American Watch Company Prototype Pocket Watch by Oliver B. Marsh
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca 1852
This prototype pocket watch is documented by the Smithsonian Institution as being made by Oliver B. Marsh for the early American Watch Company in Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts.
Dated to circa 1852 or 1849–1851, it represents one of seventeen largely hand-made prototype watches developed during the firm's experimental phase. The watch features an 18-karat gold case measuring approximately 3 1/8 inches high and a white enamel dial with an outer minute track. Four subsidiary dials display seconds at 12 o'clock, date at 3 o'clock, hours in Roman numerals at 6 o'clock inscribed 'O. B. MARSH', and days of the week at 9 o'clock.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Prototype pocket watch
- Place made
- United States: Massachusetts, Boston, Roxbury
- Case material
- 18k gold
- Catalog number
- 334625
- Place recorded
- United States
- Maker attribution
- Oliver B. Marsh, for American Watch Co.
- Dial configuration
- White enamel dial with peripheral minutes and four subsidiary registers
- Maker / attribution
- Oliver B. Marsh
Design
- Visible features
- • Engraved floral and foliate relief ornamentation surrounds the gold bezel and the base of the pendant. • White enamel dial features four subsidiary dials positioned symmetrically at the cardinal points. • The subsidiary dial at 6 o'clock displays Roman numerals and bears the inscription 'O. B. MARSH'. • A single blued steel hand pivots centrally to indicate minutes against the outermost track.
- Context and Provenance
- This pocket watch is identified as a prototype designed and made by Oliver B. Marsh for the American Watch Company. It was developed during the firm's experimental phase at the Howard & Davis factory in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The source provides two date ranges for the creation of the firm's initial prototypes: 1849–1851 and circa 1852. It is documented as one of seventeen prototypes largely hand-made by Oliver and David Marsh.
- Technical Construction
- According to the documentation, these early prototypes featured eight-day movements with two mainsprings. The design utilized a 'going barrel,' which dispensed with the traditional fusee and chain mechanism to equalize the force of the unwinding spring. The watch is housed in an 18-karat gold case measuring approximately 3 1/8 inches by 2 5/16 inches by 5/8 inches.
- Dial and Visual Configuration
- The timepiece features a white enamel dial with a peripheral minute track. The layout includes four subsidiary registers: seconds at 12 o'clock, date at 3 o'clock, Roman numerals for hours at 6 o'clock—bearing the inscription 'O. B. MARSH'—and days of the week at 9 o'clock. The exterior of the 18-karat gold case features relief-carved floral and foliate motifs surrounding the bezel and the pendant base.
Identification
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Source metadata lists two date ranges: '1849-1851' and 'ca 1852'.
- Research required: The internal movement and case back are not shown in the available photograph.