Modern Pocket Watches
Rooted in centuries of history of adornment dating back to the ancient world, modern jewelry reimagines traditional techniques, forms and materials for expressive new pieces. As opposed to contemporary jewelry, which responds to the moment in which it was created, modern jewelry often describes designs from the 20th to 21st centuries that reflect movements and trends in visual culture.
Modern jewelry emerged from the 19th-century shift away from jewelry indicating rank or social status. The Industrial Revolution allowed machine-made jewelry using electric gold plating, metal alloys and imitation stones, making beautiful jewelry widely accessible. Although mass production deemphasized the materials of the jewelry, the vision of the designer remained important, something that would be furthered in the 1960s with what’s known as the “critique of preciousness.”
A design fair called the “Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes” brought global attention to the Art Deco style in 1925 and gathered a mix of jewelry artists alongside master jewelers like Van Cleef & Arpels, Mauboussin and Boucheron. Art Deco designs from Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels unconventionally mixed gemstones like placing rock crystals next to diamonds while borrowing motifs from eclectic sources including Asian lacquer and Persian carpets. Among Cartier’s foremost design preoccupations at the time were high-contrast color combinations and crisp, geometric forms and patterns. In the early 20th century, modernist jewelers like Margaret De Patta and artists such as Alexander Calder — who is better known for his kinetic sculptures than his provocative jewelry — explored sculptural metalwork in which geometric shapes and lines were preferred over elaborate ornamentation.
Many of the innovations in modern jewelry were propelled by women designers such as Wendy Ramshaw, who used paper to craft her accessories in the 1960s. During the 1970s, Elsa Peretti created day-to-night pieces for Tiffany & Co. while designers like Lea Stein experimented with layering plastic, a material that had been employed in jewelry since the mid-19th century and had expanded into Bakelite, acrylics and other unique materials.
Find a collection of modern watches, bracelets, engagement rings, necklaces, earrings and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
1910s American Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Gold-filled
1920s American Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Gold-filled
1910s American Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Gold-filled
Late 20th Century American Modern Pocket Watches
Sterling Silver
2010s Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
1920s American Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Silver
1990s Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
1950s Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Sterling Silver
2010s Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
Diamond, Stainless Steel, Steel, Yellow Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Multi-gemstone, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Peridot, Pearl, Garnet, Citrine...
1990s Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
Steel, Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Italian Modern Pocket Watches
Steel
Early 1900s North American Antique Modern Pocket Watches
1960s Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 1900s American Antique Modern Pocket Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Gold Plate
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
1990s Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
Stainless Steel
19th Century American Antique Modern Pocket Watches
19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Pocket Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pocket Watches
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pocket Watches
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century American Modern Pocket Watches
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
18k Gold, Enamel
1990s Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
Stainless Steel
1920s Swiss Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
18k Gold
1890s Antique Modern Pocket Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
Diamond, Stainless Steel, Steel, Yellow Gold
1870s Swiss Antique Modern Pocket Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, Enamel
19th Century British Antique Modern Pocket Watches
Gilt Metal
1950s Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Sterling Silver
19th Century French Antique Modern Pocket Watches
Gold, 18k Gold
1950s French Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Diamond, Platinum
Late 19th Century American Antique Modern Pocket Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pocket Watches
Steel, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century French Modern Pocket Watches
Stainless Steel, Steel
1950s Swiss Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Steel
1910s Swiss Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Gold-filled
1910s Swiss Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Gold-filled
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
Diamond, Rose Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Pocket Watches
Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern Pocket Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1920s American Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Silver
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Base Metal
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Pocket Watches
Base Metal