# "american Pocket Watches: Identification And Price Guide, 1830-199



## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

I've just acquired a copy of "American Pocket Watches: Identification and Price Guide, 1830-1990" by Roy Ehrhardt and William "Bill" Eggers from AbeBooks. Originally a paperback publication, but this copy has been bound, with the original covers, in a hardback green binding.

What a great find. It gives watch sizes (in American Swiss, Fractions of an inch, Millimetres and French Lignes), a guide to jewelling, a huge table of dial foot positions and - most valuable of all - hundreds of diagrams of watch movements for identifying. Great stuff - and all for Â£22. Hours of fun!


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## Jewel (Aug 20, 2012)

I have a copy Will. A great resource for American watch collectors like us. Ehrhdardt & Eggers's depth of knowledge on the subject is amazing.


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## JWL940 (Jun 11, 2010)

When you have a spare minute Will what year did crown wind become the norm (as opposed to key wind).


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## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

There is no definitve all encompassing answer as to when crown wind replaced key wind, but the big move to crown wind wasn't until around 1880- 1885 for most US Companies.

The winding of the mainspring and hand setting by the crown dates back to 1842. We owe this to Adrian Phillippe, associate of Patek of Geneva.

The earliest use of crown winding by Waltham was on a hunter cased Model 1868 in May 1868.

The last use of key winding by Waltham was a special order of 2000 Model 1883 for the English market in 1919. It appears the English were loathe to give up their keys.


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## JWL940 (Jun 11, 2010)

Thanks Shiner, some surprising dates there, 1868 & 1919. I must wean myself off trying to roughly date watches by using the winding method as one of the clues.


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## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

The last key wind pocket watches produced were in the 1883 Model. This was the longest running Waltham model. It was produced in various grades from 1883 to 1919, ranging from 7 through to 21 jewels, from the very basic grades to railroad approved grades. In that time period over five and a half million were made. This one I have is from the last run of 2000. In fact it is one of the last one hundred, and is housed in a two and a half ounce Dennison silver case. It is the most basic grade with just seven jewels, so not a valuable watch, but I think it earns it's place in a collection as being one of the last of five and a half million.


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## JWL940 (Jun 11, 2010)

It might be basic but I love the simplicity of the design that hides all the works. Waltham ceased with key wind in 1919, do you know of any other manufacturer that went beyond this date?


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## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

Interesting - I have a Jaeger-Lecoultre catalogue and history book which claims that Antoine Lecoultre invented the crown winding mechanism around 1846 - disproved here and in other sources I've read. I'm afraid that the Ehrhardt & Eggers book contains far too much info - over 200 packed, detailed pages - to check the crossover period from key to crown wind!


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## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

I have the Memorial Edition of the Roy Ehrhardt & William Meggers book that was revised and updated in 2009 and contains 470 pages including 90 pages in full colour.


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## JWL940 (Jun 11, 2010)

Until this thread started I didn't realise there was so much written information on American PWs. Needless to say here is a book now floating down a large African river to me.


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