How to Wear a Pocket Watch in the 21st Century (Yes, seriously)

There are few men’s accessories as classic, dapper and distinguished as the pocket watch.

Seeing those chains dangling from the vests of bad-ass style icons like Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders or Steve McQueen’s title character in The Thomas Crown Affair makes me want to slip on a tweed suit, throw on my pocket watch and stroll through some cobblestoned streets.

The problem is, while the pocket watch look may have been a great way for men of earlier eras to accessorize their suits, today we live in a much more casual world.

The opportunity to wear a pocket watch rarely presents itself, and when it does, it’s hard not to feel like the watch is an anachronism—an unnecessary affectation that makes us look more like we’re playing dress-up than actually dressing up.

And since modern gentlemen almost never get to wear them, today most of us don’t even know how to wear a pocket watch properly, which further compounds the problem.

So even those of us who want to try the modern pocket watch look are never quite sure how to make it work.

The good news is that wearing a pocket watch in the 21st century is possible and, when done right, can evoke the classic look of past eras without looking like you’re playing dress-up.

In this post I’ll break down everything you need to know to wear a pocket watch with style, class, and a modern-day dose of Peaky Blinders bad-assery.

How to Wear a Pocket Watch

A Modern Guide to Wearing a Pocket Watch
( Without Looking Like a Peaky Blinders Cosplayer )

How to Wear a Pocket Watch with a Vest

(or “How to Wear a Pocket Watch with a Waistcoat,” if you’re fancy)

The most classic way to wear a pocket watch is with a button-up vest, also known as a waistcoat.

This is both the most traditional approach to making the pocket watch work, and for my money still the most stylish.

When wearing a pocket watch with a vest, you have two pocket watch chain styles to choose from:

The Single Albert or the Double Albert.

Both are named for pocket-watch enthusiast and husband to Queen Victoria, Prince Albert.

And yes, I realize there’s another metallic accessory named for him as well, but I looked it up, and it turns out there’s no historical evidence that he ever had a piercing.

(On a side note, if you value your eyeballs, I strong, strongly suggest that you never Google the phrase “Prince Albert piercing.”)

The “Single” and “Double” aspects of the name refer to the number of ring chains that connect the pocket watch to the vest.

How to Wear a Single Albert Pocket Watch Chain

As you can probably surmise, the Single Albert type of chain includes a single chain that runs from the pocket watch to the vest.

This is the traditional way to wear a pocket watch, and arguably the most popular style as well.

You wear it by connecting the end of the chain through the waistcoat buttonhole using a T-bar pin, which is essentially a piece of T-shaped metal long enough to ensure that the chain doesn’t slip out through the hole.

It’s worth noting that many pocket watches don’t come with a T-bar chain.

They usually come with a removable clasp on the end of the chain, which can be attached to a T-bar.

Fortunately, switching the watch to a new chain is easy, and you can buy Albert chains that come with T-bars on Amazon.

How to Wear a Double Albert Pocket Watch Chain

The Double Albert, not surprisingly, involves piercing both the shaft and the tip of the… just kidding.

(Also: gross.)

The Double Albert chain actually refers to two connected chains that extend from the button into both waistcoat pockets.

You also need a T-bar pin to wear it, and the double chain style works the same way as the Single Albert.

But in addition to the pocket watch chain there’s a second chain that extends from the button hole, which you’ll slip into your other waistcoat pocket.

Usually this chain connects to a watch fob or another small token that’s about the same size and weight as the pocket watch, which weighs down the chain and keeps it in the pocket.

In addition to watch fobs, other potential options could include a small Swiss army knife or a cigar cutter.

What about that other dangling thing?

Ah yes, the “dangling thing.” Good question.

Some pocket watch chains in both the Single Albert and Double Albert styles come with an extra bit of short chain, which sports a pendant and is meant to dangle in front of the buttons.

The pendant that dangles could feature a design, or could be left blank so you can have it engraved with the  symbol or letters of your choice, like your initials, family crest or, of course, Spider-Man’s head.

(Yes, someone really did this. People are weird.)

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How to Wear a Pocket Watch with Jeans

(a.k.a. How to Make the Pocket Watch and Vest Look Modern)

Now that you understand the two chain styles that are key to wearing a pocket watch with a vest, let’s discuss how to make them look appropriate for the 21st century.

In my opinion, wearing a pocket watch with jeans is the easiest (and quite possibly the sharpest) way to make a timeless accessory look modern.

What’s great about this look is that it actually does a few things simultaneously, all of which are dashing and dapper.

First, it immediately makes you look modern. Wearing a pocket watch with a suit jacket is a great look, and below I’ll explain the keys to doing it with style.

But because previous generations wore suits so often, the suit-and-pocket-watch combo can’t help but feel a little bit old school.

Jeans, on the other hand, are a thoroughly modern piece of menswear, so pairing your vest and pocket watch with a slim-fitting pair of denim immediately conveys modernity.

The other advantage to this look is that, while your jeans modernize your pocket watch, your pocket watch helps dress-up your jeans.

Denim is an inherently more casual look, but when done well and paired with the right other pieces, a good pair of jeans can still look sharp as hell.

And finishing off the look with a pocket watch adds an extra touch of class that helps elevate an otherwise relaxed look, helping you make a poised and powerful impression.

Here are a few tips to really nail the vest-jeans-pocket watch combo:

1. Start with Slim Jeans

Opt for jeans in both a slim fit and a darker wash; the combo will inherently give your jeans a slightly more formal look.

2. Go For a Textured Vest

Choose a vest with some texture in it – think tweed or herringbone rather than silk – to evoke the Peaky Blinders era without going full cosplay.

3. Leather

To complement the rugged-meets-refined look you’re going for here, finish off the look with some leather boots that have a chunky soul, but a sleek toe shape.

We’ve put together a full break down of the best boot styles to wear with jeans, most of which will work quite well with a pocket watch.

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How to Wear a Pocket Watch with a Suit

Step 1: Make it a 3-Piece Suit

One of the most important things you need to know about wearing a pocket watch with a suit is that a full three-piece suit is pretty much mandatory.

I’ve seen guys try to wear a pocket watch with a two-piece suit by stringing the watch through the hole in their lapel down to their left pocket, but to me this look just doesn’t work.

Instead of looking dapper and sophisticated, wearing a pocket watch with a two-piece suit makes you look more like someone who desperately wants to be thought of as dapper and sophisticated, but actually isn’t.

While you can wear a three-piece suit pretty much anywhere a suit is appropriate, they work especially well for formal events like weddings, fancy work parties, or any other special occasion when you have an excuse to dress up.

(Although it’s worth noting that a three-piece might not be the right choice for a summer wedding, when you usually want as few layers as possible.)

Step 2: Keep the Suit Slim

Not all formal wear is created equal.

So once you’ve got the right kind of suit for wearing a pocket watch, and know which formal occasions justify breaking it out, the next step is to make sure the suit fits properly.

The best way to wear a pocket watch without looking like you’ve dressed up as an old-timey gangster is to make sure your suit fits slim to your body.

The suits they wore in the post World War I era, when Peaky Blinders is set, were big and bulky, often billowing off of their bodies, where as today’s style tends to favor slimmer fits.

If you keep your suit fitting slim, then adding a pocket watch will look more like what it is – a dapper detail – and less like a part of your Great Gatsby Halloween costume.

Step 3: Don’t Overdo the Accessories

The fact that pocket watches are increasingly rare means that you make a real statement by sporting one.

But that statement is muddied if your suit is adorned with too many other accoutrements.

Wearing a pocket watch in your vest pocket and a tastefully folded pocket square in the breast pocket of your jacket makes a lot of sense.

But when you add accessories beyond that, you run the risk of looking like you’re wearing costume jewelry.

Better to keep it simple and understated, so your pocket watch can stand out and make the statement you want it to.

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How to Wear a Pocket Watch without a Vest

I prioritized wearing a pocket watch with a vest above because it’s the more traditional look, and in my opinion the sharpest.

But that doesn’t mean it’s the only way.

There are a few different ways to wear a pocket watch without a vest, whether you’re wearing a suit, jeans or any other get-up.

Option 1:
Put the watch in your front trouser pocket

Throwing your pocket watch in your pants pocket can work if you don’t own a vest, and/or don’t want to wear one.

In fact, stashing the watch in the side pocket of your trousers is arguably the easiest way to wear one.

You clip the watch chain to your trouser belt loop (or in the case of the photo here, the top of your pants) and throw the watch in your side pocket.

This leaves the chain hanging next to your hip, so you’ll want to opt for a short chain that doesn’t leave much dangling.

When the watch is sitting in your trouser pocket, the belt loop chain should hang no more than a couple inches below the pocket.

Depending on what kind of pants you’re wearing, you may also want to consider keeping the internal small pocket that you often find in the front pocket of pants.

Many people call this the “change pocket,” but it was originally invented for pocket watches and is still sometimes referred to as a watch pocket or a fob pocket.

Option 2:
Put the watch in your back pocket

In this variation, you clip the chain to the waist of your pants or the belt loop that’s closest to the zipper, as you do above.

But here, you put the watch in your back pocket, which runs the chain across your hip horizontally.

This creates more of a punk-rock look because the chain of stainless steel or silver pocket watches could easily be mistaken for a chain wallet, which are popular with bikers, punks and other leather enthusiasts.

(Some of whom, one has to assume, are also Prince Albert enthusiasts.)

Option 3:
Put the watch in your front breast pocket

As mentioned above, I don’t love this look myself, but I can see the appeal.

In this variation you clip the chain through the lapel of your suit or blazer jacket and then place the watch in your front jacket pocket.

If you’re going to try this move, I recommend doing it the way that’s pictured here, where most of the chain is also in your pocket and very little of it is left visible.

This makes the chain and pocket watch more subtle, which I think is classier.

The other option is to keep the entire chain out of the pocket and let the long chain dangle in front of your chest, which reminds me of the accoutrements that adorn Royal wedding outfits.

It’s an appropriate look if you’re King Charles attending a ceremony at Westminster Abbey, but in my opinion a bit overblown if you’re dressing for work or your buddy’s wedding.

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Four of The Best Pocket Watches to Buy Online

Now that you know the correct way to wear a pocket watch, let’s look at a few of the best ones you can buy.

Whether you’re in the market for your first pocket watch or looking for another one, here are four timelessly stylish options available to buy online.

Tissot

Check Price ➤

Charles Hubert

Check Price ➤

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Stührling

Check Price ➤

Bulova

Check Price ➤

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More Advice on Men’s Accessories from Irreverent Gent:

• How to Wear a Pocket Square
• How to Wear a NATO Strap Watch
• The 11 Best Warby Parker Sunglasses for Men
• In-Depth Undone Watches Review
• The Most Stylish Watch Boxes for Men
• In-Depth Jowissa Watch Review
• The Best Affordable Engagement Rings Under $500
• The Best Affordable Watch Brands for Men
• The Most Affordable Rolex Watches for Men
• 125 Cool & Unique Mens Wedding Bands
• The 17 Most Stylish Types of Men’s Hats
• The Best Ridge Wallet Alternatives 
• The Best Watch Subscription Boxes on the Market
• In-Depth Watch Gang Review – Is it worth the money?
• The (Absolute) Best Leather Bags for Men
• The Best Watch Boxes for Men

More Pocket Watch Primers from Around the Web:

• YouTube
• Wikihow
• Soxy
• PocketWatch.co.uk