Some of us, but certainly not all of us, love all kinds of things that were made decades ago that are distinctly different from what you can go into a store and buy today. Many of these products were made of substantially better materials than the cheap plastic that are in so many items today. Antique pocket watches happen to be one of the most prized and cherished products that were made decades or even sometimes centuries ago, that stand up very well to the test of time.
Many antique pocket watches have very intricate and extremely detailed designs on them, which were handmade by highly skilled craftsman. Simply put, in most cases it is not possible to get this kind of work done anymore for a few reasons. First, the people that were able to hand carve these designs do not exist in great numbers anymore. Second, the ones that are still around are in such high demand, that only the very wealthiest among us can afford to use them.
Most antique pocket watches that are still around and working properly, are doing so for a reason. Which is the insides of them, where all the components of the watch are located that enable them to tell time, were made from the very finest materials that was available at that time. The cost to attempt to reproduce these watches today is staggering, which is exactly why the very best antique pocket watches can fetch prices at auctions that are hard to believe.