What Is a Steampunk Pocket Watch Necklace?
A Steampunk pocket watch necklace is a very common accessory in the Steampunk aesthetic and costume. It consists on simply using one of the most versatile Steampunk items, a pocket watch, and attaching it by the bow of the pocket watch or elsewhere possible to a necklace chain or cord to be worn around your neck. It is mainly worn by ladies but can be a addition to a gents costume on occasion.
If you choose to wear a pocket watch as a necklace it is easier with smaller and lighter pocket watches to be a more subtle Steampunk fanatic. Though average sized pocket watches will be the center piece of your outfit.
Pocket watches are one of the most versatile Steampunk items. A lot of cosplayers use them in very, very creative ways. They can be worn in your hats, in your belts, as a simple ornament in your vests and -as you may have guessed- as necklaces. Here, we’ll show you everything you need to know about pocket watch necklaces:
How To Make A Steampunk Pocket Watch Necklace For Women
If you are looking to wear your Steampunk pocket watch as a necklace, you absolutely can. In fact, a lot of people do it.
You could simply buy a necklace chain, and then attach said chain to your pocket watch – and voilà! You have a very creative and unique necklace. It’s granted that most people will remember that you wore this as an accessory. These can be worn with basically anything: dresses, formal and informal attires, or casual clothes. You don’t even have to be in your full Steampunk persona to be wearing them.
The pocket watches that can be used as necklaces can be of the small and vintage type, like these ones, or you can simply choose the ones of the average size – you should really base this decision on how comfortable you find the typical size as a necklace, especially if you are going to wear it for a long time. You could also check your local charity shop for more available options.
Etsy is one of the best places to go to if you are looking for a Steampunk look. Most of the items present are hand-crafted or self-made, and you can directly contact your sellers at any time. They will eagerly try to help you and try to offer you the best experience. Here are some other examples of what you can find in said website:
A small Steampunk pocket watch being worn as a necklace in an extremely casual attire.
A Steampunk pocket watch being used by a model as part of an attire. It could as well be replaced with a choker and a small chain, as it’s pretty close to the neck.
The types of chains that you can find can also be decorated in different ways, with a whole myriad of options available. More often than not, they can be bought including jewels or engravings, just like with the pocket watches. Here are some examples:
A Steampunk pocket watch chain with white pearl jewelry included.
Multiple claps end options for your Steampunk pocket watch chain, which can be found on Etsy.
Do Ladies Wear A Steampunk Pocket Watch Necklace?
Steampunk pocket watches are one of the most used items in Steampunk women’s fashion. They go amazingly with dresses, blouses, shirts and overalls equally – and they work as a stunning focus point for your attire. If you are not doing a full cosplay or attending a fair, you can wear them either way, as they are also a very classy and vintage accessory that can be included in your typical formal/informal outfits.
Notre Dame Rose Window Pocket Watch Necklace
Even if they some times come with gorgeous matching chains, this is definitely not a requirement. You can absolutely recycle another necklace’s chain and attach it to your pocket watch. Just make sure that it’s heavy enough to keep the pocket watch well held!
At the end of the day, it’s not really something to get picky about, as long as you can put it around your neck. You can also buy really cheap chains in thrift stores or check items in Etsy and the other sites that we have told you about before in our thrifting tips article.
Vintage Antique Style Zodiac Bronze Pocket Watch Necklace
However, if you still want to get a truly fancy and heavy chain, you should check necklaces chains like the one in the picture below, which are easily obtainable in Etsy. You can also make deals to get several of them for a cheaper price.
Remember that pocket watches are also known for being a great way to save the picture of someone very dear to us and keep them closer to our hearts. If your pocket watch also works as a reliquary, you must definitely use this chance to get a beautiful picture to showcase in your new ornament, like in the picture below. It’s probably one of the most romantic presents ever created, and it makes people have the same reaction that lovers had when receiving such gifts during the late Victorian era and the first half of the 20th century. It’s simply a classic.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s pocket watch given by his wife, Eleanor
What Is The Difference Between A Pocket Watch And A Pocket Watch Necklace?
The difference between a pocket watch and a pocket watch necklace is essentially settled in their uses. As we mentioned in the previous point, there are different items that can accept a pocket watch as an ornament. Here we will illustrate some of these examples:
Different uses for a pocket watch: Madhatter hat, in a waistcoat, under the belt.
On the other hand, a pocket watch necklace has a more restricted use, as it would only be comfortable to wear as a common necklace. But, despite this, it has an advantage: it’s a way more romantic gift, and it carries a lot of significance, considering that you can include a picture in the pocket watch. It’s gifting a necklace, a watch and a beloved photography all together, which sounds like an amazing deal for a gift. Not to mention that it’s not crazy at all to wear them as your typical necklace in your work uniform, to university, or essentially wherever you would like. Not to mention that you can wear it during a romantic date!
Pocket Watch Engraved with Photo
As an alternative, you can also have the pocket watch necklace engraved, which is something that a lot of people gift to their significant other for their weddings. Countless people have dedicated messages to their future spouses with different typographies and designs.
We also tend to usually relate these gifts to couples, because they are fairly common, but that’s not the only reason that you can have to give such a gorgeous present! For example, here you’ll see an engraved message to someone’s daughter, which is straight up wholesome:
What we are trying to say is that there are different ways to carry the words or the gift of someone very dear to you right next to your heart, and you will have to just pick up what works best for you.
Can You Wear A Pocket Watch As A Necklace?
You’ll find out that there are different instances in which you can wear a pocket watch necklace. It goes with different sorts of dresses, of different shapes, forms and colours. The gold, silver and bronze metallic colours would match essentially any design, as they are timeless accessories. Some examples will be featured here.
This first picture is from a bride’s photoshoot. Her pocket watch necklace, differently from the others, is not hanging from a chain. But its colour really fits the auburn/autumn vibe that she was definitely trying to achieve. As you can see, you can wear a pocket watch necklace even in the most important day of your life.
Pocket watch necklace as a cosplay accessory
Pocket watches are not restricted to be worn outside. In the picture below, the model is wearing a pocket watch over a corset. It fits very well with this very intimate look that she’s trying to achieve, and looks very elegant with her make up choice.
You can also rock your Steampunk pocket watch necklace with a corset
However, you don’t necessarily have to be wearing a full Steampunk outfit to wear it. You don’t even need to be cosplaying. There’s a reason why we referred to Steampunk pocket watch necklaces as timeless accessories, and that’s because they can be used with basically anything. The clothes don’t even have to look ‘vintage’, it can be straight up modern clothing for a night out, and it will work marvelously.
Matching a pocket watch necklace with a short white dress and a bag
Wearing a pocket watch necklace with a Vermillion dress and a hat
⦁ Events In Which You Can Wear The Steampunk Pocket Watches
It is totally possible and acceptable to wear a Steampunk pocket watch necklace at your wedding, or at someone else’s wedding. Whether you prefer a dress, a shirt or a blouse, a nice pocket watch necklace could be the perfect accessory, like you can see in the picture below. Plus, if your pocket watch is engraved with an illustration, you could make it match with the rest of the colors of your attire, too. For example: the two flowers in the picture could clearly work as a ‘something blue’ pretty well.
Remember when we mentioned that Alice in wonderland themed Steampunk weddings are a very common trope in the Steampunk community? If you have been dwelling in the aesthetic for a while, you have probably seen millions of Alice adaptations in outfits, events and accessories. Well, that’s because Steampunk brides can absolutely rock these sorts of ornaments flawlessly, and because the theme works really well. Below, we will show you the picture of a bride that’s showing the detail of her beautiful Steampunk pocket watch necklace:
As a plus, we think that it’s worth mentioning that wrapping the chain of the pocket watch necklace around your fingers gives a very delicate and soft look for a photo. If you have the chance to get a picture like this, definitely give it a shot.
Ren Fairs/Cosplay events/Conventions
If you are planning to go full Steampunk, you can always use your pocket watch as a necklace. However, if you are struggling to create your attire because of your budget, don’t worry! You don’t need many accessories to get a fantastic cosplay outfit, and that’s why we strongly recommend this ornament.
If you tend to like the sort of Steampunk cosplay that merged with the Goth or Victorian vibe for your wedding, we’ve got you covered! In the two pictures below, we will show you a goth Steampunk attire and a Steampunk pocket watch necklace that can totally go with it:
⦁ Evening Parties
Pocket watch necklaces are elegant enough for you to wear them with your favorite evening attire. Whenever you have to attend a party during the night, please keep in mind that a Steampunk pocket watch necklace is a great and memorable option to use. It’s also an amazing chance to mix your predilect Steampunk accessory with your goth wear or your modern, formal outfits. You can use it with anything!
In the picture that we are showing you here, you have your very typical goth street wear. If you add the pocket watch necklace, we guarantee that people are going to notice it, even compliment you on that. And that’s because the pocket watch necklace adds that distinctive note to your outfit that other people may have not thought about beforehand.
Another example of everyday ‘normal’ clothes worn with a pocket watch necklace, only that it features what is called a Double Albert Chain with a spring ring. It’s definitely way easier to remember someone’s outfit if they wore such a classy and well-put necklace.
Famous Cosplayers That Wore Steampunk Pocket Watch Necklaces
Of course, we wouldn’t finish this article without mentioning some famous cosplayers and members of the Steampunk community that rocked some of our favourite accessories. This time, we will show you some cosplayers that uploaded amazing photoshoots while wearing beautiful pocket watch necklaces. We will also tell you where you can follow them in social media whenever it’s possible, in case you are interested on their latest updates.
The first woman we are going to talk about is Ely (E子), who made a wonderful cosplay of an original character of hers, a Steampunk gunner, while wearing a lovely golden pocket watch necklace that matches her spectacles and blond hairstyle perfectly:
Now, we will talk about a fan from a convention that we haven’t mentioned before in our previous articles. The KyivSteamCon (Kyiv Steampunk Convent) is an annual Steampunk event that takes place in Kiev, Ukraine. It’s one of the many European cities that let the Steampunk community gather together and share wonderful activities together. We also heavily recommend you check more information about this event, which you can do in the Facebook page of the Kiev Steampunk Community.
With that said, now we will show here the picture of a very happy couple. The pink-haired cosplayer is wearing an alternative version of a small watch as a necklace. She also made it match with her dark gold neckpiece pretty well. It has a little bit of a Hunger Games Capitol Fashion look, too. It’s a small piece if you compare it with the whole fabulousness of her outfit, but it doesn’t go unnoticed at all. You are most likely to remember that she was wearing that Steampunk pocket watch around her neck.
Here’s another option of a famous cosplayer that made a very creative twist with a very beloved character. Eiraina Schmolesky shows in this picture her Steamy Leia creation, which merges the commonly seen Slave Leia cosplay with a heavy Steampunk aesthetic. Note that her pocket watch necklace is attached to the shackle collar, and that the chain is long enough to make it very visible. It adds a lot to the look of the original character, but it also completely avoids losing its essence with the new change that she applied.
So, did you enjoy our guide? As you can see, there are many different ways in which you can make your new Steampunk pocket watch to match your outfit, whether it is for a cosplay or a typical night out. You only need to find out what you like the most!