I’m relatively new to pocket watches, live in the country, and don’t get to marts, so the only hunter-case watches I’ve ever held are the three I own.

My gripe is that when I’m fetching my hunters out of my pocket I can’t tell by “feel” which side is the front, so unless I look closely at the design (not always easy with poor vision or in a dark place) I have a 50-50 chance of opening it “wrong-side-down” and having to turn it over to see the dial.

I suppose you’re thinking, “Just be sure the front’s facing you every time you put the watch in your pocket.” I’ve tried it; it doesn’t work for me; I can’t explain why.

Or else you’re thinking, “Just turn the bloody watch over if necessary and quit griping about it.” In this I simply beg for your indulgence.

So I’m looking for a hunter case that you can readily tell by feel which side is the front.

Ordinary engraving (scenes, designs, initials) aren’t prominent enough to allow me to readily distinguish the front from the back by feel.

I’ve thought of two possibilities.

I imagine that a case with a stone like a diamond in the front cover would do the trick. The problem is that such cases are rare (at least on eBay, especially in the large-size case I prefer) and spendy, and I’ve never held one. Those who’ve handled such a case: Would it solve the problem?

I also imagine that you can readily tell the front of a hemi/semi/demi-hunter by the feel of the small crystal in the front cover. Can you?

Can anyone think of any other kind of un-defaced* hunter case that would solve the problem?

Thank you in advance for your ideas!

* I’d be reluctant to, say, braze a half-inch nut to the front cover.

Stu

The back covers of most hunter cases have a "lip" about 45 degrees to the right of the pendant, which is provided in order to facilitate opening them with a knife or a fingernail. Some "lips" are more prominent than others, but almost all hinged cases have them.

Regardless of whether a person is right or left-handed, virtually all hunter cases are designed to be opened with the fingers of the right hand, while the case is held in the left. So long as the case is held that way, the "lip" on the case back should be easy to feel under the index finger of the left hand. If the "lip" is on the opposite side from the left index finger, it's safe to assume the watch is upside-down.

When opening a hunter case, one should never allow the spring-loaded cover to fly open and be stopped by the hinge. Instead, one should hold the left thumb over the cover when the latch is opened, and allow the cover to rise gently under the thumb as the thumb is raised. That will save lots of wear and tear on the hinge, and prevent it from getting "sprung." Ideally, a case hinge should open only 90 degrees, or perhaps a bit less; if it opens more than that, the hinge is sprung.

When closing a hunter case, one should follow the same procedure above, except in reverse. Don't "SNAP" the cover closed, but instead, apply gentle pressure to the cover with the left thumb, while depressing the latch button as if opening the case. As soon as the latch has been sufficiently depressed, the cover will fall into place, and the latch button can then be released. Following that procedure will minimize latch wear on the inside of the cover, thereby greatly extending the useful life of the case.

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Steve Maddox
Past President, NAWCC Chapter #62
North Little Rock, Arkansas
IHC Charter Member 49

Hi Stu,
I've experienced the same problem a time(no pun)or two.

I wear my pocketwatches in my choice of fitted vest for the day so it stays close to my body. There's no chance for movement. I correctly place the hunter in my vest pocket making sure the front of the watch is closest to my body. A solution - fitted vests!

I have read here on this site there are jeans one can purchase with special pockets designed for wearing a watch. Pockets are very small so there is no chance a watch could move around.

You could have your watches monogrammed with large letters provided there is space. I think the diamond idea is a good one.

We all know this problem would not occur when wearing open faced pocket watches.

Steve has provided an interesting solution. Thanks Steve!

Other solutions? Good question Stu! BTW, you ask interesting questions!

Stephanie O'Neil
NAWCC Member 143979

Thanks Steph.

Fitted duds are probably not going to be the solution for me - I wouldn’t wear socks if there were a better way to keep feet warm!

Tried Steve’s lips; found that they’re not prominent enough (that’s probably a good thing ) to provide quick front v. back discrimination, at least for us fumble-fingered. Plus the whole idea is to pull the watch from the pocket in correct position in the first place so you don’t have to flip it.

I hope someone with a stone on the front cover will tell me if that solves the problem!

I hope someone with a demi-hunter will tell me if that solves the problem!

Since diamonds and demi’s aren’t ordinarily my style, I hope someone will post an even niftier solution!

Stu

Its real easy to replace one they just snap in and snap out of the movement case. Heres what they look like these are mostly 16s &18s

Ted -- Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried to replace a "lift" or "latch" spring in a hunter case? If so, I'd be surprised you would describe that procedure as "real easy." For me, it's always been a giant pain........

No two lift or latch springs that I've ever seen have been exactly alike, and every one I've ever replaced has required significant modification to work. The tips often need to be reworked, as do the hole locations, etc. In fact, many just won't substitute for others, and there's no way to make them work.

Stu -- The only simple solution I can think of for your problem (short of the one described above), is to add a leather-strap watch fob to your watches. So long as you can tell the difference between the front and back of the fob, you should be able to tell the difference between the front and back of your watch. The problem with strap fobs is that they don't provide any "safety" factor to prevent a watch from being dropped or falling out of one's pocket. They do provide a convenient way of removing the watch from a pocket, however, particularly if the pocket is relatively deep and narrow.

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SM