one end secured in a buttonhole. The attached watch rests in the waistcoat pocket while decorative fobs or pendants hang visibly against the front.

Are mid-century cocktail watches mechanical?

Mid-century cocktail watches predominantly rely on manual wind mechanical movements tucked neatly inside tiny gold and diamond-set cases. These delicate mechanisms require regular winding by hand to keep accurate time throughout the evening.

How do key-wind pocket watches work?

Key-wind pocket watches require a separate metal key to adjust the hands and wind the mainspring through holes in the inner dust cover. This traditional nineteenth-century method predates the modern crown-winding system used on later timepieces.