This very polite eMail came in earlier today...


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Internet Horology Chapter,

Thank you for your time. My name is Mike, and I am new to collecting pocket watches.
I found this watch at a estate sale. I have researched it in books and on the internet
and came up empty. I found your website in a book.

I am hoping you can help me with the information I need. This watch does not run.
The crystal is scratched but not broken. The number on the cover 6115. The number
on the movement side is 1501. The outside of the cover has some artwork etched on
both sides. I have attached photos to the email for you to look at. I am hoping you
can spare a precious few moments of your very valuable time to investigate. It would
be deeply appreciated and most generous.

Thank you very much,

Mike

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I'll reserve comment at this point, tell us what you see...

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Swiss fake with a mangled hairspring?

Very early jeweled barrel.

Jim Carroll

I see a watch that has a lot of hours invested in it's making, trying to be a Waltham. There are some condition issues such as a hunter case lid that opens too far and various screw and hand switches. It must have been relied on for several years of service. As with the amazing efforts being made today to clone brand name watches I feel a bit sad that the craftsmen who made this was compelled to cheat by riding the
cache of a known brand. I don't remember seeing a cloned "A.W." case before. Crazy!
-Cort

...my guess would be a well-made and early British fake in a sterling case...

I agree -- a Swiss fake, masquerading as an early Waltham.

The generally crude level of material and workmanship is inconsistent with the number of jewels (probably fake) we can see. That's a lot of jewels for the solid balance wheel era (pre-Civil War), which one would normally associate with a much higher level or workmanship than I see here. The balance bridge decoration is particularly cheesy-looking.

The "jewels" appear to be large discs of glass covering metal-to-metal pivots. The jewel settings appear to be gilded Brass and the case appears to be silver or nickel-plated brass. There's a large bushing on the barrel arbor, which also appears to be brass. These are not high-grade materials.

Moreover, it has 3 hold-down screws on the balance pivot, that's a tipoff for Swiss origin, though there's no marking to that effect. There's no case screws as such and the plate screws look strange, all different, one is missing and two of them are too small for their counterbores.

I would agree that it is a Swiss fake, but the jewels look functional to me and many legitimate early Waltham's had three screws holding the balance cap jewel. I used to own a Waltham "Home Watch Co." that was jeweled on the top plate and had a solid steel balance.

Here is a cousin I have:
Doug