How do you tell the age of a pocket watch?

Answer 1

Inside the the back of the watch there will most likely be the dates of servicing scratched in. On the movement there should be the makers name, date and often a serial number. Libraries and websites (example below) carry catalogues and books on antique time pieces and should be able to tie the serial to a date. A good watchmakers or auction house will also be able to tell. If the watch case is English and the case is either silver or gold, the hallmark system will indicate when and where it was assayed and the karat weight of gold in the case; there being only one value for sterling silver. Often a makers or sellers case and face could be fitted with a variety of different movements, altering the value of watches that look very similar. The design of the case and any pastoral scenes, machine turning, enameling etc on it could also give a rough indication of age, as can whether the winding is by key or button. A fusee movement is often an indication of quality.