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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watches · Form

Pendant Watches

Partially verified

Small watches designed to be worn suspended from a chain or ribbon around the neck rather than carried in a pocket, common for women before the wristwatch era.

Mechanism

Typically a small-diameter version of standard movement types (verge, cylinder, later lever), scaled down for the smaller case.

Typical characteristics

  • Small case diameter
  • Suspension loop or bow at 12 o'clock designed for a neck chain
  • Often more decorative than functional in case treatment

Identification characteristics

  • Small case size with a prominent suspension bow
  • Frequently enamelled or gem-set cases

Collector significance

An important category for the social and decorative history of watches, distinct from the male pocket-watch mainstream.

Known variations

  • Enamel pendant watch
  • Gem-set pendant watch
  • Locket-form pendant watch

Photographs

Gold Pearl Set Watch & Pendant – Circa1840
Gold Pearl Set Watch & Pendant – Circa1840 — WatchMuseum.org, © WatchMuseum.org, used with permission. WatchMuseum.org catalogue record
Gold Pearl Set Watch & Pendant – Circa1840
Gold Pearl Set Watch & Pendant – Circa1840 — WatchMuseum.org, © WatchMuseum.org, used with permission. WatchMuseum.org catalogue record
Gold Pearl Set Watch & Pendant – Circa1840
Gold Pearl Set Watch & Pendant – Circa1840 — WatchMuseum.org, © WatchMuseum.org, used with permission. WatchMuseum.org catalogue record
Gold Pearl Set Watch & Pendant – Circa1840
Gold Pearl Set Watch & Pendant – Circa1840 — WatchMuseum.org, © WatchMuseum.org, used with permission. WatchMuseum.org catalogue record
Vintage New York Standard Watch Co. Open Face Pocket Watch, Size 18, Pendant Wind & Set (14780485193)
Vintage New York Standard Watch Co. Open Face Pocket Watch, Size 18, Pendant Wind & Set (14780485193) — Joe Haupt from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons file page
Vintage New York Standard Watch Co. Open Face Pocket Watch, Size 18, Pendant Wind & Set (14758115041)
Vintage New York Standard Watch Co. Open Face Pocket Watch, Size 18, Pendant Wind & Set (14758115041) — Joe Haupt from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons file page
Vintage New York Standard Watch Co. Open Face Pocket Watch, Size 18, Pendant Wind &Set (14738869416)
Vintage New York Standard Watch Co. Open Face Pocket Watch, Size 18, Pendant Wind &Set (14738869416) — Joe Haupt from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons file page

Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.

Sources & references

  1. General horological surveys

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.