Antique Waltham Hunter Case Pocket Watch c.1898 | 6 Size | Gold Filled | Floral Engraved

Details:

MAKE

Manufacturer: Waltham
Country: USA
Type: Women’s
Serial #: 8497522
Circa Date: 1898

CASE

Size: 6 Size.

Style: Hunter Case.

Material: Yellow Gold Filled.

Decorations:  Engraved with Floral design.

Conditions:  C  3  (The case is in Very Good condition)

DIAL

Color: White.

Type: Single sunk porcelain dial.

Numerals: Roman Numerals.

Hands: Spade Hands.

Conditions:  D  3  (The dial is in Very Good condition)

MOVEMENT

Jewels: 6 Jewels.

Setting: Stem Set.

Escapement: Lever Escapement.

Material: Nickel.

Layout: ¾-Plate Layout.

Signed:  Yes.

Conditions:  M  3  (The movement is in Very Good condition)

The yellow gold-filled hunter case features attractive floral engraving, giving the watch the decorative character associated with fine late-Victorian pocket watches. The hinged front cover protects the dial when the watch is carried while also providing a beautiful exterior surface for the engraved decoration. The case remains in very good condition for its age.

Beneath the hunter cover is a classic white single-sunk porcelain dial with traditional Roman numerals and elegant spade hands. The dial remains in very good condition and provides a crisp contrast against the warm gold tone of the case.

Powering the watch is a signed Waltham 6 jewel mechanical movement with a nickel finish and traditional ¾-plate layout. The watch is stem wound and stem set, making it considerably more convenient to operate than the earlier key-wind and key-set watches still encountered from the nineteenth century. The movement incorporates a lever escapement and remains in very good condition.

Dating to 1898, this Waltham is now more than 125 years old. Its combination of smaller 6 Size proportions, engraved hunter case, porcelain dial, and American-made Waltham movement makes it an appealing example of a woman's late nineteenth-century pocket watch.

Condition

This antique Waltham pocket watch remains in very good condition for its age.

• Yellow gold-filled hunter case remains in very good condition.
• Floral engraving retains an attractive late-Victorian appearance.
• White porcelain dial remains in very good condition.
• Roman numerals and spade hands provide a classic period presentation.
• Signed Waltham 6 jewel nickel movement remains in very good condition.
• Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description and accurately represent the watch's condition.

A Woman's Victorian Pocket Watch

The smaller 6 Size case is an important part of this watch's appeal.

During the late nineteenth century, pocket watches were produced in a wide range of sizes. While men's watches were commonly much larger, smaller watches were designed for women and frequently featured more decorative cases and elegant proportions.

The richly engraved hunter case on this example is characteristic of that approach. Rather than being purely functional, the watch was also intended to serve as a fashionable personal accessory.

Its combination of a warm gold-filled exterior, floral engraving, white porcelain dial, and Roman numerals gives the watch a distinctly Victorian appearance appropriate to its 1898 production date.

Why Collect Antique Waltham Watches?

Waltham played a major role in the development of the American watch industry and became one of the country's most important manufacturers of precision mechanical watches.

Although Waltham is especially well known today for its larger men's and railroad watches, the company also produced smaller watches for women. These pieces provide an interesting look at another side of American watchmaking and the changing fashions of the late nineteenth century.

This example combines several desirable period characteristics: an 1898 production date, 6 Size case, floral engraving, hunter-case construction, porcelain Roman numeral dial, and signed Waltham movement.

For a collector of Victorian jewelry, antique American watches, or smaller-format pocket watches, this Waltham offers considerable period charm.