Pocket Watches coverted to wristies

[Greg Crockett]

During WWI, leather adapters were available to convert a pocket watch to a wrist watch. No modification of the pocket watch was necessary, you only had to find the right size adaptor to fit your pocket watch. I have seen photographs of them in use during WWI. These adaptors fit closely around the watch showing only the dial. In my opinion, the adapters gave a greater level of protection to the pocket watch than if the watch had wire lugs attached and was left exposed on the wrist. This may explain why there are so few pocket watch cases subsequently modified into wrist watches. An adaptor gave more options if the owner wanted to use his watch as a pocket watch again. I also expect an adapter was less expensive than highering a jeweler to modify a pocket watch case.

I have seen some antique pocket watches which have been recently made into wrist watches. I don't care for the practice as it will mislead people into thinking the work was done during WWI. I'm sure plenty of these frauds will show up on eBay, if not there already.

[Jon Miller]

For some reason, this modification was actually fairly common with pre-WW2 IWC pocket watches, and they show up with some regularity on eBay. Sometimes the seller acknowledges the alteration, and sometimes they try to pass them off as "rare and original."

Caliber 52s in particular, roughly 18-size, were frequent candidates for the change. There is a wide variation in how collectors view these hybrids, from "mortal sin" to "if you like it, why not?".

Even when the modification is skillfully done, they look strange to me because they are so outsized for a wristwatch.