# New Member Would Like Help Finding Info



## louisejayne (Apr 17, 2012)

Hi all. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this, this is my first post!

In sorting out, we have found 8 pocket watches. Some are quite self explanatory in that they have their makers names on them, some haven't but the one I would most like to know about is the tortoiseshell watch which has been dated for me as late 18th century by maker Dan Norris, London. Someone has told me that all they could find out about him was that he was a clock maker in around 1760. The hands are missing unfortunately and it looks to me as though it has a fusee movement. Could anyone tell me anymore about it or why I can't seem to find any info on Dan Norris on the internet? There is a picture of a frowning face on the inside- will try and upload some photos. We would like to be able to attribute it so someone in the family. I also have my great grandfather's half hunter with the blue numerals, AWW and Co. I would love to get this working if I can, can anyone tell me if its expensive to have a pocket watch serviced? I live in Cardiff.

Thanks in advance

Louise


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## Pip-Pip (Sep 28, 2011)

Hi Welcome to the forum. I'm no expert on pocket watches but there's plenty on here who are. Your best bet is to get some photos posted, front and back and the inside if you can open easily and I'm sure someone will be able to help. There were a lot of watch makers in the England around this time as believe it or not England was once a real watch making capital especially in the Clerkenwell area of London. Another place you could try is here-

http://www.bhi.co.uk/

Cheers


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## taffyman (Apr 26, 2011)

hi how about NAPIARS next door to the OXFAM BOOK SHOP in st marys street its worth a try .

good luck


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Hi Louise...and :welcome: to the forum. AWW is the American Waltham Watch Co. Very prolific manufacturers of all types of pocket watch. Here're a couple of pics of my full hunter with the same letters. If you post the movement serial number, we can tell you how old it is. (The big number around the edge of the movement...see pic 2. Here, the number is 17,311,202, which dates this Waltham to 1908) Some pics will help enormously...details here...


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## louisejayne (Apr 17, 2012)

Hi

Thanks for your replies. I am trying to upload some pics here, sorry for the quality as they are all I have at the moment. If i can get this to work, I can post better ones. I have had major trouble trying to open the back of the Waltham to get the serial number. will try again tonight. Its unfortunately missing the key and the top button - could I get replacements for these? Thanks


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## louisejayne (Apr 17, 2012)

Can anyone see my pics? Ive just opened an account with photobucket...I can't seem to use this. Am pasting the links that phptbucket are giving me but its not working. Will try again later on...


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## louisejayne (Apr 17, 2012)

Me again...still having trouble with the pics...will get there. The serial number for the waltham half hunter is 18709763.

I have a smaller Waltham, serial number 11301722. Thanks!


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## feenix (May 27, 2008)

Unsure how to generate IMG tags for your album, but the link is sound http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]


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## louisejayne (Apr 17, 2012)

sorry guys, looks like i've finally managed to do this. this is the Dan Norris pocketwatch - is anyone able to tell me anything about it please? thanks


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Hi, Louise...the numbers on your Walthams date them as follows... 18709763 = the latter part of 1912,.................11301722 = 1902.

Here's a piece I wrote about posting pics from PB...hope it helps.....

So many new members are baffled as to how to post pics, that I have come up with a detailed guide for Photobucket...let me know if it's of any use....

* Roger the Dodgerâ€™s Concise Guide to Posting pics to and from Photobucket.*

The first thing to do is to upload your pics onto your computer, edit and store them. (My Documents, My Pictures etc)â€¦I also tend to put my pics onto a flash drive, 1) so theyâ€™re safe, and 2) once they're hosted, I can then delete from the hard drive to free up space.

Next go to Photobucket and open an account. The basic package is free and you will be able to store hundreds of pics there.

*To upload a pic, go to your Photobucket album and click on the green upload bar.*










*A new window with a large green bar that says â€˜Select Photos and Videosâ€™ opens.*










Click the bar, and a drop down window appears in the top LH corner. Select the folder where your pics areâ€¦(My Docs, My Pics, flash drive, etc) and highlight the file/s you want, then click â€˜Openâ€™ in the bottom RH corner of the window. The pics will now upload. When done, click on â€˜Save and Continue to my Albumâ€™. The pics will be arranged into a grid.

*When you want to post one, hover the cursor over the pic, and a drop down box appears.*










L click on the fourth option (the one with IMG at the start) and it will say â€˜copiedâ€™

Now, return to your post. Itâ€™s easier to have two tabs open so you can switch between the two quickly, especially if you want to put in several pics (up to 5 per postâ€¦if you want to add more, youâ€™ll have to start a follow on post). Put your cursor under any text you have written and R click to bring up the paste option, then L click on paste. The image URL will be pasted directly under the text, complete with the IMG tags. Press â€˜Preview postâ€™, to check everything is OK, then â€˜Add replyâ€™ when youâ€™re happy with it.*

* Since the forum update, to access the 'Preview post' option, click on 'more reply options' at the bottom right. This will allow you to see what your finished post will look like, and correct any spellings, punctuation, missed spaces, wrong pics etc. before finally posting.

Some tipsâ€¦

Â· Keep your pics small (around 1 million pixels)â€¦they take up less storage space. All my forum pics are taken at this sizeâ€¦you only need them bigger in size if youâ€™re ever going to enlarge them. Donâ€™t panic if your camera wonâ€™t take small pics, the forum software will re size them anyway.

Â· By using the 4th URL choice with the IMG tags, you donâ€™t need to use the tree icon that you may have read about in other threads, which always seems to give people trouble.

Â· If you have several different tastes in watches, or anything else for that matter, consider creating different albums from the outsetâ€¦you will have the option to do this. (eg Dress watches, divers watches, pocket watches, nature, hobbies etc) and store your pics in the respective album. I say this because if you create a new album at a later stage, and move existing pics into it they will be deleted from your previously posted threads.


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## PhilDev (Apr 18, 2012)

Hi Louise,

First can I say that you have a very beautiful old watch. I have not been collecting long, but I have a very good friend who has been collecting, repairing and servicing watches for over 30 years and he is teaching me a great deal about this subject.

From your pictures I believe you have a Verge escapement movement, common up until the development of the more accurate cylinder escapement in around 1760. Another interesting feature is the highly decorated cover over the Balance Wheel. This is called the Watchcock and they are hand carved making each one unique. Yours has a frowning face on it and some people think that this is an indication of how happy the maker was with the design they had carved. These skilfully made components are collected in their own right.

I hope this information is useful to you. As I said I am not an expert but all info is given in good faith. If anyone out there knows something I have said is wrong I am more than happy to be corrected as it all new info helps.

Best Regards,

Phil


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## louisejayne (Apr 17, 2012)

Hi Phil. Thanks for your reply. It's nice to know a bit more about this watch. It's so old! I'll have to find someone to take it to and see if I can repair it. I'd like to find out a bit about its maker, Dan Norris and does it mean that he wasn't happy with the watch if he put a frowning face? Although he is smiling too! Lots of research to do! Thanks again


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## PhilDev (Apr 18, 2012)

Hi Louise,

Iâ€™m going to guess that with your thread being viewed nearly 250 times and no one jumping all over it, what I have told you is reasonably accurate (good to know).

As for the face on the movement, I was told that it is more likely to be a reflection of his feelings for the Watchcock carving and not the whole watch. Yours is smiling as well, so maybe he could not decide if he was happy or not. Either way I would not be concerned about it. My friend has many watches with smiles and frowns and they are all fantastic examples.

For more information you may want to give the NAWCC a go. Sign up and start a thread on their European watch section. They have some really helpful people on the site who seem to be happy to help with any watch related query. I contacted them about my Elgin and they were great. Please let us know what you find out.

Best Regards, Phil.


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## louisejayne (Apr 17, 2012)

I've just been told this about the Dan Norris watch - Your watch is early 18th, not late 18th century. About 1730. Daniel Norris is listed in London between 1723 and 1734, and the style of the movement is right for that date.

Hands can be replaced and the dial repaired but unfortunately the left hand corner of the engraved balance **** is missing. It should be a 'D' shape.

I can't tell if the case is original but the dial is probably late 18thc. The watch would probably originally have had a silver champleve dial (these very commonly changed in the late 18thc).


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