1863 American Watch Co. / Waltham
CIVIL WAR 18 Size Pocket Watch
- Same Model Given
to Abraham Lincoln
Highly
Collectible - Same Model Given to President Lincoln - 1 Year Warranty
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A Civil War pocket watch made in 1863 - Same model given
to President Lincoln from same year
One of the iconic American
pocket watch companies was American Watch Co., later known as Waltham
for the city in which it was founded.
In 1860, as President Abraham Lincoln
was elected, the country was in Civil War. Production ground to
a halt. However, the company decided to downsize to the lowest
possible level to keep the factory open. It worked: Upon his Gettysburg
Address, President Lincoln became the proud owner of a Waltham
Model 1857 "Wm. Ellery" pocket watch, the same model offer here
today. President Lincoln's watch - made in January 1863 - resides
in the collection of the National Museum of American History at
the Smithsonian.
According to the company's handwritten
ledger, this Waltham Model 1857 "Wm. Ellery" watch, the same model
given to President Lincoln, was finished between May and July
of 1863, only a few months after President Lincoln's watch (see
a photo of the page below). Here is a little more about it...
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Heavy 4 oz. silver hunting case which is very
substantial with handsome engine turning
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Original porcelain dial
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Large 18 size, measuring 54.5mm in diameter
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Key wound movement with winding key
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Engine has a diamond end stone protecting the
most import pivot
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All original parts with original and correct
S.D. & Co., case
The time period
this watch was being manufactured aligns closely during several
key events. On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation
went into effect. Applauded by many abolitionists including Frederick
Douglass, there are others who feel it does not go far enough
to totally abolish slavery.
At the time this watch was being manufactured, May 1863, conscription
(the drafting of soldiers into military service) had just begun
in the North and the Union forces in the east had just begun a
new campaign in Virginia to flank Lee's Army of Northern Virginia
at Fredericksburg. In the west, a Union army had just begun a
campaign to surround and take Vicksburg, Mississippi, the last
Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River.
As it was being manufactured on May 1st - 4th, the Battle of
Chancellorsville, Virginia took place. General Lee's greatest
victory is marred by the mortal wounding of "Stonewall"
Jackson, who dies on May 10. Soon after, Lee asks Jefferson Davis
for permission to invade the North and take the war out of Virginia.
On May 18 the Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi began. Union forces
under General Ulysses S. Grant attacked Confederate defenses outside
the city on May 19th - 22nd. If Vicksburg fell, the Mississippi
River would be completely controlled by the Union.
One of our Master
Watchmakers, an authorized Rolex watchmaker who used to be the
watchmaker for an authorized Rolex dealer and was given special
training by Rolex at their Beverly Hills Service Center, has fully
serviced the watch which consists of fully disassembling the movement
down to the last screw, carefully inspecting each part, replacing
any overly worn components with genuine parts, polishing the pivots,
installing a new correct mainspring, reassembling and lubricating
the movement, and extensive timing, testing and regulation (a
$695 value). It is a more significant servicing than is usually
given to these watches.
Kindly note
that these were not highly jeweled watches, and after 150 years
the movements generally have some wear from use. Even with an
expertly done complete servicing, ours is running and keeping
generally accurate time for one of these watches, but please do
not expect precision timekeeping closer than a couple of minutes
per day.
Photos of the
inside available upon request. Accompanying the watch is a key.
Included with the purchase is a one-year C.O.T. warranty on the movement
and its function, a custom printed Connoisseur of Time Certificate
of Authenticity.
This is a rare opportunity to own an
exciting historical timepiece from a prominent American watchmaker.
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Detailed
Appraisal:
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Manufacturer: American Watch Co./Waltham
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Country
of origin: U.S.A.
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Serial no.:
81,999
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Date
finished: May - July 1863
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Case
markings (inside): S.D. & Co.,
4 (for four ounces of silver)
-
Case
condition: Honest original condition with age appropriate
wear. The front lids presents very nicely, and the engine
turning decoration is still quite strong. The back has one
crease and light rippling and also have strong engine turning
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Dimensions:
54.5mm diameter (excluding the crown)
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Dial:
White enamel with Roman numerals, signed American Watch
Co., original, just short of mint condition with a few negligible
edge flakes. With the bezel on it presents as mint
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Hands:
Original, blue steel, spades
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Movement
markings: Wm. Ellery, Waltham, Mass.,
81,999
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Crystal
type: Mineral glass, excellent condition
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Serviced: One of our
Master Watchmakers, an authorized Rolex watchmaker who used
to be the watchmaker for an authorized Rolex dealer and
was given special training by Rolex at their Beverly Hills
Service Center, has fully serviced the watch which consists
of fully disassembling the movement down to the last screw,
carefully inspecting each part, replacing any overly worn
components with genuine parts, polishing the pivots, installing
a new correct mainspring, reassembling and lubricating the
movement, and extensive timing, testing and regulation (a
$695 value). It is a more significant servicing than is
usually given to these watches.
Kindly
note that these were not highly jeweled watches, and after
150 years the movements generally have some wear from use.
Even with an expertly done complete servicing, ours is running
and keeping generally accurate time for one of these watches,
but please do not expect precision timekeeping closer than
a couple of minutes per day.
-
Warranty: 1-year C.O.T. international
warranty.
-
Box/Papers: BOX - Watch presentation box; PAPERS - Connoisseur of Time
Certificate of Authenticity; KEY - Winding/setting key
100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are in any way unsatisfied
with the watch we will fully refund the purchase price.
Simply notify us and send it back anytime within 30 days
after it has been received. Our goal is to exceed your expectations
throughout the buying experience. View our feedback and
shop with confidence.
Connoisseur
of Time, Inc.
1000 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Suite 6-343
Suwanee, GA 30024
U.S.A.
Phone: eBay does not allow our contact information to be
displayed. Please Google our name and visit our website
if you would like to contact us by phone. It is listed toward
the bottom of our homepage and prominently on each watch's
listing page.
Hours
of Operation:
Monday
- Friday
10am - 4pm EST
Closed
Saturdays & Sundays.
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| Connoisseur of
Time Recently In the News: |
|
Connoisseur of Time Owners
Pay Off $1.8 Million of Medical Debt for 1000 Families
- WSB-TV, Channel 2 ABC Atlanta
Click here for the story
Paul Hoyt, Owner of Connoisseur of Time, Named to WatchPro's
Hot 100 List of the Top 100 Influencers of the U.S. Watch Industry
Click here for the story
eBay's National Watch Day Highlights Timeless, Historical Watches
from Connoisseur of Time
Click here for the story
Connoisseur of Time Sells
Special Timepiece to the Omega Museum
Click here for the story
Vintage
Watch Company Helps Neuhaus Museum Fill New Permanent Exhibit
Click here for the story
Steve Lundin
with IW Magazine asked Paul to collaborate on his article about
rectangular watches,"Hip
Squares."
Melissa Pearce with Australia's Sydney Morning Herald asked
Paul to collaborate on her article about trends in mens antiques:
"Mantiques:
The New Boys' Toys".
Hodinkee did a
feature piece on this vintage 14K Omega chronograph of ours.
Jeff Stein of OntheDash featured one of our watches in his article
“Project 99: The History of the Chronomatic” written
for the March issue of International Watch magazine.
TIME+TIDE, Australia's leading online watch media group, asked
Paul to collaborate on an article on vintage men’s watches
for women: “11 Vintage Watches for under $2000 That Look
Superb on Women”.
Leaders Magazine featured one of our watches in their article
"Defining Luxury: Ensuring Authenticity" (Volume 33,
Number 4).
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| Contact us |
|
Connoisseur of Time, Inc.
1000 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Suite 6-343
Suwanee, GA 30024
U.S.A.
Phone: eBay does not allow our contact
information to be displayed. Please Google our name and visit
our website if you would like to contact us by phone. It is
listed toward the bottom of our homepage and prominently on
each watch's listing page.
Hours of
Operation:
Monday
- Friday
10am - 4pm EST
Closed Saturdays & Sundays.
Our
Selling & Shipping Information:
- 100% satisfaction guarantee for all of our watches. If
you are in any way unsatisfied with it, you are welcome
to return it in the condition it was sold anytime within
30 days for a full refund of the purchase price. Our goal
is to exceed your expectations throughout the buying experience.
We hope you love it!
- The water
resistance of vintage watches can no longer be guaranteed
and is not covered under the watch's warranty. We don't
recommend getting a vintage watch wet - and really don't
recommend showering or diving with it - even one that
was originally designed to be waterproof.
- We have
extensive international shipping experience. In the last
12 years we have safely shipped thousands of high value
watches around the world (to over 70 countries!).
- All items are packaged very carefully and mailed in large
reinforced shipping boxes appropriate for high value items
so you don't need to worry about your watch arriving safely.
Wait until you see how big the box is that your watch
is coming in!
(Please do remember though that while we do our very best
and have careful procedures and quality control inspections
- we will again fully re-test the proper functioning of
your watch after you pay, right before we send it to you
- from time to time
some courier workers don't handle packages the way we
think that they would want their own packages to be handled.
Watches are ultra-precision instruments, and the timekeeping
of most is governed by a small spring that is only about
1/8 the thickness of a human hair.
The vast majority of our watches arrive safely and problem
free. However at times vintage watches
and their hairsprings can be sensitive to rough courier
handling or just having a difficult trip to you.
But even on a bad day there's still good news... We offer
a full one-year warranty on virtually every watch we sell
(unless occasionally specifically stated otherwise), so
if anything happens to it in transit or goes wrong anytime
in the first year, we will gladly repair it for you at
no charge. Yes, even the older vintage watches. So sit
back, relax, and dream about the first place where you're
going to wear your new watch!
- Our official
warranty in many ways mirrors those of a number of the
watch manufacturers and covers the proper timekeeping
of the movement. It does not cover things like abuse,
being dropped, crystals, bracelets, crowns, case parts
etc. or water resistance. While we are the sole determinants
of what qualifies for warranty work.... even if you have
a problem that you don't think will qualify for coverage,
tell us about it anyway. We are here to serve and just
might be able to help you.
- Winning bidders must fully pay within 48 hours of the end
of the auction. After 48 hours the watch will be relisted.
- To be fair to all bidders, we make it our practice not
to end an auction early.
- Because of the high rate of lost items and number of fraudulent
payments, we do not sell or ship to Indonesia or Africa.
_______________________________________________________
Payment
information - we accept:
- Paypal
- Visa, American Express, Mastercard, and
Discover via eBay checkout
- Check (We have to hold the watch until
the check clears.)
If eBay doesn't calculate
your shipping and other shipping exceptions:
Domestic
shipping is normally by FedEx Ground or USPS Express Mail. All
shipments are fully insured. An estimate can be obtained by
using eBay's shipping calculator found in this listing.
International
shipments will sent via U.S. International Express Mail or FedEx
fully insured. An estimate can be obtained by using eBay's shipping
calculator found in this listing. A $5 (USD) handling fee applies
to all international orders. We will e-mail the winning bidder
at the end of the auction with the exact shipping cost.
The shipping cost to most countries
not covered by eBay's shipping calculator is $68.90 plus insurance.
Insurance charges are $1.55 for every $100 of coverage needed.
This includes the following countries:
The UK, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland,
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Singapore, Hong Kong,
and all other countries for which eBay's shipping calculator
does not generate a quote.
The insurance fee for certain “high-risk” countries
not in the above list is a flat rate of $50.
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