The history of the pocket watch or fob watch dates back to November 1562. A letter from this date, written by the Italian watchmaker Bartholomew Manfredi, was found in which he offered a pocket clock to the Marquis of Mantua Federico Gonzaga for whom the letter was intended.

Peter Henlein, a locksmith and watchmaker from Nuremberg, is said to have invented the skeletonized men’s gear watch. However, this remains uncertain to this day. He was the first German craftsman to successfully manufacture a pendant watch component.

The first vintage mechanical pocket watch was an old-fashioned costume pocket watch and was quite large compared to today’s pocket watches. At the time, it was a significant advancement to be able to miniaturize all the technology present in a large clock.

Associated with technological progress, the silver and gold pocket watch was adopted by many innovators and entrepreneurs. The skeletonized men’s gear watch is particularly reminiscent of the emancipation of railways in the 19th century.

Railway workers were even provided with a specific small pocket, inside the front pocket of their jeans, to accommodate and protect this famous visible mechanism pocket watch, bearing the eponymous name of fob, made by Levi Strauss.

It should be noted that as a result of this technological advancement, this new approach was the most widespread form of pocket watch until the 20th century.