![]() The primary difference between a hunter-case movement and an open-face movement is the relative positioning of the winding arbor and the seconds bit, and the positions of the dial-feet. Movements were made either for a hunter-case or for an open-face case. Note that in the photos above, the winding stem is at the 3:00 position on the hunter-cased and demi-hunter-cased watches, and in the 12:00 position on the open-face watch. ![]() Cases could be made of a wide variety of metals: gold, sterling silver, coin silver (made from melted US coinage), nickel, and plated brass. American pocket watches used a system of (relatively) standard watch sizes, so it was possible for a customer to select the watch movement they wished to purchase, and then select a case to hold it. There were watch manufacturers and there were case manufacturers. What's important to know about antique American watches is that cases and movements were usually made by different companies. The case also includes (or accommodates) the winding stem and crown. The watch case is the outer protective cover, including the crystal that covers the dial. the actual time-keeping mechanism of the watch. There are two distinct major "components" to most pocket watches: The watch case and the watch movement. We've tried to provide answers to some of the more common questions about the proper care and handling of a vintage watch, in order to help you learn more about this fascinating area of American history. While we can't make you into an antique watch expert with just a few web pages, we hope we can share a little of our knowledge in order to help you learn more about your vintage or antique watch. not the serial number on the external case.Pocketwatch 101 ℠ – Learn about Vintage and Antique Pocket Watches Identifying Pocket Watches and Pocket Watch Case Types Your movement serial number may not be in exactly the same location as the one in the photo, but you are looking for the serial number that is on the watch mechanism itself. You usually have to take the back off the watch case to see the movement serial number which may appear anywhere on the watch movement. Cases and watches were often made by different companies and each usually has its own serial number. not the serial number from the watch case. the working part with the wheels and gears. You must use the serial number from the MOVEMENT of the watch. Since your serial number falls between those two numbers, you know that your watch was made in 1917 or 1918. Looking at the table of Waltham serial numbers (see example below), you can see that number 20,900,000 was made in 1917 and 21,800,000 was made in 1918 (marked in red in the table below). Note that we're using the serial number from the watch movement, not from the watch case. Let's say you have a Waltham watch with serial number 21,607,210 as shown in the photo below. So to determine when your watch was manufactured, you will need to find where your serial number fits within the range of numbers. that would make some really long pages! Our serial number tables list RANGES of serial numbers. Many watch companies made hundreds of thousands of watches, and some companies made millions of watches! It would be impractical to list the individual serial numbers of EVERY watch made. Can't find YOUR exact serial number in our lookup tables? Most vintage Swiss pocket watches did NOT have serial numbers and can't be dated by this method. Some American watch brands did not use a consistent series of serial numbers, but most of the big manufacturers did. Not all vintage watches can be dated using the serial number. You should consult the serial number table for the specific brand of watch movement you are trying to date by selecting a company from the menu on the left. The example below uses information from the American Waltham Watch Company, but that is just an example. This page contains INSTRUCTIONS for using the serial number look-up tables that are found on many of our watch company history pages. Determine the Age of your Vintage Pocket Watch How to Use our Vintage Watch Serial Number & Date Lookup Tables Instructions for using our serial number look-up tables
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