Our heavily gold-plated or rolled gold watch chain repurposed to a necklace was probably manufactured in the United States sometime in the late 19th, or early 20th, century. The first pocket watches appeared in the mid-1400s in Italy and Germany. But rare and usually made of valuable materials, the little machines were considered as much art works as advanced technology to be enjoyed only by the nobility. Like so many accoutrements of modern life, the Industrial Revolution democratized the pocket watch and with it a wide range of accessories such as our impressive chain. Chains were frequently decorated with a pendant called a fob or practical tools such as a watch-winding key, a match case, or a cigar cutter; the chain was then attached to the wearer by fasteners designed to be put through a buttonhole in a jacket or waistcoat. In other words, these distinctive watch chains often functioned as masculine chatelaines and needed to be rich looking and well made. As such, repurposed, they respond well to today's demand for bold jewelry. Condition: Excellent. Length; 20", 10" drop.