Waltham Pocket Watches

About Antique Waltham Pocket Watches

Waltham Watch Company was the first watchmaker to mass-produce watch movements on an assembly line. This had the combined effects of increasing productivity and lowering the prices of Waltham’s watches to its customers. It should have given Waltham an immediate and early edge over the competition. Unfortunately, Waltham’s early decades were fraught with financial difficulties.

Founded in 1850 by watchmakers Aaron Dennison, Edward Howard, and David Davis as the American Watch Company, the firm’s earliest watch movements were stamped with the words "Howard, Davis, and Dennison – Boston," even though the company was actually based in nearby Roxbury. By 1851, their manufacturing processes perfected, the partners renamed their firm the American Horologe Company. All of these early pieces had key-wound movements, came in size 18 or 16, and were sold without cases—back then, it was common to take a movement to a jeweler to complete this final step...

In 1853, American Horologe became Boston Watch Company and moved to a new factory in Waltham, Massachusetts. But the partners were dogged by financial problems in the years following the move to Waltham—in 1857 the company was purchased, at auction, by Appleton Tracy & Co.

Appleton’s Model 1857 is generally considered the first production watch with completely standardized parts. These early Model 1857s are favorites among collectors of antique pocket watches. The majority of these size-18 watches were adorned with either roman or bold Arabic numerals, generally on a porcelain face. In 1859, the company merged with the Waltham Improvement Company and was renamed the American Watch Company, although Waltham Watches and American Waltham Watch Company were often used in advertisements from this period.

Waltham’s factory was almost as impressive as its products. By the end of the 1860s, the giant facility employed hundreds of men and women, numbers unheard of in the watch industry. But when the Civil War broke out, business dropped to almost nothing. Factory managers quickly downsized the plant by cutting hours, encouraging employees to join the military, and shuffling jobs to make sure everyone had something to do, even if it was only one task. Thankfully, soldiers needed watches, and Waltham survived the war by meeting this demand with its relatively cheap timepieces. Movements from this period are extremely rare today.

Like Hamilton and other watchmakers, Waltham made railroad watches. In order for a watch to qualify as railroad-grade it had to be large (size 16 or 18), have at least 17 jewels in its movement, feature easy-to-read Arabic numerals, and meet a number of other technical requirements.

Waltham manufactured movements in two basic styles: full and 3/4 plate. The works in a full-plate movement were completely covered, while the 3/4 plate featured cutaways to make it easy to view and adjust the mechanism. Some watch models were exclusively one or the other; other models were made in both full and 3/4 plate.

Some of the most famous Waltham models of the 19th century included the aforementioned 1857 line, the high-end Vanguard (it had 23 jewels in its movement), the Crescent Street, and the Wm. Ellery, which was reportedly carried in the pocket of Abraham Lincoln. Other Waltham lines included the Santa Fe, whose railroad-grade movement self-adjusted to maintain accuracy even in extreme temperatures, and the Lady Waltham, a smaller watch built specifically for women. The Lady Waltham was the first of its kind, and other companies like Elgin quickly jumped on the ladies’ pocket-watch bandwagon.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Waltham movements were considered so reliable that the Canadian Pacific Railway commissioned special, railroad-grade movements. Some of these pieces were marked on the movement with the railroad’s emblem (a shield and a beaver). Other movements bore the words "Canadian Railway Time Service." They’re difficult to find today, and are great examples of post-1900 pocket-watch movements.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Waltham didn’t embrace Art Deco as much as other watchmakers, focusing instead on railroad-grade chronometers. The venerable Vanguard brand was a notable exception, selling consistently throughout the 1930s, despite the drop in pocket-watch sales caused by the popularity of the wristwatch.

During World War II, Waltham was contracted by the U.S. Army to make speedometers, tachometers, chronographs, and other military equipment. After the war, pocket-watch production came to a virtual standstill in favor of wristwatches and other domestic items. Like other American watch companies, Waltham could not compete with cheaper imported movements, and the firm closed its doors in 1957.

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Huge 18 Size Waltham 14k Multi Color Gold Hunter Watch$1,150 Ends Thursday 1 bid 3 watchers
Waltham 14 Kt Solid Gold Hunter 124 Grams No Reserve!$1,046 Ends in 21 hours 20 bids 32 watchers
14k Solid Gold Waltham 18s Hunting Case Pocket Watch$1,009 Ends Saturday 2 bids 14 watchers
1907 14k Gold Waltham 17j Pocket Watch Sz 18 #16308239$655.00 Ends Tuesday 7 bids 8 watchers
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16s Waltham Up & Down Indicator 21j Crescent St. $527.99 Ends in 16 hours 9 bids 24 watchers
23j 16s Riverside Maximus Of Waltham Pocket Watch$525.15 Ends Monday 6 bids 26 watchers
Massive 14k Solid Gold Waltham Pocket Watch Not Scrap$460.00 Ends Monday 16 bids 16 watchers
9ct Gold Waltham Pocket Watch Coal Mining Military Dcm$415.21 Ends Sunday 1 bid 9 watchers
Rare 1901 Huge Waltham Packard Automobile Pocket Watch$410.00 Ends Monday 5 bids 9 watchers
Antique Waltham 14k Solid Gold Pocket Watch Dated 1908$405.00 Ends Wednesday 17 bids 16 watchers
1919 Platinum Waltham Pocket Watch$400.00 Ends Saturday 3 bids 5 watchers
Rare 16s 21j Waltham Cresent St Wind Indicator!!$355.00 Ends Sunday 14 bids 24 watchers
Waltham Crescent St Model 1870 18s 15j Kw/ks Silver$277.83 Ends Sunday 13 bids 18 watchers
Am. Waltham 14k Solid Gold Antique Pocket Watch C1882 $255.00 Ends in 23 hours 9 bids 28 watchers
Fine Rare Vintage Waltham Vanguard Up & Down Indicator$242.50 Ends Monday 13 bids 21 watchers
Antique 14k Solid Gold Waltham Pocket Watch.c.1888.$232.29 Ends in 17 hours 3 bids 22 watchers
1864 Civil War Key Wind Waltham Size 18 Silver Hunter $217.25 Ends in 22 hours 14 bids 55 watchers
142 Year Old Key Wind Key Set Waltham 1857 Model, 1867$214.50 Ends Sunday 11 bids 20 watchers
Superb 14k Solid Gold Waltham Watch Painted Dial$203.50 Ends Monday 8 bids 30 watchers
Waltham Vanguard 23 Jewels Up/down Wind Indicator$202.50 Ends Thursday 3 bids 14 watchers
Waltham Vanguard 23 Jewels Up/down Wind Indicator Pw$190.50 Ends Tuesday 3 bids 21 watchers
Waltham Railroad Grade 645 In Illinois Bunn Special Cas$180.27 Ends Tuesday 9 bids 16 watchers
Antique Waltham Vanguard 23j Hunter Case Pocket Watch $177.50 Ends Monday 35 bids 25 watchers
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Waltham Pocket Watch 1907 Gold Filled Railroad Stamp$150.00 Ends in 18 hours 1 bid 6 watchers
Antique American Waltham 14k Gold Fancy Pocket Watch Nr$149.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 9 watchers
Solid 14 K Gold Waltham Royal Pocket Watch$132.50 Ends in 19 hours 7 bids 21 watchers
Fab J.boss 16s 14kgf Hc Elgin Hamilton Illinois Waltham$131.50 Ends in 22 hours 12 bids 7 watchers
Waltham~vanguard~23 Jewels~18 Size~4 Oz. Silver Case$131.35 Ends Monday 3 bids 13 watchers
Antique Waltham Pocket Watch Vanguard 23j 6 Pos Nice$130.95 Ends in 22 hours 6 bids 15 watchers
Antique 1897 Waltham Fancy Hunter Victorian Pocketwatch$112.50 Ends Monday 21 bids 33 watchers
14k Gold Waltham Crescent Moon & Star Pocket Watch $112.49 Ends Saturday 3 bids 12 watchers
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Hampden Waltham Elgin Vintage/antique Pocket Watches$109.95 Ends in 17 hours 1 bid 1 watcher
Silver Cased Hunter Waltham 15 Jewel Pocket Watch C1908$107.96 Ends Monday 14 bids 28 watchers
Superb Antique 18s Waltham 17j Gold Pocket Watch C1906$104.20 Ends Tuesday 9 bids 5 watchers
14k Gold Waltham Crescent Moon & Star Pocket Watch $103.49 Ends Saturday 3 bids 9 watchers
Waltham Railroad Grade Pocket Watch$103.05 Ends in 22 hours 5 bids 13 watchers
Amer. Watch Co. Waltham 18s 15jewel Model 1857 Hunter$99.00 Ends in 13 hours 1 bid 11 watchers
Huge Coin Silver Waltham High Grade Mod 57 Sw Hunter$94.00 Ends Tuesday 9 bids 21 watchers
Sterling Silver American Waltham Antique Pocket Watch!$93.56 Ends Monday 9 bids 14 watchers
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Antique 15 Jewels G.f Hunter Case Pocket Watch Waltham$86.00 Ends Thursday 3 bids 4 watchers
Early Silver Waltham Mod 57 Hunter Pocket Watch C1864$85.62 Ends Thursday 8 bids 21 watchers
Antique American Waltham 17 J 14 K Gold Pocket Watch$82.00 Ends Sunday 9 bids 12 watchers
Antique 1907 Waltham Hunting Case Pocket Watch-6 Size$80.99 Ends Monday 21 bids 21 watchers
??wm. Ellery” Waltham Pocket, 18 Size, Kwks. 9p$80.99 Ends Sunday 14 bids 14 watchers
Waltham Appleton Tracy & Co. 15j Key Wind Pocket Watch.$78.00 Ends Sunday 4 bids 21 watchers
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Waltham 18s Railroad Model 1892 Appleton Tracy Co. K4$76.52 Ends Monday 7 bids 13 watchers
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14k Gold Lady Waltham Pocket Watch Model 1900 No Res!$76.00 Ends Sunday 9 bids 3 watchers

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Recent News: Waltham Pocket Watches

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Waltham ward councilors answer questions
Daily News Tribune, November 2nd

A prime example was my support for the restoration of the Waltham Watch Factory. I would like to see more retail and shopping options in downtown Waltham...Read more

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focusing on such industry leaders as the Cabot Mill in Waltham, Stanley Steamer Works in Watertown, Waltham Watch Company, and the mills of Newton Lower...Read more

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In her essay on the Waltham Watch Factory, Smith outlines its history, noting that the factory was "the pioneer of watchmaking in America," and prompted...Read more

Community calendar
Weston Town Crier, October 15th

focusing on such industry leaders as the Cabot Mill in Waltham, Stanley Steamer Works in Watertown, Waltham Watch Company, and the mills of Newton Lower...Read more

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