A Look At Antique Gold Pocket Watches

Time has always been a valued component, and now becomes a valuable component for those who collect antique gold pocket watches. 

The history of pocket watches extends back to the mid 1400's, shown by a letter from an Italian clockmaker to a noble.  In the document, the nobleman is offered what was named as a pocket clock by the clockmaker.  A businessman of German descent was making pocket watches in 1524 in England employing a revolutionary spring technology ; clock faces that exhibited only one hand to indicate the hour now took the place of using the sun to tell what time it is.  Time could be guestimated inside an hour or so of the genuine time.  The minute hand was added much later on in the late 1600's when technology complicated further ; enabling wearers of the watches to gauge time inside mins of the particular time.  As technology allowed more definitive time gauging, more embellishments were added to meet a growing interest in the watches. 

Portable watches, as they were called in the beginning, were first assembled of steel by blacksmiths and locksmiths as they were used to working with the amalgamate.  Over time, other more suitable substances were used instead, such as brass, silver and gold.  Jewels and fragile scroll work were added to adorn some of the watches to make them more attractive for the wealthy.  Antique gold pocket watches, particularly those with jewels, are particularly valuable for collectors due to these gildings. 

Waltham, Elgin, Hamilton, Ball and Illinois are some of the early manufacturers of pocket watches whose products are among those valued the highest.  All the way back to the mid 1800's and of attractive design, many of those watches are requested as collectibles.  Another popular collector kind of pocket watch is a series called Railroad watches.  These watchs were employed by train engineers in crucial time keeping schedules for train arrivals and departures.  The accuracy of the watches were more exactly accurate than most, as any variance of time quicker or slower could mean sad eventualities for two trains on one track.  As with any antique, the value of the item depends on how much a buyer is willing to pay for it. 

The prize of many collectors is antique gold pocket watches, with histories that go back just about 150 years.  Regularly owned by the well to do in society, these watchs would likely have smashing stories if they were only in a position to tell more than time.