DESCRIPTION:
APW - Waltham, Dennison Howard & Davis, 15J, 18S, coin silver OF original case with eagle hallmark and anchor hallmark, this combination of hallmarks is characteristic to early Boston Watch Co. factory cases made in-house by casemaker Cabel Westcott, cuvette engraved "Made for W.N. Manning, Rockport, Mass.," white enamel dial, KWKS, gilt mvt, s#1657. A historically important watch by Waltham's predecessor, the Boston Watch Company; this excellent early example is notable for its original condition and its interesting case inscription. William N. Manning was a lifelong resident of Rockport, Massachusetts, and his watchmaking career began at the age of 14 and continued until an age of the mid-to-upper 90s as described in an article included with this lot. Manning was also known to have done contract work for the Waltham factory as he is listed in a December 1857 Appleton Tracy & Co. factory ledger entry (a copy of which is included with this lot), and this entry shows his receipt of a 16 jewel hunting case watch with compensation balance (based on date and description, this would be very likely an "Appleton Tracy & Co." grade movement in 5000s serial range). A further interesting aspect of the present watch's cuvette engraving is that it is notably similar in style and execution to the "Made for" engraving dedicated to another individual that is found in the Cabel Westcott case of Samuel Curtis serial #944 which our gallery sold in June, 2019. The marked similarity of these engravings is suggestive that these presentation engravings were handled in-house by the Boston Watch Co., and if so, this invites the question as to whether there may have been a notable reason for which the Boston Watch Co. produced these "Made for" cases.
CONDITION:
Mvt: Running, excellent-plus cosmetic mvt condition overall, good gilt tone, some mild small spots to plate surfaces, hairspring stud with fine scratch striations from sanding; dial with small perimeter hls around 8, faint hl at 1:30; excellent hands, hour with some oxide and finish loss; case shows medium to ample wear, an attractive patina, some scattered mild dings and nicks, engine turning detail largely lost; tight bow; glass bull's-eye crystal with some scattered mild small scratches.
ESTIMATE:
$2000
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$4000
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