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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watches · Case

Pocket Watch Hands

Verified

The hour, minute and (where fitted) seconds indicators of a pocket watch, whose style is a useful, though not conclusive, period and grade indicator.

Mechanism

Hour and minute hands are friction-fitted to the cannon pinion and hour wheel of the motion works; a seconds hand, where fitted, is friction-fitted to the fourth-wheel pivot.

Typical characteristics

  • Blued or gilt steel construction on most period-correct hands
  • Styles including spade, Breguet (moon-tip), poire, and cathedral hands
  • Matched design between hour and minute hands on original sets

Identification characteristics

  • Compare hand style, finish and proportion against catalogued examples for the grade and period
  • Mismatched or incorrectly sized replacement hands are common

Collector significance

A secondary but useful originality check, particularly when combined with dial and case assessment.

Known variations

  • Spade hands
  • Breguet (moon) hands
  • Poire (pear) hands
  • Cathedral hands

Diagram

subsidiary secondschapter ringminute and hour hands
Schematic: dial layout and hands. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. Cutmore, M., Watches 1850-1980

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