DESCRIPTION:
APW - Waltham, Crescent St, Model 1892, 21J, 18S, 14K multicolor gold box hinge original Roy HC with a majestic yellow gold buck to rear within a frame of rose gold branches, front with initialed rose gold shield surrounded by multicolor floral detail and framed within a horseshoe, gold cuvette engraved "Presented to Mark L. Tatom 1907 by the boys of the Mexican Mine," white enamel DS dial, SW-LS, fully capped lever escapement, nickel damascene, s#7818528. Gross weight of assembled watch 97.9 dwt (152.2 g). A notably beautiful high grade presentation piece with an interesting Alaskan gold mining provenance. Mark Lindsey Tatom was born in Oregon in 1866 and later moved to Alaska where in 1901 he became foreman of the Mexican Mine which was a portion of the Treadwell gold mining complex on the south side of Douglas Island near Juneau, Alaska. At the time, the Treadwell gold mine was the largest hard rock gold mine in the world and Treadwell's gold mine extracted over three million ounces of gold between 1881 and 1922. Please see our photos with this lot for images of article entries in the September 4th, 1907 and the September 11th, 1907 issues of the "Douglas Island News" which announce Tatom's retirement and also the presentation of this "handsome gold watch" by the employees of the Mexican Mine.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, excellent cosmetic mvt condition overall, some scattered fine to micro-fine scratches, oxide spots to winding wheels and regulator; dial with small impact mark and associated surrounding tiny fractures at upper rim of seconds-register, outer chapter hls between 4 and 5, small hl below second-register at 6, fine scratch right of center; fair hands, minute with oxide to its mid-point and a bent tip, hour with finish loss to portions of its spade, seconds-hand with finish loss throughout; case shows hardly any wear, some abrasion to perimeter areas of boxed portion of band, ding to boxed portion of band at 8, excellent engraving detail, bezel with a loose fit having some excess play at its seating, case front must be given a bit of extra pressure at top when closing to secure on its latch; tight bow, crown shows little wear; good glass crystal.
ESTIMATE:
$4000
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$6000
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