Maximus pleasure
I have had this pocket watch for quite a long time and it’s one of my favourites mainly for the minimalist design and the quality of the movement, which runs beautifully and has a really soothing double tick.
With marked American pocket watches you are able to find out a fair bit about them fairly quickly even going - in this case - to Waltham’s own records of the sequences of batches they produced.
The case remains a bit of a puzzle as it has relatively few markings other than “14k” between two sickles. It certainly doesn’t feel like a gold case so I am assuming that possibly denotes rolled gold? (Happy to be educated by any in the know.) The hinge, bow (not hallmarked) and pendant are all of a quality level that suits the movement and from the fixing screws and markings around the case and movement it’s not obviously been recased; though the absence of the expected case manufacturer markings always poses some doubt.
Given the value of gold I am sure that many would take a duff movement in a hefty gold case but good high quality movements are hard to come by and, as a watch enthusiast, I am very happy with things this way round.
N.b. The jewel count schematic diagram is of an Illinois pocket watch but may be read across - always helps me in remembering the differences as you step up the counts.
Driven to watches (researching and collecting affordably) by the boredom of COVID lockdowns. My - possibly attainable - grail watch would be a 6245 (Seiko or Grand Seiko) in nice condition … someday.
Beautiful pocket watch.
Outstanding!
Nice Waltham!
Great, now I have to find myself a pocket watch
Great, now I have to find myself a pocket watch
You’re in an interesting neck of the woods for pocket watches.
The volume of affordable serviceable decent quality pocket watches really is the American pocket watches from the 1890s to the early 1920s as they went for mass production resulting in quality and volume (and so availability of parts today). But after the Wall St crash and to some extent even after WW1 they compromised on materials (fewer gold balances and jewel casings, etc.).
So you may not be best placed for those but Seikosha representatives visited the US in the late 1800s and then went back to Japan and set up pocket watch making using production lines with the early watches being, for example, the Empire.
They are not of the same quality as the US watches but finding a decent one is a piece of Seiko history (hence they can be quite pricey). I just missed out on a museum piece a couple of years ago. Sure it needed work but it was a very early one and completely original.
If you’re serious, do a bit of research and keep your eyes peeled as you may trip over a gem.
WOOOW!!! It´s an absolute beauty!!! 😍
Beautiful #waltham !