Is A Watham Pcoket Watch Worst Alot Of Money

How to value your Waltham pocket sentinel – words Al Woods

If yous love pocket watches yous'll already be aware that certain timepieces have real investment potential. The Waltham Watch Company contributed greatly to the world of antique pocket watches with their precision engineering and fine craftsmanship.

If yous are lucky enough to own a Waltham sentry you might discover it is more valuable than you remember, specially if it is in pristine condition. Waltham watches are highly collectible and some specimens are a worthwhile investment. See some skillful sentry investment tips from a Primary Watchmaker hither.

In this article I'll offer some guidance and share some useful resource on how to get some thought of the value of your Waltham pocket watch. Nigh Waltham pocket watches have some value, even if it'southward just for scrap and parts.

Of class, the but manner to know the true value is to take your Waltham watch to a professional watch valuer or a Waltham pocket spotter adept.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The American Waltham Watch Co. (Waltham)

In 1849 Aaron Lufkin Dennison, Edward Howard and David Davis formed a visitor with a plan to develop machinery that could mass produce scout movement parts with precision and render them interchangeable. Prior to this, all watches produced in America were handmade.

In operation between 1852 and 1957, over xl million fine specimens of pocket watches, wrist watches, clocks and other precision instruments were produced by the Waltham factory. It was one of the about prolific American watch companies and past the early 1870s Waltham watches were winning prizes all over the earth.

Railroad grade watches

Post-obit the smashing railroad train disaster in America in 1891 (the tragedy occurred due to a faulty timepiece), Waltham (and a number of other watch brands, such every bit Elgin and Hamilton) produced watches to a new set of standards. To qualify as railroad standard, watches were required to run into the following criteria:

Be 16S or 18S (size)
Accept 17 or more jewels
Be lever set
Accept an open confront instance, with the stalk at 12 o'clock
Be adjustable to 5 or more positions
Take bold legible Arabic numerals on the dial
Have a maximum variation of thirty seconds per weekly check

Exist enlightened if you are purchasing a railroad grade watch that some volition be described as railway grade when in fact they aren't. Read some more on the history of railroad watches here.

Source: PxHere

Factors to take into account when valuing your Waltham pocket sentinel

Assemble every bit much information as possible. In order to establish lookout value, y'all volition demand to starting time identify the model, grade, age, size and quality.

The number of jewels a pocket sentinel tends to determine quality and the usual rule of thumb is the college the number of jewels the more valuable the watch. The term 'jewels' refers to the industrial grade gemstones used every bit bearings in the sentinel mechanism, which prevent friction and wear of the sentry machinery. The higher the quality of the watch mechanism, the more jewels it will have. Some watches take upwardly to 25 jewels. Below xv jewels is considered a lower-form sentinel. It's not the jewels themselves, incidentally, that are valuable, it's the performance of the watch achieved with a higher number of jewels.

Does the watch work? It may seem obvious, but a watch that is on working society will by and large be of more than value than i that needs repairing.

The condition of your picket will besides take an impact on value. Dents, scratches and damaged dials volition all devalue your timepiece. Depending on the extent of damage, information technology may be worth investing in restoration piece of work, merely e'er refer repair and restoration work to a reputable Master Watchmaker with feel of Waltham pocket watches.

The materials used will also have an influence on value.

Waltham watch series numbers. Waltham watches are highly collectible and are possibly one of the easiest timepieces to date due to their serial numbers. Every Waltham lookout man produced since 1852 was engraved with a serial number.

Determining the appointment of your Waltham pocket picket involves opening the back encompass.

Find a fabulous guide to the Waltham spotter models here, including a table of Waltham production dates past serial number. As a general dominion, the older the picket is the higher the value, though other factors, such as condition will also determine how much your timepiece is worth.