Hello Christopher,
Thank you for sending in this family heirloom pocket watch for an appraisal to mearto.com. I shall try to help you with that today.
TITLE: Gent’s, Art nouveau, 18-size, gold filled, keyless, pendant wound and lever set, savonette, open face pocket watch, Grade 10, made by the Elgin National watch company, Elgin, Illinois, circa 1895.
PROVENANCE: “originally owned by great-grandfather”
DESCRIPTION:
CASE: Size 18, two leaf, polished back cover with engraved foliate designs in the style of the Art nouveau era, c. 1880-1910. A fluted gilt ball pendant and round bow are placed at the three position (savonette) relative to the dial and opposite the case hinge. The interior of the back cover is marked for the Montauk model case made by Fahys Watch Company (see History). Case number is 8986096.
Dial: Round white enameled dial with black Roman hours, closed minute track, sunken subsidiary seconds dial @6, American type steel Spade hands and the upper dial signed Elgin National Watch Company.
Movement: Size 18, full gilt plate, keyless movement, The Grade #`0, Model 3 Class 5 made by the Elgin National Watch Company of Elgin, Illinois with serial number 5857227, made in 1895 in a run of 3000 such movement. The movement has eleven jewels, is pendant wound and lever set, going barrel, quick train, plain index regulator and bimetallic balance wheel. (The serial number is NOT 734187 as mentioned in the write up, it is on the movement plate as 5857227)
Condition: Case – The outer case has sever amount of wear to the foliate engravings. The Montauk model was a gold filled case with a gilt finish guaranteed to last 20 years. The bezel and façade of lugs is very good. The back is good to very good. The band is in poor condition. Dial – Poor with several compound fractures of the porcelain dial.
Movement – In good condition and considered original to this case, genuine and perhaps even functional.
HISTORY: FAHYS, JOSEPH WATCH CASES: Joseph Fahys came to America in 1848, took his training in Hoboken, N.J. and set up shop on Nassau Street in New York City in the year 1857. He opened a second case shop in Carlstadt, New Jersey in 1861. In 1882 he merged it with a large factory he had built in Sag Harbor, N.Y. Fahys generally made watch cases of either silver, gold filled or nickel cases. However, sometime between 1865 and 1890 he formed the Brooklyn Watch Case company for making solid gold watches. After 1900 he merged the Brooklyn Company with the two Fahys companies. By 1890, 500 workers were at work there turning out gold filled, silver and nickel cases. The "Fahys Watch Case Company" of Sag Harbor, N.Y. turned out to have filed ten trademarks with the government starting in 1891 and filing the last in 1905. Fahys main office remained at all time in New York City under the name of "Joseph Fahys & Company" of New York City and Brooklyn. They filed their first of six trademarks in 1908 and their last in the year 1925. The company operated until the great depression of 1929. By the mid-1930's Bulova had taken over their Sag Harbor factory.
PRICING: I wish I could provide better news for you about your family heirloom pocket watch, but the dial damage takes too much of the value out of this piece. It is certainly worth much more to you as it belonged to your great- grandfather. Looking at the Pocket Watch Database (online) and putting in the condition of the case, dial and movement, I would place the fair market value of your Elgin pocket watch in the range of $90-$115
Thank you for choosing mearto.com for this appraisal.
My best,
David