Abraham Lincoln’s Waltham Wm. Ellery Watch: Stolen.
By My article exploring Abraham Lincoln’s missing Waltham pocket watch has been featured at The American. With my interest in Lincoln and American horology, this was a perfect project to work on during the past few months. This historic watch is still out there somewhere, so be on the lookout. Enjoy.
https://www.theamerican.co.uk/pr/ft-Keeping-Time-With-Lincoln
I have 9 pocket watches that I inherited and just beginning to examine. Mainly Waltham and Elgin. The interiors are more interesting than the cases! The level of detail is extraordinary and goes beyond functionality. They are true works of art.
I’m looking for a way to determine when the watches were made.
Thanks very much,
Linda
Linda – Fantastic. We have serial number lookup engines for nearly all the American watch manufacturers. You will need to find the serial number from each one of the movements (the mechanisms inside). Here is a quick guide on how to use the database that you might find beneficial. https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/reference/how-to-lookup-a-pocket-watch
Wasn’t Lincoln’s watch used in the movie about him several years ago? I believe it was noted that his actual watch was as a real prop instead of a fake or stand in. Daniel D. Lewis held it his hands during a scene. Is that when it disappeared or after it was returned to it’s owner? Very interesting article.
The watch used for filming was not Lincoln’s… However, the sound of Lincoln’s watch was used during that scene in the movie. That particular watch is held at the Kentucky Historical Society. That watch is not the watch covered in this article. Here is more information about the watch used in the movie: https://blog.pocketwatchdatabase.com/2015/01/03/the-ticking-sound-of-abraham-lincolns-pocket-watch/
Wow! So the supposed Lincoln watch at the Smithsonian isn’t the President’s? Oh my!
Yes the Smithsonian watch was Lincoln’s. He had more than one
Exactly correct. There are at least three documented watches owned by Lincoln, and I have found references of others that may or may not have been legitimate.
The watch at the Smithsonian was indeed owned by Lincoln. However, there is misinformation that has been circulated about that watch being the Waltham watch covered in this article. The watch at the Smithsonian is the “George Chatterton” watch, covered here: https://blog.pocketwatchdatabase.com/2022/03/08/stereoscopic-view-of-president-abraham-lincoln-and-his-george-chatterton-pocket-watch/
The watch at the Smithsonian Is, in fact, a Lincoln pocket watch. It Is , however, a watch presented to Lincoln at a later occassion. The Wm Ellery Waltham Model 1857 is best known for its “secret inscription” on the movement itself and is purported to have been Lincolns’ EDC.
Bruce – You are getting the Lincoln watches mixed up. The watch held at the Smithsonian is the “George Chatterton” watch and is the one with the inscription behind the dial (more information about that one here: https://blog.pocketwatchdatabase.com/2022/03/08/stereoscopic-view-of-president-abraham-lincoln-and-his-george-chatterton-pocket-watch/). There is evidence that the “George Chatterton” watch was Lincoln’s everyday carry watch, supported by period photographs – included in the linked article. There has been misinformation circulated about the Waltham watch being that watch. As indicated in the article, the Waltham watch was stolen in 1977 from the Lincoln Savings and Loan in Los Angeles and has not been seen publicly since.