I just wan an auction of a working Waltham pocket watch with serial 9896696 and price $100. I have no idea - is that a price that is high or low for a working watch and what information can I get from the serial?

http://www.tradera.com/auction/auction.aspx?aid=63501537

Lindell, thanks for answering my question, guess I mixed up serial on the case with serial on the movement (I haven't got the watch yet...). I now have found a site with a database of Waltham serials (wow, isn't that a work of love by Waltham collectors!) and have a question about models. At this link the model says 1899:
http://www.nawcc-info.org/WalthamDB/LookupSN.asp?Serial=16830101

Is 1899 the same as the year from when the model first was manufactured? What about the price $100? Reasonable? American watches quite rearly are found at these auctions so hard to resist when they do...!

Göran

Hello Goran, Congratulations for winning the watch.

The auction site you refer for this watch shows a serial number of 16830194 which is a 1908 production date for a model 1899 16 size movement.

Waltham production records show this was a 500 piece run of open face "Grade 618" model 1899 movements that were made at the same time as Waltham's first production of the newer 1908 movements that look the same, but had some design improvements. The picture below show an 1899 on the left and a 1908 on the right.

What that means to you is that you have an "end run" watch, which makes it more desirable to collectors who like to have the "first and last" of any particular design. The gilded movement and gold Louis XIV hands are a beautiful combination.

Congratulations!

Thanks for these great detail information and pictures! IHC185 is a great site! Interesting about the hands, I thought they were so unusual for this kind of watch so they even might have to be replaced. Could these hands have come with this watch? For collecting reasons, are the “right” hands important in general?

Göran

Goran,
As David shows above, model numbers are not necessarily the same as production dates, and I think you got a good deal on the watch.

Remember, what a watches value is, is mostly up to the buyer, but the price guide says your watch is worth that, and since they are almost always worth more than the book figure, I would say you got a good deal for sure.

I don't know your watch well enough, to be able to tell you much, but I know they sell for more than that on ebay all the time.

Nice watch! Congratulations!

Goran, The style of dial that watch has and the period of it's manufacture make those hands just fine, even if they wer fitted by the selling watch maker. If you were to change anything, it might be to find (among our group I am sure we have some) a small Louis XIV second hand to replace the little black one that IS a replacement hand. Send more information when you receive the watch. I attach a picture of a Louis XIV decorated Waltham (notice the seconds hand ) from the same period that was so nice that after I finished restoring it, I gave it to an old lady friend of mine who I felt "had her name on the watch".

On my Waltham there is two letters on the movement next to the serial number. Seemes to be the letters ÖU. O with two dots and a U. What can that marks mean? See picture.

Göran

Goran, I found a fancy style gold Seconds hand that fits my 1908 Waltham 16s shaft, and should easily be fitted to yours to complete the "effect" of those hands. If you want to forward a paypal to me of $15.00 I will donate $10.00 to 185 and mail this to you as soon as you contact me by e-mail with your address. Also you can paypal to my e-mail address.

Hi Dave!
Money is sent via Paypal for the hand! I'll mail you my address.

Regards Göran

Goran, I will send the hand as soon as I have your address. The "O (umlauted) U" marking on the watch looks like an after-factory marking. Because the mark is on the serial number plate of the watch, my guess is that it is a european customs inspector mark. That is worth a little research, it may be German and given the pre-WW I period of the watch, they could be initials for "Oesterreich Union" or something like that. (I don't have the "umlauted" letter stuff in my computer here.)