Pocket Watch Wall Clocks
Buy the best pocket watch wall clocks selected and recommended by interior designers. By Tara Gosselin.
Pocket watch wall clocks are an excellent decor choice for adding an antique charm to your living space. They are a clever throwback to a bygone era when pocket watches were a powerful fashion statement. Many models have a silent movement to minimize distractions from ticking clock hands and long-lasting battery lives. They come in a range of finishes with various decorative features to blend with any style.
Pocket Watch Wall Clocks
Buying Guide
Tara Gosselin
Interior Design Expert
Tara is a San Antonio-based award-winning landscape architect, writer and educator, passionate about eco-friendly solutions and growing her own food. She knows all it takes to help you create a sustainable backyard retreat that combines blissful charm with a modern take on landscaping.
The pocket watch was once an important accessory for gentlemen. Their watch helped them arrive at their work on time, and it helped them govern their businesses and households. Usually attached to a watch fob – which could range from a simple leather strap to a fine chain. The fob was fastened to a waistcoat button, and the watch tucked into a waistcoat pocket.
You can relive the era of pocket watches by placing a clock shaped like a giant pocket watch on your wall. You could even make it part of a whimsical scene where it is a giant’s pocket watch, but no need for that. The large, round analog clocks are easy to read, with large numbers in either Roman or Arabic numerals. The hands also mimic those of old-fashioned watches, having a long minute hand, a short hour hand, and a slender second hand to mark the passage of time.
Unlike Granddad’s old pocket watch, which had to be wound daily, most of these pocket watch wall clocks run off AA batteries. This gives you the freedom to place them wherever you will inside your home (they are not recommended for outdoor use) without having to deal with wires, plug-ins, or extension cords.
Although the basic clocks are very similar, there are variations on the theme. For example, Trent Austin Design offers an amazing pocket watch clock. The numbers are Roman numerals that are set in relief, while the center of the “watch” is cut out to show copper colored cogs behind the black hands. Another special clock comes from 17 Stories. The top is decorated with the typical loop and with the two stems that could be used as either a stopwatch or to set an alarm. Like the Trent Austin, the center face is trimmed out to show cogs and gears behind it.
If pocket watches don’t invoke fond memories for you, perhaps you might prefer a faux wrist watch from Red Barrel Studio. Design to look like a white wrist watch with an expanding wristband, it is designed for easy hanging. Like the pocket watches, it has large numerals but has only two hands for indicating the time. It is worth noting that the clock face is turned so that the 12:00 position aligns with the “wristband” which is used to hang it. Whereas most wrist watches have the 9:00 position aligned with the wristband, making it easy to read when worn. The clock’s design is more practical for wall hanging, however.
Whichever style or design you choose, a large pocket watch wall clock or a faux wrist watch wall clock, make interesting conversation pieces. Whether you are going for an overall nostalgic look, or just seeking something interesting that will be easy to read, these analog clocks will fill the bill. Since they run on batteries, you are spared the chore of daily winding.