Waltham Pocket Watch Value: A UK Owner's Guide
What a Waltham pocket watch is worth in the UK, how to date it from the movement serial, and which grades and cases matter, with dated auction results.
Waltham pocket watch value depends on the case metal and the movement grade:
- Silver and rolled gold Walthams with 7 to 15 jewels are the everyday end: a Birmingham silver example with a plated chain made £40 hammer in May 2024.
- 18ct gold Walthams have sold for £1,250 to £1,750 at Bonhams and £1,400 hammer at Potteries Auctions; the gold alone sets a floor.
- Top grades (Premier Maximus, Vanguard, Riverside Maximus, Crescent Street) with 21 to 23 jewels carry a premium.
- Date it from the serial on the movement, not the case: 9,000,000 is about 1899, 30,000,000 about 1938.
In this article
- What is a Waltham pocket watch worth?
- Waltham in brief: Massachusetts to Birmingham
- How to date a Waltham from its serial number
- Waltham grades and jewel counts that matter
- Solid gold, gold filled or silver?
- What makes one Waltham worth more than another
- Free valuation: buying and selling Waltham watches
- Questions
What is a Waltham pocket watch worth?
Two things set the price of almost every Waltham: the metal of the case and the grade of the movement. A silver or rolled gold Waltham with 7 to 15 jewels is the everyday end of the market. A solid gold case puts a floor under the price, and a top grade with 21 to 23 jewels adds a collector's premium on top.
These are real results, each with its saleroom and date:
| Waltham | Case | Result | Where and when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open face with plated Albert chain, T-bar and key, part working | Silver, Birmingham hallmarks | £40 hammer | Three Bridges Auction House, Rosyth, May 2024 |
| Half hunter, enamel dial, black chapter ring | 18ct gold, Birmingham 1925, 107.5 g | £1,250 with premium | Bonhams, Oxford, November 2012 |
| Half hunter | 18ct gold | £1,400 hammer | Potteries Auctions, July 2021 |
| Waltham Premier, open face, up and down indicator | 18ct gold, 113 g | £1,750 with premium | Bonhams, Edinburgh, June 2013 |
| Premier Maximus, diamond set, presented to the Boston Red Sox president in 1915 | 18k gold | US$18,750 with premium | Bonhams, New York, June 2014 |
Hammer prices exclude the buyer's premium; Bonhams figures include it. On US television, an Antiques Roadshow appraiser put an 18k white gold Premier Maximus at $5,000 to $6,000 at auction (PBS, Spokane, 2015).
For pocket watches of every make, see our pocket watch value guide. For Elgin, Waltham's great rival, see Elgin pocket watch value.
Waltham in brief: Massachusetts to Birmingham
The first factory-made watches
Aaron Dennison and Edward Howard set out in 1850 to make watches by machine, with interchangeable parts. By 1854 the firm was in Waltham, Massachusetts, with 90 workers making 30 watches a week.
It became the American Watch Company in 1859 and the American Waltham Watch Company in 1885. Watchmaking in Waltham ended in 1957, after about 40 million watches, clocks, speedometers and other instruments.
Source: Waltham Watch Company, Wikipedia.
Years in useBrand name only, watches made elsewhere
Why so many Walthams are in British drawers
In 1873 Waltham's selling agents, Robbins & Appleton, opened a London office at Holborn Circus and began exporting movements to Britain. A year later Aaron Dennison, by then living in England, set up Dennison, Wigley & Co. in Birmingham, with Waltham's backing, to case them.
Giving evidence to a Select Committee in 1887, Alfred Bedford said: "At our case factory at Birmingham we turn out something like 50,000 cases a year for our watches." So a Waltham with a Birmingham anchor on a silver case is normal: American movement, English case. Dennison died in Birmingham in 1895; the case company closed in 1967.
Source: David Boettcher, Dennison Watch Case Company.
After 1957 the Waltham name was sold on: Swiss owners from 1968 to 1980, then the Japanese firm Heiwado from 1981. A Waltham pocket watch with a quartz movement, or "Japan movt" on the dial, is a modern watch sold under the name, not a product of the Massachusetts factory.
How to date a Waltham from its serial number
Find the number on the movement, not the case
Open the back of the case (see how to open a pocket watch). If there is an inner dust cover, open that too. The serial is stamped on the movement plate, near "Waltham, Mass." and the grade name.
The number inside the case lid is the case maker's own and does not date the movement. Cases and movements were sold separately, so the two numbers never match.
Match your movement serial to the nearest number below. Waltham numbered in batches, so treat the result as a year or two either way, and a movement may have been cased and sold a little after it was made.
| Serial from | Made about | Serial from | Made about |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 1857 | 15,000,000 | 1906 to 1907 |
| 20,000 | 1860 | 17,000,000 | 1908 |
| 100,000 | 1863 to 1864 | 18,000,000 | 1910 |
| 500,000 | 1870 | 20,000,000 | 1914 to 1915 |
| 1,000,000 | 1877 | 22,000,000 | 1918 |
| 1,500,000 | 1880 | 24,000,000 | 1921 |
| 2,000,000 | 1883 | 26,000,000 | 1926 to 1927 |
| 3,000,000 | 1886 to 1887 | 27,000,000 | 1929 |
| 4,000,000 | 1888 to 1889 | 28,000,000 | 1933 to 1934 |
| 6,000,000 | 1892 | 30,000,000 | 1938 to 1939 |
| 7,000,000 | 1894 to 1895 | 32,000,000 | 1944 to 1945 |
| 9,000,000 | 1899 | 33,000,000 | 1947 to 1948 |
| 10,000,000 | 1900 to 1901 | 33,600,000 | 1951 |
| 12,000,000 | 1902 to 1903 | 35,000,000 | 1957 |
| 14,000,000 | 1904 to 1905 |
Sources: the published Waltham serial list as given by PM Time Service and Brittons Watches, rounded to the milestones where they agree. Waltham's own ledgers are searchable through the NAWCC, and Pocket Watch Database adds grade and model by serial.
The case has its own clues. An English silver or gold case carries a hallmark with a date letter, which dates the case, not the movement; see pocket watch hallmarks and how to date a vintage gold watch.
Waltham grades and jewel counts that matter
The grade name is engraved on the movement, usually next to the jewel count. It is the single best guide to quality, because Waltham used each grade name for a set standard of finish.
| Grade on the movement | Jewels | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Maximus | 23 | Waltham's highest grade, introduced 1908, with an up and down indicator. Very few made. |
| Vanguard | 17 to 23 | Top railroad grade, introduced 1894 as an 18 size 17 jewel movement; made into the 1950s. |
| Riverside Maximus | 21 to 23 | High grade, adjusted to temperature and positions. |
| Crescent Street | 15 to 21 | Railroad grade; the 1870 model was the first American watch sold as a railroad watch. |
| Riverside | 15 to 19 | A good middle to high grade, 16 and 18 size. |
| Appleton, Tracy & Co. | 15 to 17 | An early higher grade, named after the 1857 firm. |
| P.S. Bartlett | 11 to 17 | A dependable middle grade. |
| Wm. Ellery | 7 to 11 | The everyday grade; the $13 Civil War model was 45% of sales by 1865. |
| Traveler | 7 | An economical export grade, 16 size, often in English Dennison cases. |
Sources: RailsWest, American Waltham Watch Co.; NAWCC forum, Waltham Traveler; Wikipedia.
What the jewel count means
Jewels are synthetic or natural rubies used as bearings. More jewels means more of the moving parts run in jewelled bearings, which reduces wear: 7 jewels is a basic watch, 15 to 17 a good one, 21 and 23 the top railroad and presentation grades. Look also for "Adjusted" and a number of positions, which shows the watch was regulated to keep time in different positions.
Railroad grades
American railroads set rules for their staff's watches after an 1891 crash: 16 or 18 size, 17 jewels or more from 1895, open face with the winding stem at 12, lever set, adjusted to five positions and within 30 seconds a week (Wikipedia, Railroad chronometer). A Vanguard or Crescent Street in that form is what collectors mean by a Waltham railroad watch.
The Traveler: the Waltham of British high streets
The 7 jewel Traveler was an economical 16 size grade of the 1899 and 1908 models, made for export. One collector on the NAWCC forum owns a 1901 example in a Dennison case marked "English Make". It is one of the most common Walthams in Britain and is valued mainly for its case.
Have a Waltham? Send photos for a free quote
Solid gold, gold filled or silver?
Read the case before anything else
Solid gold. English cases are hallmarked 9ct, 15ct or 18ct with a carat mark and an assay office mark; American cases are stamped 14K or 18K.
Gold filled or rolled gold. A thin gold layer over base metal, often stamped with a guarantee such as "warranted 20 years". Wear shows brass at the edges.
Silver. English cases carry the lion passant, often with the Birmingham anchor.
Full tests: how to tell if a vintage watch is solid gold.
Dennison's own rolled gold cases were graded by the sun, moon and star symbols stamped inside: Sun had 14ct gold layers guaranteed for 25 years, Moon 10ct layers for 20 years, Star a 9ct outer layer for 10 years. None of them is solid gold.
Source: David Boettcher, Dennison Watch Case Company.
With a solid gold case, the gold sets the minimum value. Weigh the empty case and use the live price:
Loading the live gold price…
Weigh the empty case, not the whole watch: the movement, glass and dial are not gold. This is the melt value at the live spot price, the floor a solid gold Waltham will not fall below. Gold filled and rolled gold cases have no meaningful melt value.
Silver cases are valued mainly as watches rather than by weight, because a pocket watch case holds little silver. For silver marks, see how to read silver hallmarks.
What makes one Waltham worth more than another
Premier Maximus, Vanguard, Riverside Maximus and Crescent Street with 21 to 23 jewels lead. An up and down indicator on the dial is a sign of a top grade.
18ct and 14K cases carry their gold value before anything else. See full hunter, half hunter and open face cases.
A clean enamel dial without hairline cracks or chips is worth more; a replaced or repainted dial is worth less.
A watch that runs and has been serviced sells better than one sold for repair.
The movement in the case it was sold in, and a Waltham box or papers. See our antique watch boxes.
A traceable presentation inscription can multiply the price, as the 1915 Red Sox Premier Maximus shows.
Do not separate the watch and its chain
Many Walthams come down the family on an Albert chain, and the chain is valued separately. A 9ct or 18ct gold Albert can be worth more than a rolled gold watch hanging from it.
This silver Albert chain, Birmingham 1926 is from our collection. See gold Albert chain values and pocket watch chain styles.
Free valuation: buying and selling Waltham watches
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- The dial, straight on.
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- The case metal and the movement grade set a Waltham's value; the brand name alone does not.
- Date it from the movement serial with the table above, allowing a year or two either way.
- Many British Walthams have Birmingham cases, often by Dennison: American movement, English case.
- Solid gold cases are worth at least their gold; Premier Maximus and 21 to 23 jewel railroad grades lead.
Questions we are asked
Where is the serial number on a Waltham pocket watch?
On the movement. Open the back of the case (and the inner dust cover if there is one) and look on the top plate near the Waltham name and the grade. The number inside the case is the case maker's and does not date the watch.
How old is my Waltham pocket watch?
Match the movement serial to the table on this page. A serial of 9,000,000 was made in about 1899, 20,000,000 in about 1914 to 1915, and 30,000,000 in about 1938 to 1939. Allow a year or two either way.
Are Waltham pocket watches real gold?
Some are. Waltham made the movements; cases came from separate makers in solid gold, gold filled, rolled gold, silver or base metal. Look for 9ct, 15ct or 18ct hallmarks, or 14K and 18K stamps. "Warranted" and a number of years means gold filled.
Is a 7 jewel Waltham worth anything?
Yes, but mainly for its case. A 7 jewel Traveler or Ellery in a silver or rolled gold case is the everyday end of the market; in a solid gold case it is worth at least the gold.
What is the most valuable Waltham pocket watch?
The Premier Maximus, Waltham's top grade from 1908, with 23 jewels and an up and down indicator. A diamond set example presented to the Boston Red Sox president sold for US$18,750 at Bonhams New York in June 2014.
Why does my Waltham have an English hallmark?
Waltham exported movements to Britain from 1873 and had them cased in Birmingham, largely by the Dennison case company. The hallmark dates the case, not the movement.
Does Waltham still make pocket watches?
Watchmaking in Waltham, Massachusetts ended in 1957. Later watches under the Waltham name, including quartz pocket watches, were made elsewhere for later owners of the brand.
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