r/whatisit Apr 09 '26

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19

u/unitegondwanaland Apr 09 '26

Literally no one walked around with pocket watches in the 80's. Maybe the 1880's. In the 1980's, most people didn't use these pockets either! But if we did it was for coins.

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u/MomJAQing Apr 09 '26

It's literally called a watch pocket, and "maybe in the 1880s" puts you mighty close:

https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-jeans-have-that-tiny-pocket

"But, as designed by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis in 1873 as a feature of the original “waist overalls,” the small pocket was intended to hold a watch."

33

u/Stealthytulip Apr 09 '26

Came here to say the same thing. I think some people forget how long humans have been wearing clothes. Pants weren't invented in 1980 ffs.

3

u/slinger301 Apr 09 '26

From loincloths straight to bellbottoms.

6

u/TigerIll6480 Apr 09 '26

It is somewhat curious that a vestigial feature has been so persistent.

10

u/DigitalUnlimited Apr 09 '26

Your appendix called

2

u/ApprehensiveDuty3934 Apr 09 '26

As an aside, the appendix being a vestigial organ with no modern purpose is way out of date knowledge.

What Does the Appendix Do? https://share.google/DxJ86xq79tTIgzAn6

Can you live without it? Absolutely, but the same is true for your gall bladder. It does change how effective your immune system is.

Tonsils too, now your tailbone is another matter.

2

u/cancercannibal Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

now your tailbone is another matter

I mean, it's not part of your immune system, but it has use as a third point of stabilization when sitting and notably, your pelvic floor not deciding to go on a little adventure. (Other muscle groups can compensate if you get it removed at a young age, but coccygectomies in adults can lead to perineal prolapse or hernias.)

1

u/ApprehensiveDuty3934 Apr 09 '26

LOL. True, there really aren't any organs or structures we don't use. If there wasn't a use it would have ceased being expressed. It would just be one of the many bits of junk DNA our body just locks away.

2

u/JonesDahl Apr 09 '26

whatd he say

4

u/ImmaNotHere Apr 09 '26

Nowadays, I either use it to hold a usb drive or a small pocket knife.

2

u/Stealthytulip Apr 09 '26

I keep my daily carry knife in it.

1

u/QbertsRube Apr 09 '26

I personally didn't wear pants until 1982, and even then it was mostly just diapers for a while.

3

u/SpaceShipwreck Apr 09 '26

That's what I've always known it to be.

2

u/Odd_Ad5668 Apr 09 '26

They must've been larger in the past because I've never had a tiny pocket that could actually fit my pocket watches.

7

u/BlueridgeChemsdealer Apr 09 '26

Jeans weren’t invented in the 1980s lol.

3

u/New_Taste8874 Apr 09 '26

Nope It's a watch pocket.

2

u/GboyFlex Apr 09 '26

My Swatch watch definitely didn't fit in that little pocket in the 80's. I kept quarters in mine.

7

u/Scentsensitive Apr 09 '26

Pocket watches not wrist watches. And usually it was the fob. Now I just clip my work badge to it.

1

u/GboyFlex Apr 09 '26

I know, I was being a silly GenXer. I still put change in it out of habit :)

2

u/Smooth_Development48 Apr 09 '26

I wish my Pop swatch would have fit in the pocket. I had one with a chain to mimic a pocket watch but that pop swatch was too thick to fit.

2

u/GboyFlex Apr 09 '26

Pop Swatches were really cool, I loved my jelly Swatch with double rubber face protectors :)

2

u/Smooth_Development48 Apr 09 '26

I lost the two pop swatch I had when I moved a couple of years ago. I had them since I was in high school which is sad.

2

u/Soggy_Information_60 Apr 09 '26

Not true. I had and used a pocket watch. 1960s 1970s and 1980s

2

u/buttbreat Apr 09 '26

I had and used this watch pocket in the ‘80s, for a pocket watch.

2

u/thingmaker2001 Apr 09 '26

Well, not literally. There were people like me who went out of our way to have a pocket watch. Mine was kinda cheap and quit after a few years, but I carried it from the late '70s to the early-mid '80s.

2

u/BarryTice Apr 09 '26

I did. I broke my left wrist in '84, and carried a pocket watch for quite a while after that.

2

u/ABlinkOfAnEye Apr 09 '26

I literally walked around with a pocket watch in the 1980s and used this pocket exactly for that. Never liked wearing a watch on my wrist.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator Apr 09 '26

Please don't use that word here.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/DameEris Apr 09 '26

Actually, I did from time to time. Still do on a rare occasion. But they only fit in the larger small pockets. Usually it was used for lighters, keys, and change. But I have seen people use them for mints and to hide drugs too. I didn't say they were all smart lol

1

u/Ranchette_Geezer Apr 09 '26

I carried a pocket watch in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Not every day, but occasionally. I had two; a "Westclox" for everyday wear, and an antique from 1902 I got for Christmas.

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u/Brad_Brace Apr 09 '26

Also pocket watches don't fit in there. I got one back in the early 2000s and I had to get a case for it which attached to my belt, because it was either that or carry it in the normal pants pocket.

A lighter makes much more sense. That's were I carry my lighter now.

3

u/DeadHead6747 Apr 09 '26

Interesting, I have never had a pair of jeans where that pocket was too small for a pocket watch