Waltham Model 1877 Question

[breyfogle]

I recently acquired a Model 1877, A.W.Co., PS Bartlett, dated from about 1880, s/n 1,430,424, mounted in a BWCCo (Brooklyn?) gold case. It appears to be in (my novice opinion) nearly new condition and keeps very good time. The only issue I have using this watch on a daily basis is that it needs to be wound twice a day. I can get it to run for about 25 hours max if I wind it uncomfortably tight, which I'd rather not do to a 129 year old mainspring. A typical winding that "feels" about right results in 18 to 20 hours of run time.

Couple of questions for those more knowledgable than I:
(1) How long does a typical pocket watch of the period normally run on a full wind ?

(2) If I had the watch cleaned and oiled, could I expect it to run longer on a full wind ?

[Lorne]

It could be that your mainspring has begun taking a "set", meaning that it’s lost its resilience and therefore its ability to power the watch. It’s probably more noticeable when the main spring has unwound a bit than when it’s fully wound, so it appears that the wind only lasts 25 hours.

My guess is you need a new spring...

Lorne

[Bill B]

Pocket watches are wound till the crown stops, they run from 25-36 hours on a full wind. Nice watch, if you are going to carry this watch daily I would have it serviced. If you are not going to carry it I would not have it serviced. I hope this helps you.

[Jon Hanson]

Yes, service creates better performance; however, using this as a carry watch--I would not because of case wear and bulk!

Wear it without service and you will damage the movement over time.

[breyfogle]

.... using this as a carry watch--I would not because of case wear and bulk! ....

That's pretty much the conclusion I came to. It is just too big to be a daily carry plus the inevitable case wear would not be good. I may get it serviced sometime in the future just because I like mechanical widgets, even old ones, to work as well as possible.