Pocket watches with a three-piece tuxedo: chain and fit

A pocket watch has a place only in a three-piece tuxedo with a waistcoat. The chain anchors in a buttonhole of the waistcoat, the watch sits in a small pocket on the other side, and the slack falls in a slim curve across the stomach. If you wear a cummerbund instead of a waistcoat, there is nowhere to hang it, so it is an accessory for a waistcoat or for nothing at all.

The chain through the waistcoat buttonhole

A tuxedo waistcoat has a row of buttonholes at the chest, usually a few small ones beside the main row down the front. One end of the chain carries a T-bar, which passes through a buttonhole and is held by the crossbar behind it. The other end clips to the ring of the watch, which rests in the pocket on the opposite side.

The key is how much the chain sags. A well-judged length makes a gentle curve across the middle without pulling the waistcoat to one side. Too long and the curve drops and the watch swings as you walk. Too short and the watch makes a bulge at the chest. Try it on your own waistcoat, standing, sitting and bending, before you buy the chain.

Choose a slim watch. A thick one, or one with a big case, spoils the line of the waistcoat, especially in a light cloth. On a made-to-measure waistcoat, the tailor can adjust the placement of the pocket and the buttonhole stay so the watch sits quietly without pushing the cloth out.

Single chain, double chain

There are two common styles, both belonging to the Albert chain family:

• Single chain: one end through a buttonhole, the other holding the watch. Neat, light, and right for most men and most waistcoats.
• Double chain: both ends go through buttonholes on opposite sides, linked in the middle by a length of chain, with the watch hanging on one side and a small fob on the other (a clasp, a medallion or a small bar). A double chain asks for a waistcoat that is wide and high enough, otherwise it lies across the buttons.

Match the metal of the chain, whether gold, silver or plated steel, to your cufflinks and studs. Mixing yellow and white metal at once makes the outfit look busy. Leather and fabric straps suit casual styles better than black tie.

A classic look for the groom

At a wedding, a pocket watch with a three-piece suit gives the groom a distinct, traditional image: a fully buttoned waistcoat, a hand-tied bow tie, a white pocket square and a fine chain across the middle. It suits a daytime wedding in a church, a villa, or a restaurant with early twentieth-century character. A family watch, if you have one from a grandfather or father, gives the accessory a story of its own.

A few things keep the photographs from tipping into excess:

• Wear only one eye-catching object on the front of the jacket. If you carry a pocket watch, leave out a large lapel pin or badge.
• Keep your wristwatch in your pocket, or choose a slim white-dial one if you must wear both.
• Check that the watch runs, or at least that the winding is secure, so you do not have to open the case during the ceremony.

For waistcoat choices that suit a chain, look at styles of three-piece tuxedo waistcoat.

Not with a cummerbund

A cummerbund covers the waist and offers no chest buttonhole or waistcoat pocket to hold a chain. The chain would have to drop from a trouser pocket, a manner that is out of step with black tie. The clean rule is one place for each thing: a waistcoat can carry a pocket watch, a cummerbund goes with a slim wristwatch, or with nothing at all.

On the wristwatch side, see watches with a tuxedo for how to choose a dial, a strap and a thickness that sits well under the cuff.

In a three-piece tuxedo such as TUX-096, a black tuxedo with a waistcoat and silk shawl lapels trimmed with dots, the waistcoat is what lets you add this accessory naturally. When the jacket comes off late in the evening, the chain remaining on the waistcoat becomes a quiet accent.

Tips from the Mon Amie workroom

If you plan to use a pocket watch, bring the watch and the chain to your fitting. The tailor will place the buttonhole and the pocket to its real size instead of guessing. You can book a fitting at the Mon Amie showroom to try the three-piece with its accessories, or read how the process works under made-to-measure tuxedos.