[Time in the pocket]

This is an 18s American Watch Co. Waltham made in Ca. 1860. Right before the civil war.
I do not think that American watch makers even started making all their own parts and watches in the US until the 1850's.
The movement does have a European look to it for the time period.
I have a copy of the old handwritten records from when these watches were made and that is when this watch is dated.
I have looked up the serial number in other books, but they are incorrect.
The case is coin silver and the correct case for the time.
It is of course KW and KS and is 11 jewels. Not bad for the time.
The balance wheel is gold.
Gilded plates.
It still runs and keeps time pretty good.

This is part of the handwritten records for American Waltham from their early days.

 

[mikeyt_53]

That one is in very nice condition! Here's a link to the NAWCC info on that model 1857 movement.

 

[Time in the pocket]

Yep It is 4 holes not 4 pair. That would make it 11 jewels. I was trying to remember and got it wrong.
Pretty cool link.

 

[CometHunter]

This is an 18s American Watch Co. Waltham made in Ca. 1860. Right before the civil war.
I do not think that American watch makers even started making all their own parts and watches in the US until the 1850's.

Between 1809 and 1817, Luther Goddard, of Shrewsbury, Mass., made about 500 verge watches. He went out of business because of cheap foreign competition.

From 1838 to about 1841, the brothers James and Henry Pitkin at Hartford, Conn. (and later New York) manufactured and marketed the first American machine-made watches - three-quarter plate, slow train. They too suffered from foreign competition (Swiss, I believe) and manufactured only about 800 movements before going out of business.

-The first American pocket watches | NAWCC Forums

 

[Time in the pocket]

Luther Goddard was an American watch maker but a lot of the parts that went into his watches were imported.

I think my original statement is that American watch makers did not start making all their own parts and watches until the 1850's.

I also looked up the Pitkin brothers and they too imported parts like dials, hands, mainsprings, and hairsprings.

 

[CometHunter]

Well, I'm not that well versed on P/Ws. I'm just looking this stuff up and reporting what I read, and it was not the author's aim to specifically differentiate between foreign and domestically manufactured parts. I'll go back, be quiet, and sit in my corner.

 

[Time in the pocket]

I was only trying to point out that in the history of American watch making that before the civil war American makers were just getting started. Alot of the US watch makers did not even appear until after the civil war. Not like Europe where watch making went back for years and years. Otherwise, no big deal. Just having conversation.

 

[CometHunter]

No offense meant, no offense taken! You see the laughing emoticon? I was merely trying to keep things light..