I have a American Watch Co., (Waltham) pocket watch, 1867 key wound. How do I set the time and how do I open the back cover.

use google i just went and looked it will show you what you want

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Hi Mark,
It's highly unlikely to be English since the Waltham Watch Company was American, trading from 1850 to 1957. I searched online for this company, getting the information from Wikipedia. See
http://wikipedia.com/

I have a American Waltham Watch Co. Serial # 15092497.
17 Jewels ajusted I like to find what is worth thank you for your time.
E-Mail is [email protected]

Your watch is a 1896 model, manufactured near the end of the production runs for that year. Check this link to verify Waltham Pocket Watch age, and manufacturing info:

http://www.pocketwatchsite.com/walthamserials.html

Get a copy of the "Complete Price Guide to Watches by Cooksey Shugart", and check out pricing for thousands of watches. I've found that many of the common Walthams and Elgins for that series will be valued between 75-250.00 for standard production runs. If the watch is rare and has a 14 k or 18K gold case, then the sky is the limit, depending upon condition and the actual weight of gold in the case, and/or movement.

Try going to "http://www.antique-pocket-watch.com/".

This site seems to be a good point in the search for information on antique watches.

It has a few links to other sites.

Open the back of the watch and the balance wheel will be visible. There should be an adjustment lever working on the sprin.

There might also be a + and - sign to indicate which way to move it to make it run faster or slower.

If you go to the web site "www.antique-pocket-watch.com/waltham-pocket-watch.html", you will find information about Waltham watches and if you read the serial number off the movement (open the back and read it off the back plate), you may be able to find out the year of manufacture.

If you wind it gently, (do not apply a great force), it will slip in you fingers when it is fully wound.

If it stops frequently, it could be that it needs cleaning. As it is a very old watch, specialist advice might be worth paying for.

Good luck

Ebay often has these for sale; one I also inherited in an 18K gold 'hunters case' (closes from and back) even though perfectly working after a retired jeweler brought it back to life, turned out to be more valuable for its case than anything else. I've seen similar at swap meets/flea markets in plated cases for as little as $70 and still ticking.