Show Me Your Pocket Watches!

[yanaazul]

I collect antique pocket watches, and would love to see if anyone else on Pricescope does! I do wear them as jewelry, almost always as a necklace, but I've also looped chains through cardigan buttonholes and snugged the watch in the cardigan pocket. I love them -- everyone else pulls out their smartphone to check the time, I pull out a pocket watch I have a smartphone, of course, but I just love the thought of the precision mechanics that go into these, art and engineering both.

Sadly none of mine are family heirlooms, if my great-grandparents carried pocket watches they are long gone. Many of mine have inscriptions -- pocket watches seem to have been a significant Christmas gift, all but one of mine that have date inscriptions are dated "December 25th [year]" or "Christmas [year]". My watches date from 1898 to 1916.

Pictures! Size 0 (29.63mm -- 1 1/6 inch movement) Hunting Case watches from American Waltham Watch Co. and Elgin National Watch Co.:



More Size 0 Hunting Case watches, Waltham, Elgin, and one Swiss movement:



Size 13/0, 10/0, 9/0, 6/0 (between 19.47mm and 25.40mm) Open Face watches from Waltham, Tourelles (Swiss), and unknown Swiss (from advertisement archives we know that hunting cases were made for the smaller movements but I have never seen one):



Two Size 6 (34.71mm movement) and a Size 12 (39.79mm movement) Hunting Case watches, all Waltham. (Note that the watch on the far left is gold-filled not solid gold; the engraving is noticeably shallower)

 

[yanaazul]

I wish I knew the trick to not losing resolution when posting pictures on Pricescope. The original pictures are not blurry, but something in the posting process makes them blurry...

Anyway. Here's a comparison pic of watch sizes for context: in order, 10/0, 9/0, 6/0, 0, 6, 12, and 16. Size 0 was the most common size for women's watches, and 16 and 18 for men. Railroad grade watches were required to be size 16 or 18 (as well as open face and lever set, which mine is not).



The most amazing part of antique pocket watches are the movements themselves! Not only marvels of mechanics, but they made them beautiful with damascene engraving, and one never sees them! Sometimes I open the back just to watch the gears go...

Elgin movements, 7 jewel, 11 jewel, 15 jewel:



Waltham movements: 7 jewel, 15 jewel, 7 jewel



The larger movements even had damascening on the crown and ratchet wheels (the two largest) -- Waltham and Hamilton movements, both 17 jewels:



Thanks for looking! Please post yours!

 

[chrono]

I have none to post but love each and every one you posted. There is so much beauty in these time pieces from the inside to the outside.

 

[yanaazul]

Thank you Chrono! They really are works of art -- I didn't exactly intend to collect so many, but they're just so beautiful.

 

[Betty Baguette]

Wow...these are simply stunning. That is all I have to say.

 

[Essiedub]

Wow!
I didn’t know about the different sizes (which of course makes sense) and that some professions had size standards. I have one from an uncle and will post when I unearth it tomorrow. I never looked too closely but I don’t think it has any fancy decorative details. Please show a modeling shot as a necklace; I think that can be quite striking!