![]() Railroad pocket watches are a big collectible item. Pocket watches were a staple of men’s everyday carry and were part of the railroad expansion in the United States. Now-famous brands such as Heuer, LeCoultre & Cie, Cartier, and Ulysse Nardin are some of the companies that came out of this pocket watch boom. ![]() ![]() As watches became popular, wristwatches were considered only for the purview of ladies as they were worn on the wrist and were aesthetically viewed as a bracelet. Lever escapement didn’t become popular until the mid-19th century when pocket watch production got cheaper, and everyone started to buy. This movement made watches far more accurate and is still used in most mechanical watches. Watches got a major upgrade in 1755 with the invention of lever escapement by Thomas Mudge. He also created a cylindrical escapement, and this invention allowed for the creation of flat watches. The above traveling clock watch utilized a balance spring, a device he created with scientist Robert Hooke, that made the watches more accurate than in the past. Tompion (1639-1713) was called the “Father of English Clockmaking” due to his tinkering with how watches were made. ![]() It looks vaguely like the now-familiar pocket watch. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
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