DESCRIPTION:
APW - Waltham, Dennison, Howard & Davis, 15J, 18S, 18K gold original G. & S. (likely Gigon & Seydel, Philadelphia) HC with beautiful engine turning and engraving detail including a lakeside home and sailboat scene to rear, gold cuvette engaved "Presented to James Webb by William Wilkens 1868" and with an additional engraving of "To James F. Webb by his father Jas. Webb Mar. 7, 1908," white enamel dial, KWKS, diamond endstone, gilt mvt, s#2737 with matching serial number within case. Gross weight of assembled watch 79.5 dwt (123.6 g). A historically important early American watch; the "Dennison, Howard & Davis" grade was produced by Waltham's predecessor the Boston Watch Co. between approximately 1854 and 1857. These watches were by far most often cased in silver so original gold casing is scarce to rare, but the most notable rarity of this particular example is found in its matching movement and case serial numbers which is extremely rare among Dennison, Howard & Davis production.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, fine cosmetic mvt condition overall, some dark surface spots with the most notable being after serial # and at the base of "D" of "Davis," some uneven haze to gilt tone; dial with very faint hl near 1:30, edge flaking between 4 and 4:30 which reaches to minute chapter in two small areas, tiny edge nick at 1:30; fine hands, hour and minute are blue and have some mild bends, hour missing a small bit of its fleur-de-lis portion, seconds-hand is plum colored; case with broken lift spring which only initiates lid off its latch but allows lid to fall opened and closed freely with gravity through the remainder of its range of motion, case shows little wear, mild ding to upper-right perimeter of front, crease type dent or ding to lower-left of rear with corresponding ding to cuvette, prominent crease-type ding to upper-left shoulder of rear with smaller crease-type ding to its left, few additional lesser crease type dings around upper areas of rear shoulder, good overall engine turning and engraving detail though with reduction at shoulders; tight bow, push shows light wear; good glass crystal.
ESTIMATE:
$4400
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$6200
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