A lot of the American pocket watches on eBay are listed by sellers who don't specialize in watches, and that's fine. It's where a lot of good watches turn up. It does mean the listing is often wrong in small ways and sometimes in big ones. Nearly every problem shows up in the photos if you know where to look, so here's what we check, followed by where the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors comes in when you need a second opinion.
No movement photo
On an American pocket watch the movement is the watch. The grade, jewel count, adjustment and serial number are all engraved on it, and none of them show from the dial side. A listing with only dial and case photos is asking you to buy on trust. Ask the seller to open the back and the dust cover and photograph the movement in focus. If they can't or won't, assume the worst about anything you can't see. eBay's own picture rules don't allow stock photos for used items, so the photos should be of the watch you'll get.
A case that doesn't match the movement
American movements and cases were usually made by different companies and sold separately, so a jeweler could put almost any movement in any case of the right size. A case from another maker or another decade is normal and isn't a defect. What you want to know is whether the movement sits properly. Look for the case screws in place, a crown at 12 on an open-face case, and no gaps or shims. A hunting-case movement in an open-face case puts the crown at 3 o'clock. Collectors call that a side-winder and don't treat it as a correct match.
The bigger problem is a movement built from two watches. The Pocket Watch Database once traced an eBay listing for an Illinois movement whose serial matched a common 19-jewel grade, while one bridge was marked 23 jewels. The bridges came from two different movements. The giveaways were markings that disagreed and decorative patterns that changed from one bridge to the next. If the plates don't look like they belong together, ask.
Railroad claims
"Railroad" gets used loosely in these listings. Railroad grade comes from the movement. A case engraved with a locomotive doesn't make a railroad watch, and most real railroaders carried plain open-face watches. Check the things the railroads checked. That means open face, 16 or 18 size, lever set, at least 17 jewels and five-position adjustment, as our railroad grade guide explains.
Watch out for Swiss imitations from the late 1800s too. They were made to pass as American railroad watches, with names like "Elfin" for Elgin, "Hampton" for Hampden and "B.W.W.Co" for Waltham's A.W.W.Co. They often have "21 Jewels" painted in an arc above the seconds bit, trains on the dial or movement, two dial feet instead of three, and a tiny "Swiss" marking hidden in the engraving. They're collectible in their own right, but they aren't what the title says.
Jewel counts that don't add up
Read the jewel count engraved on the movement. A dial can say anything. Some lower-grade Waltham and Elgin movements were jeweled only on the visible side, with plain brass holes underneath, so they look better jeweled than they are. Imitation watches sometimes engraved jewel counts and adjustments they didn't have. On a railroad-grade movement, the count engraved on the plate and the grade should agree with the maker's records.
Gold, gold-filled and plated
Gold-filled cases are common on these watches. They're made from a layer of gold bonded to a base-metal core. It's durable, but the gold wears through at the edges, bezel and bow over the years and shows brass underneath. That's normal wear, and you can judge it in close photos. A solid gold case carries a karat mark stamped in the case. If a listing says solid gold, ask for a clear photo of that mark. "Rolled gold plate" and electroplate are thinner than gold-filled. Their markings tell you which you've got.
The dial
Dials are often replaced or repainted. Look for a glassy enamel surface, sharp sunk edges and crisp printing. Our dial guide goes through the tells, including the cracked melamine dials common on Hamilton 992Bs.
"Runs" and "serviced"
A pocket watch that ticks for a minute on a seller's desk may still need a full service, and one that doesn't run may only need a mainspring. Non-runners can also hide a broken balance staff, the part that often breaks when a watch is dropped. Treat "runs" as a starting point. If a listing says serviced, ask when and by whom, and whether there's a receipt. Plan on a service either way.
Your protection on eBay
eBay's Money Back Guarantee lets you return an item that isn't as described even when the seller doesn't accept returns. You need to open the request within 30 days of delivery, or within the seller's return window if that's longer. That's one more reason to get the grade, jewel count and case metal stated in writing in the listing or in messages before you buy.
Where the NAWCC fits
The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors started in 1943 as a watch collectors' club and now has close to 10,000 members. It runs the National Watch and Clock Museum and a large horological research library in Columbia, Pennsylvania. It publishes the Watch & Clock Bulletin, which has carried key research on railroad timekeeping such as Ian Bartky's work on railroad timekeepers, and members advertise watches for sale in its Mart publication.
The part most useful to an eBay buyer is the NAWCC's online forums, the largest horological forums on the web and open to nonmembers for questions. Post the movement photo and the serial, ask whether the dial and case look right, and you'll often hear from collectors and watchmakers who know that grade well. It's a great way to sanity-check a watch before you commit. Membership won't tell you whether a particular seller is reliable, so judge each listing on its photos and answers.
A short checklist
- Get a sharp movement photo showing the grade, jewels, adjustment and serial.
- Date the movement serial, not the case number.
- Check the crown is at 12 on an open-face case and the movement sits properly.
- Read the case metal from its markings.
- Look at the dial in angled light.
- Get any claims about service or originality in writing.
When a watch passes, compare it with similar ones on our browse page, or read how we pick listings on the methodology page.
