Antique Pocket Watch Collecting
for Profit & Pleasure

Welcome to Antique Pocket Watch

Would you like to start collecting Antique Pocket Watches but aren't sure where to begin? Perhaps you need information about pocket watch makers, values, serial numbers, cases, parts, or mechanisms? You've come to the right place.

This site has grown into one of the most comprehensive pocket watch resources on the internet. Whether you're a seasoned collector or a curious newcomer, you'll find detailed articles, serial number look-up tables, buying guides, repair tips, and much more — all in one place.

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New: Free Serial Number Lookup App

Enter your watch's serial number and maker for an instant year estimate. Installable on your phone — works offline at fairs and auctions.

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New to Pocket Watches? Start Here

If you have just inherited a watch or bought your first at a fair, a few fundamentals will take you a long way. Pocket watches divide broadly into two great traditions. The American factory watches — Waltham, Elgin, Hamilton, Illinois and their rivals — were built from interchangeable, machine-made parts in enormous numbers. That is why they survive in quantity, why they can usually be dated to within a year or two from their serial numbers, and why they remain the most rewarding entry point for a newcomer. The European tradition, centred on Switzerland and England, relied far longer on hand craftsmanship; its watches are rarer, harder to date, and at the summit — a Breguet, a Patek Philippe — among the most valuable objects a collector can own.

Whatever its origin, three questions decide almost everything about a watch: what is it, how old is it, and what condition is it in. Learning to open the case and read the movement is the first real skill. You will soon want to tell a key-wind, key-set watch (wound and set with a separate key, typical before about 1880) from a stem-wind one; an open-face watch from a hunter with its hinged cover; and to understand why the jewel count stamped on the movement — 7, 15, 17, 21, 23 — matters to both performance and value. Our guides to movements and the A–Z of parts explain each of these in plain language.

Condition and originality matter more than most newcomers expect. An honest, unpolished case, an original dial with no hairline cracks, and a movement that matches its case are worth far more than a watch that has been over-restored or married together from parts. A modest watch in original condition will almost always be a better buy — and a better keepsake — than a grander one that has been spoiled by careless handling. The values guide sets out what drives price, and the guide to fakes shows the warning signs to watch for.

The quickest way to date an American watch is its serial number — the one engraved on the movement itself, not the separate number inside the case back. Our free serial number lookup tool covers the principal makers and returns a likely year of manufacture in a couple of clicks; it even works offline on a phone, which is handy at a fair or auction.

About This Resource

This is an independent, collector-run reference, written and maintained by a single enthusiast since the early 2000s — not a marketplace and not a content farm. Every article here is researched and written specifically for this site, in British English, with dates and facts checked against authoritative horological sources and images either original, in the public domain, or properly licensed. Where the historical record is genuinely disputed, we say so rather than pretend otherwise. You can read more about who writes it and the standards behind it on the about page, and questions, finds and corrections are always welcome — please get in touch.

Featured Makers

We have in-depth articles on all the great American and European pocket watch manufacturers, including complete serial number tables so you can date your watch precisely.

Interesting Articles

• John Harrison & the Longitude Problem
• The Railroad Pocket Watch — Safety on the Rails
• The Repeater Pocket Watch
• The Chronograph Pocket Watch
• The Musical Pocket Watch
• The Masonic Pocket Watch
• Military Pocket Watches
• Fake Pocket Watches — What to Look For
• English Hallmarks & How to Read Them
• A–Z of Pocket Watch Parts & Descriptions