Best Pocket Watches of 2013

The pocket watch was originally a sign of independence from the constraints of the public clock tower, and a symbol of prestige. Once wristwatches became prevalent, the pocket watch was regarded as old-fashioned and cumbersome. Now it is making a comeback as a cool accessory, with new materials, modern designs and impressive movements. Even vintage pocket watches are regaining popularity at auctions. A pocket watch is still suitable for moments of high pretension, but there is no need to wear a three-piece suit to don a pocket watch and chain. A watch collector I know keeps one in the pocket of his leather vest as he rides his BMW motorcycle. Young people are wearing them in their jeans pockets with the chain attached to their belt loop – a sign of independence from the constraints of having to check the time on a cumbersome cell phone.

Richard Mille RM 020 Tourbillon Pocket Watch, The RM 020 is the first pocket watch with a baseplate made of carbon nanofiber, a material used in Air Force jets. It is a tourbillon with twin barrels and a 10-day power reserve. With a central caseband and a chain made of titanium.

Urwerk UR-1001 Zeit Device, with revolving satellite hour complication, retrograde minute indicator, day/night indicator, power reserve indicator, rotating satellite calendar, oil-change indicator, 100-year and 1,000-year indicators. Made of steel with titanium elements.

Panerai Pocket Watch Tourbillon GMT Ceramica, with blackened movement and case, three-barrel power source, Panerai P.2005/S tourbillon movement, which turns perpendicular to the rotation of the balance rather than parallel and rotates at twice the normal speed, making two revolutions per minute.

Bell & Ross PW1 Heritage, with brown dial, and case and chain made of glass bead blasted steel with grey PVD finish and a barleycorn guilloché caseback. With manual wound caliber ETA 6497. Index and hands are covered in a sand-colored photo-luminescent coating.

Bovet OttantaTre 5-Day Tourbillon with jumping hours, retrograde minutes, seconds on the tourbillon, power reserve indicator and reversed hand-fitting, with a crown at 12 o’clock. In 18k gold, with a hand-wound movement and a five-day power reserve.