Good morning everyone;

I was hoping someone could tell me if this is just silver tarnish or not. I'd like to buy this watch if you think it's possible to clean up fairly easily.



Your opinions would be appreciated very much, thank you.

Bud

Looking at the front edge it looks a little more than tarnish I can see pits in it unless the camera focusing wrong giving that illusion.

I don't see the 'pits' suggested by Robert, but there is definitely something on this case, isn't there? If an ebay purchase, can you ask the seller about it? or if not ebay make sale contingent on the substance being removable?

Personally,when I see these situations, I always want to look closely at the movement to see what corrosion or rust, if any, there might be, and if the clean-up cost is worth it to me.

Tarnish (oxidation) is easily removed, if desired.

Mike

It sure looks pitted to me.

Thanks everyone for your feeback on this. I was able to contact the person selling it and he said, "i will be back in like 4hrs then i will look it over very well 4 you but there is no holes that i do know and i realy think its all just tarnish"

I tend to believe in you good members first but he says it isn't pitted. I could use that as eveidence in a SNAD if I had to couldn't I?

Thanks again

Bud

Excellent thought Mike and here's the movement. He says it's a Waltham DP. & C Davis but I see nothing on the movement that would indicate this.

Here it is Mike

This display case also comes with the watch watch and I think I can get this for about $185.00 all in. I forgot to add that this is also a pin set movement.


It appears to have a lot of rust of something down the left side where the door closes. I thought it might have been a copper case but now I'm left wondering about that too.

The watch case looks like steel or "gun metal". I don't know about the display except that they both look really great together as is.

William

Hi William;

Yes, they do look rather a pair don't they? I would have to clean up that old watch though as long as it wasn't a big no no.

Bud

Bud,

That is not a Waltham. It looks Swiss. Any time you see A and R (Advance/Retard) on the regulator you can be sure it is not American.

There are also some other things to take note of. The cam screw is visible for one of the dial feet and the recess for the screw to remove the movement from the case is visible. There is no serial number visible. All indicators to me of a Swiss movement. There is also a screw visible that is loosened in order to pull the stem out before removing the movement from the case. It is a low jewel, probably 7 movement. IMO the watch has little or no value. The display case is kind of different though.

David P. Davis was a business associate of Edward Howard. I found the following remarks on theinternet:

quote:

.....Howard, a clockmaking apprentice of Aaron Willard, Jr. had commenced business with David P. Davis, manufacturing high-grade wall clocks under the name of Howard & Davis in 1842.... In 1857, David P. Davis left the firm and Howard & Davis was dissolved and was succeeded by E. Howard & Company. Both Howard and Davis had also been involved in watch manufacturing, somewhat unsuccessfully, since 1850...

Perhaps your watch is more closely associated with Edward Howard than the Waltham Watch varieties. Anyway, it may be a bit older than what it appears, and the glass case it comes in is really just delightful! In total, I like it!
Mike

The movement looks so clean and shiny compared to the case, almost to clean.

Thank you very much Roger, and you too Mike. I really appreciate your opinions on this issue and I think when all is said and done, I'll just pass it up.

Jim, I thought the same thing as well. It looked really too clean to have been in that case all those years. A good one to leave alone I would think, especially after learning from Roger about it likely being a Swiss movement.

Thank you all for your help with this.

Bud