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The First Clocks
The appearance of first mobile clocks dates back to the 1500s. Until that time, clocks were so large and heavy that nobody could imagine that portable clocks would be invented.
Most clocks were placed in churches or cathedrals. Counterpoises and weights to power clocks were usually produced of stone or metal. In the 1500s, Henry De Vick invented a clock for the royal palace in Paris powered by a 500-pound weight that moved 32 feet. It possessed only an hour hand the same as all clocks of that period. A hand-held timepiece would seem ridiculous at that time.
A portable clock would be of great advantage to the development of human civilization. It would encourage the study of astronomy and physics, would help ship captains calculate location providing stronger probability of the safe return of a ship with its cargo and crew.
The First Watches
Although those were the Egyptians who used the sundial for the first time by 1300 B.C, German metalworker Peter Henlein was first recorded as the inventor of a watch in the 1500s.
The first watches were made of steel. The first watch-makers appeared among metalworkers and smiths because they used to work up steel for producing tools and inventory. Finally, metalworkers dominated the trade after brass, silver and gold had substituted steel. While miniature items were gradually conquering the trade, metalworkers were more experienced at the necessary fine work. The typical size of the first watches was four or five inches wide and about three inches thick.
The Watches’ Development
When Peter Henlein discovered spring technology, the timepieces became available for personal use. Spiral springs could be wound and uncoiled to make the hour hand of the clock move. This technology presented a great achievement in comparison to hanging weights, but it failed to provide much accuracy as coiled springs do not unwind at a permanent speed. However, if you compare it to telling the time by the sun, an opportunity to own a timepiece you can carry or wear on a necklace even if it was off by about an hour or so is a real wonder.
Then the watchmakers came up with the idea of uneven unwinding as they noticed that the spring uncoiled at a more constant speed when it was not wound tightly. In 1675 several watchmakers discovered that a spiral spring fixed to the balance significantly contributed to accuracy. So, watches could show the correct time within minutes. This foreboded adding the minute hand. When a fourth wheel was added to the movement it became necessary to wind a watch once but not twice a day.
A hand for measuring seconds was added to a watch a little less than a century later. The customer were getting more and more interested in pocket watches that resulted in the addition of calendars featuring the day, date and month, moon phases, alarms, chimes and music.
The first pocket watches were not supplied with covering to protect the face or the hour hand. In the 1700s English watchmakers created special gold and silver pair cases to place the watch into and provide safe keeping. The manufacturer's name or mark was usually left on a pair case. If it is different from the name on the watch, it means the pair case is not the original, but was replaced.
In the 1700s English watchmakers used jewels as bearings in the watches to avoid friction and wear between metal parts. It is interesting that watchmakers from other countries adopted the idea of using jewels only a century later. Nowadays, the number of jewels in a watch characterizes its quality and longevity.
Pocket Watches in Modern Times
Today, it is really difficult to find a pocket watch produced before 1700 as most of them embellish large collections. Antique watches crafted before 1865 enjoy great popularity and are sought by collectors.
Waltham pocket watches are highly collectible. They presented the first mass produced watches that possessed interchangeable parts. But because of the fast development of their watch designs, they sometimes produced some models in very limited numbers. It explains the fact that they are in great demand.
The internet has contributed to the growing demand for American watches. In the past, European and Asian countries had no opportunity to appreciate the craftsmanship of American watches, but the information about them available on the internet helps oversees collectors choose and acquire the desired timepieces.
How to Date Antique Watches?
A good reference guide and checking the manufacturer's serial number will be of great assistance in evaluating the age of an antique pocket watch. The serial number on an American watch is marked on the movement inside the watch. Older English watches feature hallmarks that will help to discover the manufacturing date. It is more difficult to date antique watches produced on the European continent as they often do not have serial numbers. Collectors may use patent numbers for dating. They should keep in mind that the name on a watch's face is not always the manufacturer’s name. Watch manufacturers often marked a company's name on the dial.
The Studebaker Watches
If you are a pocket watch collector, at your disposal there are many sub-categories of collectibles. Some Notre Dame connoisseurs and Studebaker car fans find themselves among passionate collectors of the Studebaker watches, produced in South Bend, Indiana, by the same company that produced the cars. Now the company is called South Bend.
Studebakers are really popular and are sold for $1,200 - $1,500, but the price is getting higher as there have been only about 3,000 produced.
The collectors of the Studerbaker watches should be warned that the Southbend Company printed Studebaker on the faces of many watches. To make sure about the watch’s origin it is advisable to open the case. The words The Studebaker should be on the movement of the genuine item. If there is Studebaker or South Bend, it is not The Studebaker, and its price is significantly less. The usual price for such watches is around $450-500.
Railroad Watches
Another subcategory of pocket watch collecting is Railroad watches. In 1891, a train engineer's watch stop for four minutes caused a train wreck and nine mishaps in Kipton, Ohio. Being on time was a matter of life and death. It was necessary to create new standards for pocket watches to provide safety at all railroads. Standards should have included having not less than 15 jewels; possessing the accuracy within 30 seconds a week; a white face with black Arabic numbers each minute outlined; size 16 or 18; adjustment to five positions; and temperature neutralized. Canadian Railroad watches were produced with Roman numerals and an inner ring featuring Arabic numerals from 13-24 for the p.m. hours. Engineers’ watches should have been inspected regularly and their owners had to show a certificate proving their reliability to supervisors.
In watch descriptions, a size of a pocket watch usually ranges from 0 to 23. There are also major sizes for key- wound watches. A watch's size corresponds to a standard measurement for the size of the movement. The railroad requirements suggested a watch's movement’s size 16 (1 7/10 inches) or 18 (1 23/30inches).
Railroad watches are really popular among collectors. They are appreciated for their high quality, being inferior only to chronometers. Production quantities of Railroad watches were not the same as those of everyday pocket watches. Many people of different ages are fascinated by the spirit of the rails, and that same is true about collectors of Railroad watches. The prices for Railroad watches are quite affordable. It is possible to purchase a typical watch in good condition for $300 - $600.
The exclusive beauty and craftsmanship, as well as exciting history of pocket watches make them perfect for collecting.
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