# Chain On Pocket Watch



## robinhood (Feb 20, 2013)

Hi all,

Is there a specific type of chain that goes with a pocket watch, or can you just put any chain? I have a gold neck chain that I would use for my gold pocket watch, but is that proper?


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Unless you're right into heavy bling, the answer is NO! Basically the chain needs to be heavy enough to handle the weight of the watch swinging on the end of it. The dangers of a light-ish neck chain breaking and depositing your nice gold hunter on the floor is waaaaay! too high :yes:

OTOH, if you're into rapper style really chunky solid link neck chains, you should be allright. Have a look on the bay or google on something like "watch chain and albert" to see what you should be using. There's often a "belt and braces" approach in that there may be a chain with safety stops and links of some kind to prevent you losing the watch, especially a solid gold one, but a look at two or three will give you the best idea.

Braided leather can be quite handsome as well, and even plaited lanyards are acceptable till you get the gold chain you want.

HTH a tad

Welcome to :rltb:, it's a great place to be.


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## Julian Latham (Jul 25, 2005)

Do an ebay search on 'albert' in the jewellery & watches section - probably best to further restrict the search by limiting it to 'UK only'.

You'll be swamped with chains of different types/styles.

Google 'how to wear a pocket watch' - some good tips and many hilarious suggestions.


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## robinhood (Feb 20, 2013)

Thank you for your answer


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## JWL940 (Jun 11, 2010)

Hopefully Roger will be along soon to show you a photograph of how it should look.


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Hi, RobinHood...these are what are known as Alberts...these are double Alberts, if they only have one chain, they are single Alberts.










A double Albert is usually worn with the watch on one chain, and a useful gadget on the other. In this example, I have a sovereign case on the other end, but there were all sorts of items used such as cigar cutters, small gold propelling pencils etc. On the small link of chain in the centre is a fob. This is a small ornamental trinket and there were lots of different forms, from medals, spinners, compasses etc. In this example, there is a gold Masonic ball as the fob.










The T bar would be fitted to a waistcoat button hole, and the watch and sovereign case placed into the pockets, while the fob dangled in the centre.




























A single Albert was worn in the same way on a waistcoat, but some gents would put the T bar through their jacket lapel button hole and put the watch in their breast pocket if they weren't wearing a waistcoat.


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## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

Hi Robin Hood,

There are various ways of wearing or carrying a pocket watch. These first of these three is the leather thong type that is normally worn through a jacket lapel button hole with the watch in the top pocket. The second one is rare early type where the watch is clamped in a holder and worn on the wrist, this was the forerunner to the wrist watch. The third one is a ribbon and fob where the watch is tucked into the waistcoat pocket and the ribbon and fob allowed to drape from the pocket.


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## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

There are plenty of silver watch chains as there were far more silver or nickel cased watches. The first one is a single Albert. These are normally longer than the double Albert and is worn from a higher waistcoat button hole to allow for a more graceful swag. The second one is a standard double Albert for normal sized silver cased pocket watches and the third one is a very heavy silver double Albert more in keeping with the more bulky silver cased railroad type watches.


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## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

Gold chains are normally worn with gold or gold filled pocket watches







.


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## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

Gold chains, even at the 9ct level, are expensive, as are good, solid silver ones. Chains from 18ct gold will cost several hundred pounds. My advice would be to suit the chain to the watch.

Most of my watches have 10ct gold-filled cases - I simply can't afford to buy solid gold ones - and the matching equivalent of this case material, IMO, is rolled gold. It's more affordable and quite good looking. However, where a fob is concerned, then I try and get a solid gold one as they are usually of better quality than gold-cased ones.


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## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

This is another type of watchchain, well, more of a rope really. Made from human hair, it stands out well against light coloured waistcoats.


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## Wightwatch (Jul 16, 2011)

More than one way to wear a double Albert, of course (eg, tucked behind the button of the weskit, so it doesn't lie over the overlap of cloth, but just fits behind it); but I'd like to get my hands on a Churchill chain - he wore a figaro (or paper-clip) style chain, probably minus T-bar, looped around a button in his waistcoat - none of my chains is long enough (or I'm too fat) to permit this; you virtually never see a chain of the right length even on e-bay; probably, it was tailor-made. Can't afford his cigars, either.....


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