A mechanical watch stores energy in a spring and lets it out through a train of wheels. That idea is old. The watches that reach this bench are not. Most are American pocket watches from about 1880 to 1940, made by Waltham, Elgin, Hamilton, and Illinois, plus a smaller number of Swiss pocket watches and vintage wristwatches.

The long version of the story is on the Pocket Watch History page: the early portable clocks, the move to North America, and how the factory system changed the trade. This note is the practical end of that story. Those watches were built to be taken apart. A railroad grade was expected to be cleaned and oiled on a schedule, not thrown away when it stopped.

They are still popular because the object is the machine. A collector can open the case, read the serial number, and see who made the movement. A family piece is often the only watch a grandfather owned. Neither reason requires the watch to be a museum object. It does require that the movement still run.

If the watch has been in a drawer for years, do not soak it or wind it hard to see what happens. Send photos of the movement, dial, and case. Estimates are free, from a bench in Mississauga or by mail from anywhere in Canada. Start on the Services page.