I’m often asked for advice about buying pocket watches as gifts, and it usually looks like this.

Someone who doesn’t know anything about watches has a son or spouse who is into wrist watches but doesn’t have a pocket watch yet. So she browses eBay, pokes around, and is understandably boggled by all the options. If the gift-giver doesn’t abandon the idea, she ends up buying a watch that is too small, too eccentric, or way too expensive.

My perspective is that you want to buy a watch that the person will appreciate now as well as down the road. It’s easy to delight someone now—people who don’t know much about pocket watches will like all kinds of inane and nonsensical pieces, like cheap quartz Chinese watches or low-grade watches. But later on, when he knows better, your gift’s recipient won’t respect or use the watch you gave him.

Here, then, is a practical guide for the total beginner who wants to buy someone a nice pocket watch that he will enjoy now and later.

1. Size

Pocket watches come in many sizes, from tiny ones around the size of a nickel to huge ones that look like small clocks. The size is usually expressed in an archaic and quaint sizing metric. When you see watches described with labels like 18 size, 16s, 14/0, and the like, you’re seeing that measuring system.

For a gift, go for a 12-size or a 16-size watch, which might be listed as 12s or 16s in a listing. A 12-size watch is a smaller, gentlemanly size. The dial is about 40 millimeters (mm) in diameter. The case adds a few more mm, so you end up with a watch that slips easily into the front “watch pocket” of a pair of jeans.

A 16-size watch is notably bigger, around 44 mm across the dial. A 16s watch can fit in the front pocket of most pants, but it will have a larger case, a thicker look, and overall a bigger presence.

In short, stick with 12-size and 16-size watches. If you buy any other size, it will seem either too small for most men or too big to practically use with modern apparel.

2. Brands

Assuming that you’re in the USA, buy an American pocket watch as a gift. They are easier to find, fix, and research, and the recipient will connect with the ticking piece of American technological and cultural history.

Most of the American watches you’ll find will be between 1880 to 1940, more or less. Of the many American companies, stick with the major four:

• Elgin
• Hamilton
• Illinois
• Waltham

These are the biggest and best-known companies. When your son or partner gets the watch, he’ll research it online and will be delighted to learn that it is a watch company with a proud heritage and with a huge fan base online. He can connect to other collectors and start a collection with a watch that fellow enthusiasts recognize and respect.

I have nothing against the more niche companies and have a soft spot for a few of them, like Rockford and Hampton. But such companies are best left to obsessive and knowledgeable collectors, not beginners.

3. Quality Level

Quality comes down to two things: (1) the inner mechanical works of the watch, known as the movement, and (2) the overall cosmetic condition of the whole watch.

Movement

American pocket watch movements are graded in the number of jewels. Jewels are functional, not decorative—they’re hard, synthetic bearings that reduce metal-on-metal wear.

At the low end, you have 7-jewel watches and then a few 11-jewel watches. These watches are too risky for a gift. The good stuff starts at 15 jewels.

Your sweet spot will be watches with 15, 17, and 19 jewels. Once you get higher than 19, you get into watches that collectors fight over, like iconic railroad watches and high-grade timepieces. If your gift’s recipient gets into pocket watches down the road, he can decide which patch of the high-end watch territory he wants to get into.

The watch should work—you should be able to wind it up, set the hands to the right time, and watch it tick. No one wants to get a broken watch as a gift.

An irksome thing about vintage pocket watches is that a watch that works (winds, sets, and ticks) might not be accurate. Most watches you find at outlet malls, pawn shops, and online will “work” but won’t actually “keep good time.” This is because most old watches haven’t been cleaned and serviced for a few decades. A watch will occasionally need to get taken apart, cleaned, reassembled, and lubricated with fresh oil. Otherwise, metal parts grind against each other, causing needless wear and reducing the lifespan of the watch.

You should assume that a used pocket watch has not been cleaned. It is still fine as a gift. You could get it cleaned ahead of time, either at a local jeweler or at one of many watchmakers, easily found online, who specialize in pocket watches.

Sellers, especially online sellers on eBay, say all kinds of meaningless nonsense, like Keeps great time! Runs strong! Works! Dead accurate! and the like. Mostly, they just mean that the watch ticks. Unless the seller is a jeweler or watchmaker who knows something about watches and assures you it has been serviced, the watch will need to be cleaned eventually if it is going to get used day-in and day-out.

Cosmetics

The watch will be in a case, which should be complete. The case should have a crown (used to wind and set the time), a bow (a hoop over the crown for attaching a strap or chain), a crystal (made of plastic or glass), and a case back. The case back will either unscrew or snap open, yielding a view of the movement.

Few pocket watch cases are made of precious metals. Some are made of solid silver, usually marked coin silver, a tough 80% silver alloy that wears better than sterling (92.5%) silver. A case marked as silveroid or nickel silver has no silver and is instead a nickel/zinc alloy.

Most gold-colored cases are “gold-filled,” meaning that the case is made of a base metal (usually brass) that is covered with a thick layer of gold. Unlike modern cases, which are electroplated with a thin layer of gold or treated with a gold-toned material via positive vapor deposition, these old gold-filled cases have significant gold content.

Don’t be discouraged by dirty cases and crystals. If the case seems dull, gunky, or tarnished, it can be easily cleaned and polished by any jeweler. If the crystal is scuffed, scratched, chipped, or otherwise grim, replacing it is easy and inexpensive for a watchmaker and some jewelers. Many people leave the watch as-is for that old, vintage look; others clean and shine the timepiece. Both are fine.

Some cosmetic issues are fixable but more expensive. For example, if the case has big dents, broken hinges, or missing parts (such as the bow, the hoop over the crown), you’re looking at a more expensive repair from a specialty workshop.

And some cosmetic things aren’t easily fixed. The biggest red flag is a bad dial. Most 12s and 16s American pocket watches have porcelain dials. A few small cracks here and there are fine and add character to a watch.

But chips, flaking, rust, and gouges are bad in a dial. Repairing porcelain dials is a rare and expensive skill. Some smaller, newer pocket watches had metal dials. Watch out for rust, spotting, paint loss, and a mottled and stained appearance.

Likewise, the hands should all be there (a hour, minute, and second hand) and in good shape. A bit of rust or spotting is fine, but bent, broken, or rusty hands are deal-breakers.

4. Where to Buy

It’s best if you can see the watch in person. These days, you’ll find pocket watches at a lot of places:

• jewelers who carry vintage and estate jewelry
• antique shops and malls
• nicer pawn shops
• coin shops
• events aimed at watch collectors, such as meetings connected to the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors

You can haggle at all these places: bring cash and a willingness to walk away. The world is full of nice American pocket watches. If you have been doing some research online, you’ll have a good sense of what prices are reasonable.

And, of course, there’s a vast world of online sellers. These sort into two kinds. Some sellers have online shops where they sell pocket watches. These sellers are often jewelers, collectors, or watchmakers, so they know their watches and have a reputation to uphold. If you can’t find a watch in a local shop, these kinds of online shops are good options. (I occasionally have a few pocket watches for sale myself.)

The other kind of online seller lurks on eBay. Buyers need to beware more on eBay, where there are many ignorant, frazzled, and dishonest sellers. Look for sellers who describe watches in detail, offer returns, have great feedback, and are members of a professional society like the AWCI or NAWCC.

5. Wrapping Up

So, in short, here’s how to narrow down the huge world of pocket watches into a good watch for a gift:

• buy only a 12-size or 16-size watch
• stick to the big 4 American companies: Elgin, Hamilton, Illinois, and Waltham
• aim for a movement with 15, 17, or 19 jewels
• make sure that you can set the time smoothly and that the watch winds and ticks
• the case, crystal, dial, and hands should be in good shape. Cases can be cleaned and crystals can be replaced, but a rough dial or rusted hands are deal-breakers for a gift watch