Expert: Melvin Mills - 6/11/2010

Question
Dear Sir, as with most, I've inherited a gold plated(?) pocket watch and wonder if you could kindly educate me? It was not made with a cover over the face (as I've seen on movies), small second hand face located at the six o'clock position spanning between the roman numerals V and VII.below the XII it has fancy writing
Am Watch Co (the 'o' is in the upper position next to the 'C') and then underneath it has WALTHAM in more of a block letter type.
On the outside back of the cover there is worn engraving which appears to be three down facing lily of the valley? To the right of these (9 o'clock position)there is a faint circle and the bottom of the engraving seems to be leaves perhaps (very faint).
Engraved on the inside of the cover is:
PAT APL 22,79(the L is smaller, underlined and at the top position) these are curved over top of C.W.C. CO. Under this is an engraving of a quarter moon with a five point star and the word TRADE to the left of the moon and MARK to the right of the moon. Under this is stamped the number 104590.
Holding the watch with the cover hinge up the movement plate (?) is engraved Am Watch Co., interestingly there is a gold/brass colored screw next to 'Co.' whereas all other screws appear to be blued.
Along the bottom edge, in the 7 o'clock position is engraved Hillside above WALTHAM, Mass.
Parallel to the straight edge of the plate there is the number
3192129. I can read the word Pinion, however, if there is another word i.e. safety, I can not read it as there is a circular paper stamp/sticker White Background/Blue Ink bearing the following numbers starting at the top 17 13/16, below this is 15 5/8 and finally below this at the bottom 5.
I realize this is 'wordy' but not having any knowledge regarding watches, I am trying to provide you with hopefuly sufficient and helpful information for you to answer my inquiries.
I appreciate you are unable to provide appraisals, can you suggest whom I should contact in Canada? It definitely is priceless to me as a family 'heirloom' but I wonder if it would have enough value to pursue an appraisal and insurance, or are these a relatively common watch that wouldn't fetch much? In this day and age of 'disposable' everything, I'm thinking of having it serviced/cleaned for use on special occasions is this something that is still done, or is the age of such an issue that it's best to leave well enough alone?
I thank you in advance for any answers you may be able to provide.
Yours Truly,

Rod

Answer
Rod,

First, is a brief history of the Waltham watch company. After that, is information about your specific watch.

Brief History: American Waltham Watch Company
1851 - 1957
Waltham, Massachusetts
The American Waltham Watch Company had its beginnings in 1850 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The company was founded by David Davis, Aaron Dennison, and Mr. 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, the first watches were made in 1850, but problems were encountered. They were exploring new ideas in watch manufacturing, such as using jewels, making dials, and producing plates with a high-level of finish which required extensive tooling and resulted in great financial burden on the company. 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 1851, the factory building was completed and the company began doing business under the name "American Horology Company." 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. 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. T. Parker," and "P. S. Bartlett."
The Boston Watch Company failed in 1857 and was sold at auction to Royal E. Robbins. It was reorganized as "Appleton, Tracy & Co." and watches 5001 - 14,000 were produced. The first movements carried the Appleton, Tracy & Co. marking. The C. T. Parker movement was reintroduced as the model 1857 and sold for $12, no small amount in those days! 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. Ellery" watch. The watch was an 11-jewel, 18 size, keywind in a silver hunting case, and was produced in January of 1863.
In 1865 prices for movements only (no case) were: William Ellery $13, P. S. Bartlett $16, Bartlett-Ladies $30, Appleton Tracy $38, A.T. & Co Ladies $40, and American Watch Grade $175!
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 until 1957. It is still possible to purchase modern quartz watches that bear the Waltham name, but these watches are not related in any way to the "genuine" American Waltham Watch Company.


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According to the serial number on your watch, it was made in 1886.

Personally, because your watch has so much sentimental value, I think it is worth getting fixed at any cost. And because I am telling you this I will take myself out of the running to fix it. I will not offer to fix it for you just say you don't think I'm trying to get a sale.

If the watches in perfect working order, the sentimental value will go up exponentially. Think how wonderful you will feel when you are showing this watch off at some special event and you can tell people the story behind it. If you don't get it fixed, it's nothing more than a fancy paperweight.  Talk to any watchmaker he will tell you that he has fixed the watch that costs $250 and had a market value of only $50. The rest of the value came in sentimental form. And like I said, personally I feel like it's worth it.

I don't know where you can get it serviced in Canada. First, I would take it to a local jeweler and ask them if they know someone. Next, take it to an antique shop and ask them if they know someone who can fix it. If neither of them turn any helpful suggestions, please contact me again and I will look through my network to see if I can find somebody to help you. Let me tell you up front that I do not know any watchmaker's in Canada personally. That means if you contact them, you'll have to do your own due diligence to make sure you want to work with them.
Please let me know how things turn out for you.

Kind regards,

Melvin