subject: There Are Antique Timepieces That Individuals Collect For Fun And Profit [print this page] Many men prefer pocket watches to keep track of what time it is. Many companies produce watches. Back in the 1400s they made their first appearance and were developed more as time went on. Attaching them to a chain made them capable of being fastened to a belt or pocket. This kept them from being dropped or lost.
Female versions were often mounted on a leather fob for security. Earliest models had only an hour hand. Later (17th century) watches had an hour and a minute hand. Sports events brought the advent of the stop-watch. As the saying goes, "necessity is the mother of invention."
The first ones manufactured in the US with machine made parts were made in the 1830s. Some of the early watches are now valued as collector's items. Appraisals for insurance purposes or sales are useful proof of authenticity. Antique watches are authenticated by the serial number of the watch movement. Some people expect the number on the case to identify them. All watches are often identified as being top quality by the number of jewels in the movement.
Now these are not decorative jewels that simply make a watch look good. The jewels in a mechanical watch are hard bits of jewel. The roller jewel (or impulse jewel) is usually made of ruby or sapphire. These jewels are functional rather than appearance enhancing. Basically, a jeweled watch contains a minimum of seven jewels up to a maximum of seventeen. More than that is extraneous.
Early pocket watches (16th century through 1875) were made with key-wind and key-set movements. There was a detached key that was required to set the time and wind the movement. Some wound the watch from the back of the case and others had a "setting-arbor" that connected to the winding-wheel to wind the main spring.
The original stem-wind and stem-set watches were introduced by Patek-Philippe in the 1850s. The Great Exhibition in London featured them in 1851. The Queen of England at the time (Queen Victoria) and Prince Albert owned the first models. These same winding devices are used in modern as well as antique collectible models.
A collector can differentiate the pocket watches by maker, design, precious metal and kinds of jewels. The fusee is the old key and wind version that is most prized as a collectible. It is theorized that Leonardo da Vinci invented this type of movement. The American Railroad style is second in desirability. Then come the marine chronometer and the Hunter Case. They are closely followed by the multi-jeweled watches made by Cartier and other famous jewelers in the eighteen hundreds. Collectors attend auctions in pursuit of antique models to add to their coffers.
