Feb 12 2020
U. S. Made 1892 Antique Waltham Pocket Watch 11 jewels, Coin Silver hunter case
Posted by in made
The photos for this watch were taken by a high megapixel digital camera and show detail far beyond what you could see with the naked eye. The details are such as you would see by using a magnifying glass. The American Waltham Watch Company had its beginnings in 1850 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The company was founded by David Davis, Aaron Dennison, and Edward Howard. Their vision was to form a watch company that could produce high-quality watches at a lower cost using interchangeable parts. With financial backing from Samuel Curtis, of small-arms manufacturing fame, the watch production began in 1851, and the first small group of watches were finished in late 1852. The first watches produced went to officials of the company, and it was not until 1853 that the first watches were offered for sale to the public. Problems were encountered with the new production methods. The company was exploring innovative new ideas in watch manufacturing, such as using jewels, making enamel dials, and producing plates with a high-level of finish which required extensive tooling and resulted in a great financial burden. They also found that even though they were using interchangeable parts, each watch was still unique and had its own set of errors to be corrected. It took months to adjust the watches to the point where they were any better than other widely available timepieces. In 1853, the factory building was completed and the company began doing business under the name American Horologe Company. ” The name was changed to “Boston Watch Company in September 1853, and the factory in Waltham, Massachusetts was built in October 1854. The movements produced here (serial numbers 1001 – 5000) were signed “Dennison, Howard, & Davis, ” C. The company went through a series of financial reorganizations and renamings over the next decades. It was reorganized as Tracy, Baker & Co. ” and later that same year the name was again changed to “Appleton, Tracy & Co and watches 5001 – 14,000 were produced. The first movements carried the Appleton, Tracy & Co. Waltham During the Civil War Years. In January, 1859 the Waltham Improvement Co. And the Appleton, Tracy & Co. Merged to form the American Watch Company. In 1860, as Abraham Lincoln was elected President and the country found itself in the throes of the Civil War, the American Watch Company was faced with serious financial problems. By 1861, business had come to a standstill and bankruptcy seemed inevitable. The factory was kept in operation through these years by cutting expenses to the lowest possible level… A strategy that proved successful. According to the biography by Carl Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln owned and carried a Waltham Wm. The watch was an 11-jewel, 18 size, key-wind in a silver hunter case, and was produced in January of 1863. In 1885, the company became the “American Waltham Watch Company”. In 1906 the company was renamed the “Waltham Watch Company”. In 1923, they became the “Waltham Watch and Clock Company” reflecting the new importance of clock manufacturing, but then in 1925 the name was changed back to “Waltham Watch Company”. American Horology owes much to the brilliant visionaries of the Waltham Watch Company. Bacon, Church, Dennison, Fogg, Howard, Marsh, Webster, and Woerd all contributed greatly to American watchmaking. Waltham continued to manufacture watches (and clocks) until 1957, when they ceased production and became the Waltham Precision Instrument Company. Several of the original Waltham factory buildings are still standing, and were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. In addition to using grade numbers, Waltham also used many grade names on their watches, often choosing the names of Board members, company investors, or other prominent individuals. The grade name basically designates the model and/or level of finish of the watch. Some of the more popular Waltham named grades were. Bartlett, Appleton Tracy & Co. William Ellery, Crescent Street, Colonial, Riverside, Central Park, Broadway, Royal E. Robbins, Vanguard, Bond Street, Sterling, Premier, Royal, and Maximus. This is an antique U. Made Waltham pocket watch made in 1892. It has an 11 jeweled movement with three of the jewels being the “scew set” types, visible on the main plate in gold settings. The engraved hunter case is in near mint condition. The watch is not running though it is complete and appears to have a good balance and probably just needs a good cleaning. It is a model 1890, 6 size, Coin Silver hunter case, pendant. Wind & set, the movement plates are finished with nickle damaskeening. The hand painted porcelain dial is in great condition with only one small chip on the outside of the number 9 and no cracks at all. It has black Roman Numerals. It has blued hands. Both hands are in pristine condition. (It is missing the seconds hand) It is signed: “American Waltham” at the upper center dial. There is a sub seconds dial. There is a minutes/seconds. Around the outer rim of the dial with the main positions in red Arabic numerals. The crystal is missing. This is an Waltham pocket watch movement, made in Waltham. It is an 11 jewel movement with three screw-set jewel settings in gold visible on the plate.. It was made in 1892. The movement is signed: AMERICAN WALTHAM WATCH Co. / 5744640 / SAFETY BARREL It is not running. It is a model 1890, 6 size, 3/4 plate, hunter case, pendant set & wind. The movement is finished with nickle damaskeening. Looks shiny & new. Near mint condition Coin Silver case. Beautifully engraved front & back with flowers & leaves. Matching case serial number 8411 is on the inside of all covers and the main body of the case. The front cover is in near perfect condition. The spring action that opens the cover and holds it open works perfect. The cover stays on and never pops open on it’s own. The snap on back, and also a hinged snap on dustcover are also both Coin Silver. The inside of the dustcover is signed: “COIN SILVER (and a crown logo)” The dustcover and back cover both close perfect. The case is 43 mm in diameter not including the bow and stem. Both outer surfaces of the two covers are near mint, and on the inside of the three covers you have very near perfect smooth surfaces with one or two light scratches that you can barely see. On the area of the back cover where you pry open the covers there is the usual rough area where a hundred knife blades and watch openers have opened the case, though on this watch which obviously did not see much use it is not too bad at all. The outer rim of the main body of the case also is engraved and in excellent condition. Please see the photos I took from all angles. There are more photos available if anyone wants to see them. Excellent condition, no wear. The crown is in excellent vintage condition with light visible wear and it functions perfect to wind & set the time. The push action to open the hunter case front cover works perfect. The bow is in excellent vintage condition with only feint wear. I don’t refinish or polish any watch that I have in my possession. I do make sure that the watch and all of it’s functions are working perfectly before I list a watch. I ONLY ACCEPT PAY-PAL. If, after seven days, the item(s) is(are) not paid for, and other arrangements have not been made, I have the option to void the sale to cover the cost or file a dispute against you with E-Bay. IT WILL GO OUT VERY WELL PADDED AND PACKED AND A NUMBER WILL GENERATE IN PAY-PAL. IT WILL BE FULLY INSURED. THE WATCH’S CONDITION IS NOT RUNNING. PLEASE LET ME KNOW OF ANY PROBLEMS SOON AFTER RECEIVING IT. AND REPAIRS FROM TIME TO TIME. The item “U. S. Made 1892 Antique Waltham Pocket Watch 11 jewels, Coin Silver hunter case” is in sale since Saturday, January 25, 2020. This item is in the category “Jewelry & Watches\Watches, Parts & Accessories\Wristwatches”. The seller is “sei78e” and is located in Miami, Florida. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Gender: Unisex
- Watch Shape: Round
- Case Color: Silver
- Case Material: Coin Silver
- Movement: Mechanical (Hand-winding)
- Year of Manufacture: Pre-1920
- Display: Analog
- Brand: Waltham
- Case Size: 43mm
- Face Color: White
- Number of Jewels: 11 Jewels
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Style: Dress/Formal
- Caseback: Snap
- Dial Style: 12-Hour Dial
- Age: 1892
- Features: Jeweled Movement
- Serial Number: 5744640