Well, prepare to be surprised, because the story behind that seemingly useless pocket is far more fascinating than you might have imagined. As it turns out, that tiny pocket was a brilliant solution to a very specific problem faced by the cowboys of the 19th century.
The tiny pocket is actually for a pocket watch, known quite simply as a ‘watch pocket’, naturally it is too small to fit much else in, but was perfectly designed for antique pocket watches many years ago. It all started in 1879 with Levi’s; their first ever pair of jeans to hit the market had only four pockets; 3 in the front and 1 on the back. In a blog, Levi’s confirmed this statement by commenting “The first blue jeans had four pockets – only one in back and, in the front, two plus the small, watch pocket.”
Supposedly this was created because, in the 1800s, cowboys kept their pocket watches on a chain in their waistcoats, but this often led to them being smashed and broken. Therefore, Levi’s came up with the ingenious idea of a watch pocket, to keep their precious devices safe. This is again confirmed on their website with the comment “Originally included as protection for pocket watches, thus the name, this extra pouch has served many functions, evident in its many titles, frontier pocket, condom pocket, coin pocket, match pocket and ticket pocket to name a few.”
Today, it is more commonly known as a coin pocket, due to the increase in men wearing a wristwatch rather than a pocket watch. Keeping in tradition, however, many jeans manufactures still equip each and every pair with this precious pocket that, in all honesty, only holds enough change for the car park! Over time, this pocket has been made progressively smaller to serve the purpose of being a coin pocket, rather than a watch pocket!
So, the next time you slip your hand into that little pocket on your jeans, take a moment to appreciate the rich history and ingenious design that lies behind it. It’s a humble feature that has stood the test of time, and it’s a reminder that sometimes, the most remarkable stories can be found in the smallest of places.
Sources: sub.unianimal; antique-watch
