I'm anticipating getting my two dollar watches today.

I got to thinking about the $1 value in today's dollars. It looks like today, then, they would have cost $13 -$15. I'm not sure what the average pay was like back then, but for a number of people that would take some thought to buy one.

Then, my favorite watch, a 1926 Waltham Vanguard, 23j and a wind indicator, piqued my curiosity about the initial cost. The only Waltham 1926 catalog I found shows it as being $75, without case, and a vague description as to 15j - 23j and no mention of the diamond end stones that mine has. Mine has a Waltham 25 year guarantee, yellow gold filled case.

Does anyone have a better estimate of what it might have retailed for?

In looking through the catalog, a Waltham Premier Maximus 16s watch is mentioned, complete with a hand made gold case. The cost was $500. That's around $7000 in today's money. Surely, the gold Rolex of its day. It's a handsome watch, and probably somewhat rare. I've found on-line ads from $10,000 to $15,000 for nice examples. I guess that would make it a safe watch and not for casual carrying.

Every time I saw mention of Premier Maximus prices I made a note and here is what I have.

Mention of prices on the net:
1908/9 $250 Intro price
1912 $300
1914 $400
1915 $400 Panama Pacific Exibition
1919 $530
1920 $600 (#17057104)
1923 $500
1924 $750 (Some listed it even higher Ft. Dearborn Watch & Clock, Chi. $857.25 for 18K $821.50 14K
1926 $500 1926 Waltham Catalogue
1931 $732

Here's a listing from a Waltham 1926 Catalog:

I was hoping you would post that, thanks.

Here's the link with more pages of other Waltham watches:

1926 Waltham Catalog

I just did a search , 500 in 1923 would be worth 7123.00 today . I would imagine an engineer on a railroad would make top money , and having the best tools he could afford would be typical . As a mechanic the need for quality was easy to see , when I retired I still had the first wrenches and screwdrivers I bought , Quality is not expensive -it's priceless

Morton, my Premier Maximus looks just like the one shown in the catalog page you posted.

I am absolutely envious but, according to my sensible wife, unable to devote the money those watches command. Darn it.

Morton, your wife is a sensible woman. Collecting watches makes no sense. I lose money on my watches. They are of no practical use. They aren't even around; they're all in the Citibank vault. Collecting is like an itch that I can't get rid of; adding to my collection soothes the itch, but not for long. Still, my P.M. is a lovely thing. I have lots of lovely things, but I also still have that damned itch.

I would be curious about making money on watches , it seems prices are low now , if you bought nice watches and let them sit for 5-10 years they almost have to increase , the only kink in this is the 2006-2009 time period when it was like everything was overvalued {the home I live in was 350k , i paid 40k } I would like some of these collectors to chime in about current prices and historic prices

My sense is that prices are very weak on run of the mill items, but firmer on high-end items, which is what I collect, although prices for rarities do fluctuate with demand. For example, in 2016, I paid about $8,000 less for my Premier Maximus than the same watch had fetched at auction in 2010. It still wasn't cheap in 2016.

Hi all - I started with a Dueber-Hampden 21J Wm. McKinley back in the fall of 1958. I traded a Helbros wrist watch that my Dad gave me for H.S. Graduation for it. In summer of 1959 I was home from college and had worked for Republic Steel in Canton, Ohio and saved most of what I earned. So I went to a merchant who had probably 100 or more pocket watches of all descriptions. I was a railroad fanatic, having stood trackside many time feeling the thrill of 100 car coal hopper trains crawl by, and so I chose to have "railroad" watches as my preference. That summer of '59 I was able to buy 5 choice railroad pocket watches for $100. and I still have the piece of paper where I wrote the cost.
1-16 size Rockford 535 21J in a Fahys Permanent YGF case
2- 16 size Illinois Bunn Special 21J in a Wadsworth case
3-16 size Elgin Father Time 21J in Elgin RR marked case
4-18 size Hampden 21J North American Railway in a Keystone YGF case
5-18 size Hamilton 940 21J in a Crescent YGF case

I traded or sold these somewhere along the years and sought to acquire the Illinois 16 size railroad watches with the Bunn Special dials and the jewels and positions named on those dials. I would go to the Washington Court House, Ohio flea market/antiques show every month in the summers [not sure if that venue still operates] as I could no longer go in 2003 - but there were many, many watches and dealers there for lots of years who bought and sold watches. I bought 10 Hamilton 992's there in 1979 - all running and all with nice porcelain dials, in decent cases for $600.
cash. There was a guy named David Criss in Detroit who was a pocket watch dealer who I bought several watches from, and he had published a "guide book" around 1972-73 (I think) and I bought a copy and then later in 1977-80 period, I bought copies of Ehrhardt's "Indicator" price guides at Washington Court House. There were many semi-famous guys who would attend WCH - Tom Engle, Dan Crawley, Lyons Lemon, Dick Hanewald, Charlie Cossett, Cooksey Shugart, Bob Wingate, Cliff Hamilton, Walt Dunn, and others I can't remember anymore - - but that was a mecca Back in the Day and many 992B's changed hands at $100.00
I bought-sold-traded to support my "habit" and until recently had some terrific examples. Now my health is poor and I need more care, but I still dearly love the beautiful objects of beauty, utility, and value in the form of pocket watches.

quote:

Ethan Lipsig


For example, in 2016, I paid about $8,000 less for my Premier Maximus than the same watch had fetched at auction in 2010. It still wasn't cheap in 2016.

I bought a Premier Maximus in 2011 so you can imagine.

Still one of the best purchases I ever made.

I love my P.M. They are very special watches.

What makes them so.special and so valuable? Rarity or desirability?

Waltham Premier Maximus

All results on IHC for Premier Maximus Search

Yeah, I get all that but was it really the best of the best and if so why?

I don't know how to answer your question, Michael, except to say that, in my hand, my PM looks and feels superior to most other pocket watches I have. That's likely because it is in great condition and is in a beautiful, heavy gold case. Since I only collect solid gold and platinum high grade watches, that says something, if only to me.

Also, Waltham thought that the PM was its top-of-the-line model when PMs were being made. It priced them as if they were. They are relatively scarce, three stars in the "Complete Price Guide."

On the other hand, PMs probably are no better mechanically and no more nicely finished than most of the watches in my collection, and they have no "complications." (I don't think a wind indicator is considered a complication.). I collect "complicated" watches, such as the minute repeater/perpetual calendar pocket watch I recently bought.

So why have a PM in one's collection? In my case, it's because I collect scarce, solid gold and platinum high-grade Walthams and other makes. I also have a bit of a focus on Waltham AWCO bridge models and Waltham-made Howard-Keystone bridge models (I have the first one ever made). PM movements are essentially AWCO bridge models dolled up with a wind indicator.

The reason for me is that it was a 1920 presentation watch to the superintendent of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.

The rarity is also a factor, although 1201 serial numbers were set aside no second run serial numbers over 175057300 have yet been reported so it seems only 501 were made.

1st. run = 17000000 - 17000200 = 201 1909

2nd. run = 17057001 - 17058000 = 1000 1909