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Beauty of a movement.

Canuck
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Deafboy Deafboy
That's interesting, I find the 950B much more attractive. No screws (to hold the chatons) and no excessive decorative machining to distract the eye: as if someone removed all the muck and left a beautiful movement! Less is more! 😁

As I said in my post, the 950 is “to my mind, the prettier movement”! Beauty is unto the eye of the bolder. Never was such truer. Probably one of the most successful American railroad standard watches was the 992 B which is plainer than the 950 B. They weren’t bought for their beauty, they were utilitarian in the day. Bought only to do a job. Although I like the 992 B as well.
 
Ville_W
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Panerai 176 with Unitas 6497. So not an in-house but despite that a beauty.
2EC5C042-6796-48B8-A9C5-10FC5AA1E350.jpeg
 
Kek25
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Hard to best an American pocket watch movement for an image of beauty with all the available varieties of demaskeening.

3 from my collection:

Illinois private label Railway King:

1803928587_1803928587_king0583.jpg





Rockford grade 82 produced in 1900:
9313945987_2.jpg


Rockford Grade 925, Model 9 produced in 1898:

6113930687_DSCN6061.jpeg


Housed in this silver case with a gold inlay of the Heraldic Eagle. The watch doubles as a boat anchor at about a half troy pound

9213930687_DSCN6064.jpeg
Edited:
 
Kapka
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Here is mine Constellation which certainly falls in that 100 000 pcs range 2410xxx- 24509xxx
with the original chronometer certificate.
The bad news is that I sold it whuthout noticing the serial nr. ::facepalm1::

20180423_193515.jpg 20180423_192010.jpg
 
Fritz
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Lets face it, nobody can touch the Americans at their peak,

model 1883 Waltham
P1010825.JPG P1010829.JPG


Hamilton 940
P1010348.JPG P1010355.JPG


Illinois Bunn Special
P1030139.JPG

model 1908 Waltham
P1030820.JPG


model 1892 Waltham... my personal favorite
P1020849.JPG P1010302.JPG
 
Kek25
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Use this Waltham Royal as my carry watch. Picked it up for $100, and after a service it keeps excellent time to within seconds a day. Just amazing.
Royal 2_zpsrkb2djqf.jpg
 
Fritz
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Kek25 Kek25
Use this Waltham Royal as my carry watch. Picked it up for $100, and after a service it keeps excellent time to within seconds a day. Just amazing.
Royal 2_zpsrkb2djqf.jpg
Is the front as pretty as the insides?
 
Kek25
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U
Fritz Fritz
Is the front as pretty as the insides?
Yes sir. Don't have a photo handy but nice porcelain with WALTHAM script, red outer minute chapter, and sunk seconds dial. No hairlines. Just happened to find a motivated seller at the price I paid. Looks like you've got some sweet watches yourself there.

You probably know the Royal was named after Mr. Royal E. Robbins, whom many believe was the savior of the American Watch Company. From what I've read, he provided needed financing and around that time Waltham absorbed the Nashua Watch Company which was set up as a separate engineering unit.
Edited:
 
Waltesefalcon
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One of the things that made me fall in love with watches was the checkerboard damaskeen on my dad's old Illinois when I was a kid.
 
me1969
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I had the day off on Monday so I did some thrift store hunting.
The first 3 were a bust, except for an amazing 50's vintage suit jacket.
In the 4th and last store I came across a bin full of watches that had a sign taped to it that said "watches $2" so I started digging.
I didn't find a Jaeger-LeCoultre or Rolex but I did find a few that I liked. I ended up getting 5 watches, a Duke Ellington LP & a tie for $8. Of those 5 watches there are 3 that the group might be interested in.
A Seiko automatic with a 6309A movement (made in 1978) that's running.
A Caravelle automatic that is not running.
And last but not least, a 21 jewel Illinois 60 hour Bunn Special pocket watch (the hands are a stunning color that I'm sure the pictures won't do justice for),
It runs but will need servicing and it needs a crystal. The dial is perfect and the movement seems to be in incredible shape.
I can't believe that after sitting in the bottom of this bin without a crystal, with 5 pounds of junk watches on it that the hands or dial weren't damaged but they're not.
I can't wait to get it back after servicing!
 
Seiko.jpg Illinois.jpg Illinois 1.jpg Illinois 2.jpg Bin.jpg
Canuck
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The ABCs of collecting watches! Always be checking! Wow! The 4,960,xxx serial number was near the end for Illinois. What a FIND! Well done!
 
me1969
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J joe band
$6 for those three gems? score!

i hope you scored the hot pink beauty too!
Unfortunately, I left the hot pink one behind. I really should go back for it.
 
me1969
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Canuck Canuck
The ABCs of collecting watches! Always be checking! Wow! The 4,960,xxx serial number was near the end for Illinois. What a FIND! Well done!
Thanks! I had heard of Illinois pocket watches but knew nothing, specifically about them until I posted pics of this one to a FB group I belong to.
 
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