Hello Victor,
Thank you for sending in your family pocket watch to mearto.com for an appraisal. I shall try to help you with that today.
TITLE:
Gent’s, 14k gold plate, 12s, pendant wound and pendant set, savonette, hunting case pocket watch, S/N 9711685, Grade 210, made by the American Waltham Watch Company, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA, circa 1900.
PROVENANCE: “Grandfather owned it”
DESCRIPTION:
Case: 12 size, four leaf, 14k gold plated metal (brass alloy) case with a fluted ball gilt pendant and round bow placed at the three position (savonette) opposite the case hinge. The back covers are not shown in any of the four photos and cannot be described. The interior cuvette cover is marked as having two (2-4 microns thick) 14k gold plates surrounding a hard metal, most likely brass with a high copper content (because of the green oxidation seen on the casing). The gilt finish is guaranteed by the Waltham firm to last a minimum of 25 years. The interior covers carry a case number but do not indicate what company made the case itself.
Dial: Round white enameled dial with Roman hours, open bar minute track with red Arabic markers placed around the periphery of the dial at every five minute marker, sunken subsidiary seconds dial @6, American type steel ‘Spade’ hands and the upper dial center marked, Waltham.
Movement: A damascened nickel three quarter plate movement, the Grade 210, model 1894, made by the American Waltham Watch Company with serial number 9711685, made in 1900 in a run of 2000 such movements. This movement is a size 12 made with 7 jewels, pendant wound and pendant set, bimetallic balance wheel with Breguet hairspring and plain regulator. The movement is unadjusted for position and is not of railroad grade. Over their business lifetime Waltham made close to 1.5 million of these movements. The movement is properly signed and numbered by Waltham.
CONDITION:
Case – The outer covers could not be properly evaluated while the one inside view of the cover is in very good condition. There are oxidative changes taking place, primarily involving the copper within the brass alloy case, and that accounts for the green residue in parts of the case.
Dial – The dial is in good condition with a hairline fracture emanating from the eight second marker of the seconds subsidiary dial and turn towards the Roman numeral four. The edge of the dial, at the bottom of the dial, has a rim of what appears to be some type of grime.
Movement – Appears to be in very good condition and is original to this case, genuine and likely functional.
HISTORY of the Waltham Watch Company:
This American company was the first to produce watches by the machined use of interchangeable parts. This was the vision of the founders of the company; Aaron Dennison, David Davis and Edward Howard. The initial company was located at Roxbury, Mass. in 1851, and was called the Warren Manufacturing Company. The business moved to Waltham, Ma in 1854 and the name had just been changed to the Boston Watch Company. That business failed in 1857 and was sold at a sheriff's sale, reorganized and called Appleton, Tracy and Company. In 1859 the Waltham Improvement Company merged with Appleton, Tracy to form the American Watch Company. Between 1859 and 1885 the firm operated under that corporate name. These early watches were key wound. Stem winding was introduced in 1870. The last key wound watches were produced in 1919. In 1885 the name was changed to the American Waltham Watch Company. In 1906 it became the Waltham Watch Company and in 1923 the Waltham Watch and Clock Company. Production ceased in 1950.
COMPARABLES:
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/82350633_waltham-7-jewel-pocket-watch (SOLD IN 2020 FOR $110)
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/23764727_gold-filled-waltham-pocket-watch (SOLD IN 2014 FOR $70)
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/60163125_waltham-pocket-watch (SOLD IN 2018 FOR $25)
https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/a-12-size-waltham-pocket-watch-with-gold-hunting-136-c-18e45b7964# (14K SOLID GOLD CASE. WATCH SOLD IN 2020 FOR $750)
https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/american-waltham-openface-pocket-watch-12-c-d4f4599856 (Gold filled case, size 12, 15 jewels sold for $26 in 2020)
PRICING:
The pocket watch database, with the condition information that I have entered along with the recent sales listed above for similar size and types of Waltham watches convinces me that your watch has far more value as a family heirloom than if it were sold into today’s watch market. The fair market value would range from $80-$105 with a retail figure somewhat higher. I made the assumption that the outer covers (not seen) were in the same condition as the parts of the case that you showed me.
I hope that helps you to understand precisely what it is you inherited and the vast majority of the savonette type cases, i.e. the pendant near the three, were made between 1890 and 1900. Therefore, it is a classic example of American watch making of that time period.
Thank you for choosing mearto.com.
My best,
David