Please use the following tables to help determine the approximate age of your watch. Remove or open the back cover from your watch and look for a number engraved into the movement; this is the serial number for your watch, and by using it, you can find the closest years it was made on these tables. Please note there is a difference between the number marked on the movement and the one marked on the case. These tables are only accurate for the movement serial numbers.
Tavannes Pocket Watch Serial Numbers
The Langbourne watch has a screw back and bezel case similar to the Submarine watch also made by Tavannes and described in the next section. The Langbourne case is not waterproof; it does not have the gland in the stem tube or recesses for gaskets in the screw back and bezel that the Submarine case watch has. Langbourne cases all carry a reference number 3305910, only three digits short of the reference number seen in all Submarine watch cases, 3305913. This suggests that these numbers are Tavannes case design reference numbers, and that the fully waterproof case of the Submarine watch was a development of the Langbourne case.
The war has led not only to new inventions, but to the development and improvement of things previously known. In the latter category may be included the wristlet watch, little used by the sterner sex before the war, but now to be seen on the wrist of nearly every man in uniform and of many men in civilian attire. The first wristlet watch was naturally a small pocket watch fitted into a leather holder and strapped on the wrist. This was soon improved by soldering to the sides "knuckles" or loops, through which the strap was passed. But such a watch worn on the wrist was so open to dust, and so much exposed to the effects of the weather, that it quickly became dirty. To obviate this the case was next made in one piece, into which the works were screwed; but this device was found to have certain disadvantages. With the advent of war a great demand arose for a watch that would stand the hard wear incidental to "service" use, and it is claimed that the demand has now been adequately met. Two submarine commanders approached a certain firm, and asked them to consider the construction of a special watch suitable for their work. It was explained that it must fulfil certain conditions. (1) It must be water-tight; for even when a submarine is on the surface the deck is always more or less awash. (2) It must be non-magnetic; for under water the submarine is driven by electricity, and in such a limited space watches made of magnetic materials are necessarily affected. (3) As, for the same reason, a compensation balance of the ordinary kind is impossible, the balance must be of some material which shows a minimum of expansion and contraction with variations in temperature. This condition is met by the employment of an alloy of iron and nickel, which expands and contracts so little that this factor may be disregarded. (4) The face must be quite legible at any time, and as the usual yellow luminous figures, when placed on a white dial, are not really discernible in moonlight, twilight, or subdued artificial light, a black dial is used, thus making it easy to read the exact hour in any light. A watch fulfilling every one of these conditions, and fitted in addition with a small luminous seconds-hand, has now been on the market for some months, and appears to have before it a distinctive sphere of usefulness.
All the Submarine wristwatch cases that I have seen carry the same number 3305913 and a shorter three of four digit number. The number 3305913 appears to be a case design reference number, the shorter number seems to be a serial number for the specific watch. The case measures a shade under 35mm diameter, about 34.8mm. This is a typical case size for a Great War era wristwatch with a 13 ligne Swiss movement.
During the Great War, Tavannes supplied watches to Birch & Gaydon who were one of the premier jewellers in London at the time, later acquired by Asprey. The Langbourne has a screw back and bezel case similar to the Submarine watch. The Langbourne case is not waterproof; it does not have the gland in the stem tube or recesses for waxed cotton gasket in the screw back and bezel that the Submarine case watch has. Langbourne cases all carry a reference number 3305910, only three digits short of the reference number 3305913 seen in all Submarine watch cases. This suggests that these numbers are Tavannes case design reference numbers, and that the fully waterproof case of the Submarine watch was a development of the Langbourne case.
It is interesting to note that someone has thought carefully about making the numbers on this dial as visible as possible in low light conditions, . Watches with black dials either have the numerals outlined in skeleton form on an overall black dial, relying on infill paint to make them visible, or blocked out in white as this watch. Block white numerals such as this give the greatest contrast to the black of the dial and are clearly visible even when the paint is missing. The white background of the numbers ensured that light emitted backwards from the luminous material was reflected forward, maximising the luminous effect, rather than being absorbed in the dial as it would be with a black background. The hands are skeletonised to carry luminous paint, and unusually for a watch dial of this period, the seconds hand is also skeletonised and carries luminous paint, as described in the Horological Journal article. It is usually only the hour and minute hand that carry luminous paint and the seconds hand is a simple unadorned baton.
The cases of some Tavannes watches appear to have a consistent series of reference numbers. For example, see the case in the image here. It has two numbers, 3305900 and 17548. The longer number appears to be a case design reference number, because it fits into the series shown below.
The Ref. 370 is a savonnette movement, the type used in savonnette or hunter pocket watches with a metal lid to protect the crystal, and also in open face wristwatches with the small seconds at 90 to the crown, that is with the crown at 3 and the small seconds at 6.
The Ref. 371 is a Lépine movement for open face pocket watches with the crown at 12 and the small seconds at 6. In a wristwatch, this layout would put the small seconds at 9 o'clock. If this calibre was used in a wristwatch, the small seconds would usually be omitted.
Most of the parts, the wheels, escapements, spring barrels, etc. of these movements are interchangeable, and also interchangeable with other 13''' Tavannes calibres of the same age, but the two main plates are different for the two layouts. The savonnette version is the one most often seen in wristwatches; pocket watches with either calibre and the Lépine version of the movement are much rarer, I have never seen one.
The value of an antique pocket watch rests heavily on your ability to identify the watch, its features, and its materials properly. Before you begin your own antique pocket watch valuation, you'll need to learn the basic terms related to pocket watch parts and the coveted brands. Start with some quick tips for identifying and valuating your old pocket watch, then consult an expert if needed.
American-made pocket watches may have a serial number, one type of identification mark, on the watch case and a different one on the "movement," or the inner workings of the watch because each part was typically made by a different company. You want to carefully open the back cover of the pocket watch to find the serial number engraved into the movement. You can then search the Pocket Watch Database or the tables provided by PM Time Service to help you identify your piece.
Most old pocket watches are worth less than $200, with many having no real value because they are in rough condition or don't work. The most expensive pocket watch ever sold went for 24 million dollars. It was an antique Patek-Philippe sold by Sotheby's auction house in 2014 that had been valued at $250,000 on Antiques Roadshow. This is a huge exception to the rule.
Brand name and condition are two of the most important factors in determining the value of an antique pocket watch. To get a good idea of the value of a pocket watch, you really need to either become a watch expert or consult one.
Unlike other antiques, you'll often get the best price for pocket watches if you sell them in sets. Stephen Bogoff, an American expert in antique pocket watches who has been in the auction business since 1970, is one of the few reliable online sources where you can learn about the current market as well as view the various ages and styles. In Europe, Barnebys, originally of the United Kingdom, is fairly new but is a trusted global auction site for watches, antiques in general, and fine art.
Alan Costa of the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors (NAWCC) has written an authoritative treatise on the history of watches and states that personal, portable timekeeping devices were not possible until around 1600 with the development of the hairspring, also referred to as a balance spring. Peter Henlein, a locksmith, made the first pocket watch in 1524, which was worn as a pendant hanging from a chain. The watches of the 1600s served more as jewelry than timekeepers as they were not good at keeping accurate time.
The year 1675 saw the first watch that was small enough to fit in a pocket. King Charles II of England was the person who set the style across Europe and North America. From 1750, watches were fitted with a new device, the lever escapement. This improvement allowed the clockmaker to add a minute hand which was not present on earlier watches.
The first American pocket watch was not made until 1809 by the American Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts, later known as the Waltham company. More extensive manufacturing began around 1850 with watchmakers such as Hamilton, Elgin, and Illinois in America and Alange-Soehne in Europe. 2ff7e9595c
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