# Attaching A Watch-chain.



## Shangas

Hi everyone,

I decided to start this thread after watching the film "To Kill a Mockingbird" starring Gregory Peck. In one of the early scenes of the film, Scout goes to call Atticus out into the front yard to see Mr. Cunningham. Peck appears at the side entrance of his house and he's getting dressed for work. He's fixing the chain to his waistcoat and dropping his watch into his pocket.

In the film, I noticed that the waistcoat was completely unbuttoned so I wanted to know...

What's the correct sequence of events for clipping a T-bar or clip chain to a buttonhole? Using a T-bar as an example, is the bar put through the button-hole from the front, and then the button put through? Or is it done from the back, with the chain disappearing between the folds of the shirt/coat/waistcoat and the bar appearing out the front of the buttonhole where it would be in plain-sight?

I noticed a lot of pocket watches in that film, actually. Atticus wears one, so does the doctor, the judge and I believe even the sheriff.


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## gallch

Shangas said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I decided to start this thread after watching the film "To Kill a Mockingbird" starring Gregory Peck. In one of the early scenes of the film, Scout goes to call Atticus out into the front yard to see Mr. Cunningham. Peck appears at the side entrance of his house and he's getting dressed for work. He's fixing the chain to his waistcoat and dropping his watch into his pocket.
> 
> In the film, I noticed that the waistcoat was completely unbuttoned so I wanted to know...
> 
> What's the correct sequence of events for clipping a T-bar or clip chain to a buttonhole? Using a T-bar as an example, is the bar put through the button-hole from the front, and then the button put through? Or is it done from the back, with the chain disappearing between the folds of the shirt/coat/waistcoat and the bar appearing out the front of the buttonhole where it would be in plain-sight?
> 
> I noticed a lot of pocket watches in that film, actually. Atticus wears one, so does the doctor, the judge and I believe even the sheriff.


I'm pretty certain that the standard way is from the front so the T-bar doesn't show, and then you button up. BTW I had a waistcoat tailor-made for my wedding and the tailor had the idea of putting in a little extra stitched hole, aligned vertically, just between two of the button-holes, for my watch-chain so it wouldn't be competing for space with a button.

I don't know if that was ever standard or not but it makes putting the chain on easier !

Now - have you ever looked at a photo of Winston Churchill in civvies ? He seems to be wearing a single watch chain as though it were a double Albert, with the centre of the chain fixed somehow to the inside of his waistcoat but not going through a button-hole at all but in and out of space between the two sides of the middle of his waistcoat. I'm not explaining this very well am I ? Google images does the trick. I have never seen that arrangement on anyone else.

Anyone know what was going on ?


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## Shangas

Here are some photos, is this what you mean?



















What he's done, I think, is put something on one end of the chain (A key, a knife or something), dropped that in one pocket, taken the rest of the chain, looped it around a closed up button of his waistcoat, attached his watch to the other end of the chain and dropped that into the opposite pocket.


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## Guest

Hi all,

Regarding the above have a look at this site, (if you haven't already done so).

http://www.pocketwatcher.org/category/.howtowearyourwatch/

Rabbit


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## Shangas

Aaah yes, I've read that link with how to wear a watch-chain. It was very informative. I had NO idea there were so many varieties! :lol:

I am craving a T-bar or a springy O-ring chain for my watch, just to give it that real 'period' look. Are T-bars easy to get through buttonholes? I think you have to twist them some way to get them in...


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## Mikrolisk

You're right so far. But the photos show only watch chains with a ring at its end (put over the button before button up). T-Bars are put from the front to the back of a button hole.

And then there are those shorter button hole chains, with a button at its end! They are put from the back throught the button hole of the collar button hole, and the watch is put in the front left pocket of the jacket.

Andreas


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## Shangas

How many pocket-watch users do we have on thsi board? By that I mean, use a pocket watch as a timepiece daily or regularly?

Do you guys actually keep anything on your chains? I've taken to clipping the key to my cashbox on my watch-chain to stop it from getting lost.


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## Mikrolisk

[x] Me.

I wear pocket watches (and nothing else than pocket watches) now for about 6 years (watch age from 180 to 80 years).

Andreas


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## James

I do wear one once in a while not often. I use a lanyard type thing that came with a USB drive, pieces have never had a chain on em and do all I can to keep them clean and hoops tight


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## Chascomm

Shangas said:


> How many pocket-watch users do we have on thsi board? By that I mean, use a pocket watch as a timepiece daily or regularly?


 Well this is my first post here, so that's one more for your straw poll.

I used to wear only a pocket watch for about 15 years. This started when I was a draughtsman and preferred to not have anything on my wrist dragging across the film while i was working. The watch was a generic Swiss quartz. I had no interest in watches at the time.

As my watch collection has grown, I don't wear a pocket watch so often. Mostly just when I'm expecting to pick up another wristwatch from my watchmaker.



> Do you guys actually keep anything on your chains? I've taken to clipping the key to my cashbox on my watch-chain to stop it from getting lost.


My quartz PW was on a spring-ring so there wasn't much scope for carrying extras. These days it's on a bootlace lanyard for my children's amusement and the chain had been transferred to my Jilin Meihualu. I've got an old Hong Kong piece on a chain with a clip, so again not much use for carrying things. My Molnija has a longer chain with a key ring on the end, so if I ever get my keywind Frodsham fixed, I'll be probably be able to wear that chain in the Churchill style. As for other, non-watch-related accessories; they just live in other pockets.


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