The little pockets inside your jeans are not the regular-sized ones meant for your phone and loose change. However, the tiny pockets probably have something to do with the small fifth pocket on your jeans.
While you might have assumed it's merely a fashion statement, surprisingly, it holds much more historical significance.
According to Levi's historian Tracey Panek, the pocket can be traced back to the oldest pair of jeans in Levi's archive. And those jeans are from 1879!
The small pocket, dating back to Levi's first-ever pair of jeans, known as the watch pocket, was originally intended as a secure place for men to store their pocket watches.
The Levi Strauss blog further highlighted that initially, a pair of blue jeans had only four pockets, which included the watch pocket. “The first blue jeans had four pockets—only one in back and, in the front, two plus the small, watch pocket,” the blog stated.
When your thumb is casually hooked in that small pocket, remember that it was originally designed to store a pocket watch.
The tiny pockets, nestled within the regular pocket, also catered to the needs of cowboys. During that time, it served as a secure haven for their pocket watches as they rode horseback through rugged terrains, as per Marie Claire.
In the modern era of the 21st century, where cowboys are no longer prevalent, these pockets also serve different purposes.
Nowadays, the emergence of wristwatches and other timekeeping devices has rendered the need for a specialized 'pocket' to hold watches obsolete.
Consequently, these small pockets have evolved to fulfill new roles and functionalities. Over time, this additional pouch has showcased its versatility, as seen in the different names it has been assigned: frontier pocket, coin pocket, match pocket, and ticket pocket, among several others.
One user made the comment: I've always used it for putting keys in...
Someone wrote: I take my check to the bank. It’s too little to go by itself.
One person commented: It's called watch pocket in those daysFor keeping watch before wrist watch was invented
Someone else joked: It's to keep my salary in
