The watch was first created in the 16th century, initially in spherical (Pomander) or cylindrical cases, when the spring driven clock was invented.

These watches were at first quite big and boxy and were worn around the neck. It was not for another century that it became common to wear a watch in a pocket.

Since television and film stars such as Doctor Who and BBC 1’s Sherlock Holmes have been spotted with pocket watches, they have had a revival and are now firmly back in style- at The Watch Hut you can find a stunning array of beautifully crafted pocket watches that will put Doctor Who’s to shame.

A pocket watch is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist.

They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wristwatches became popular after World War I during which a transitional design, trench watches, were used by the military.

Pocket watches generally have an attached chain to allow them to be secured to a waistcoat, lapel, or belt loop, and to prevent them from being dropped.

Pocket watches come in a wide array of styles, colours and materials – from solid gold pocket watches, to silver and titanium, as time has progressed so have pocket watches and they are now accessible to more people through the use of less expensive materials such as titanium and silver.

There are two main styles of pocket watch- the hunter case pocket watch and an open face pocket watch.

A hunter case pocket watch is the kind with a spring-hinged circular metal lid or cover, that closes over the watch-dial and crystal, protecting them from dust, scratches and other damage or debris.

The majority of antique and vintage hunter-case watches have the lid-hinges at the 7 o’clock position and the stem, crown and bow of the watch at the 3 o’clock position.

Modern hunter-case pocket watches usually have the hinges for the lid at the 6 o’clock position and the stem, crown and bow at the 12 o’clock position, as with open-face watches.

In both styles of watch-cases, the sub-seconds dial was always at the 6 o’clock position. A hunter-case pocket watch with a spring-ring chain is pictured at the top of this page.

An open face pocket watch is a pocket watch that lacks a metal cover to protect the crystal. It is typical for an open-faced watch to have the pendant located at 12:00 and the sub-second dial located at 6:00. Occasionally, a watch movement intended for a hunting case (with the winding stem at 3:00 and sub second dial at 6:00) will have an open-faced case.

Such watch is known as a "sidewinder." Alternatively, such a watch movement may be fitted with a so-called conversion dial, which relocates the winding stem to 12:00 and the sub-second dial to 3:00. After 1908, watches approved for railroad service were required to be cased in open-faced cases with the winding stem at 12:00.

Today, with the likes of Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes bring the pocket watch back into the limelight – it’s the perfect way to treat yourself to a little piece of classic history.