23j?....Indeed they did......

Hampden 18s
Model 3
23j Railway Special, Two-tone movement with gold jewel settings
Circa 1903. serial # 1836478
RR grade, RR approved

Inside my second Dueber-Hampden display case


And if the database is accurate, kinda rare, too

 

I have about half a dozen. If you would really like one I may be willing to part with one.

 

I'd be happy to call dibs on any of the ones you've been showing off.

 

Will wonders never cease! I’ve heard of the 23-jewel Hampden Special Railway, but this is the first one I’ve seen. This one was produced after Dueber bought Hampden, and established their factory in Canton, Ohio. Eventually, I believe the Hampden Watch became Dueber.

 

Just arrived, this Waltham Riverside.

I think it was Webb C. Ball who claimed that no better performance could be had than a 19-Jewel Waltham. At least I seemed to have read that somewhere. This one's going to need a service for it's a little slow, losing about 50 seconds per day. It's also a bear to wind beyond about half wound up. It appears to be a pretty sharp watch.

 

If Webb ball said that a 19-jewel Waltham was as good a time keeper, as could be had. I think I would agree with him although he did have watches made for him that had as few as 11 jewels, and as many as 23 jewels so I don’t know what he really meant certainly that the 19 jewel version wouldn’t likely be any better time keeper, but it would be as good as the best I would suspect once it was properly repaired, and properly adjusted. I suspect your watch is hard to wind because the crown is absolutely worn out and certainly I suppose if the movement needed it conditioning, it might make a difference in the winding once everything was properly cleaned and lubricated. Nice watch.

 

Could be that an incorrectly sized mainspring was fitted at a previous service?
That could account for timekeeping and winding stiffness.
Nice watch, so off to the watchmaker is a good idea.

 

Still trying to get some history on this watch. Finally have some photos of the innards. Unfortunately it’s not listed in the Imega Database.

 

Movement looks like calibre 37.5 T1, about 10-size, bog stock for Omega during the 1920s. Looks like 15-jewels, 2 position adjustments, temperature compensating, bi-metallic balance wheel, not likely a high performance grade, looks as though the hairspring has been messed with. The case is of art deco style, marked 14-karat, white gold, likely American made. The B W C Co. trade mark shows in my reference material, but who the case maker is, is not known to me. Silvered metal dial, horrible old yellowed plastic crystal has seriously off-gassed, and rusted the hands, probably beyond salvaging.do you have specific questions?

 

Just bought this one tonight, just liked the look and the movement appears to be of reasonable quality for an everyday Swiss.

Seller pics

 

Still wearing my A W Co. (American Waltham Co.) 18-size, 1877 model (made circa 1885). I find this watch becomes magnetized rather more easily than many of my watches of this vintage. I had it regulated to within seconds per day, a rate it maintained for about one week. Then out of a clear blue sky, it began to gain a minute or so in a day. A trip through the demagnetizer, and it is back to running within seconds per day. The rest of my pocket watches are planning a revolt because this is the only pocket watch I’ve worn over the last month. Shown on my @DaveK leather lanyard.

 

What can cause it to get magnetized so easily?

 

Well, with a steel hairspring, a bi-metallic, temperature compensating balance wheel which is about 70 % steel, these old guys magnetize quite easily. I work on quartz watches, and I use non-magnetic tweezers, but my screwdrivers are affected. I might have used a magnetized screw driver once, when I moved the regulator. Easy to diagnose and to solve.

 

From a second hand store. Nice book for $.50 and almost every page contains the subject watch, or some other watch. This is just a few of the 65 pages. The back cover has a summary… and although I am not an expert, I doubt that this style of watch - with a crown - would have existed during the American Civil War.

 

I wonder if the publisher of this item, knew what “going commando” mean in the military!

 

Just got these in today all seem to have good balance staffs.

 

The “Traveller” was a model name applied to Walthams that were exported to England. That is quite a haul! Now for cases for them. That will bring another challenge. Number 6585209 is an 1884, 14-size model. Here is the pocketwatchdatabase listing for it. This was a move away from the full plate designs that Waltham made so many of, with the balance wheel sitting atop the top plate. This design is reminiscent of the very earliest 18-size, full plate models with the balance wheel between the plates. S# 8553565 is also a 14-size. I haven’t seen too many of this rather unusual size.

 

Did some research on the seller, they are a company that specialises in coins and and watches etc ie they will have got them as complete and did the dirty by scrapping the gold cases, same seller as the one earlier on this page. Such a shame as some of these cases will be hard to find re-casing them but it does look like the movements for the most part are in good working or close to working order and are clean.
I particularly like the Grade 620 movements, shame none are RR grade but I am thinking that they will probably crop up in time from this same seller.

 

Cases will be a challenge for sure, the best supply is from the States but now days freight is absolutely ridiculous with it being about NZ$100.00 for freight alone even though the case might only be 10 or 20 bucks to buy!
Will have to place some wanted ads in the classified buy sell section on this forum as eBay is just bonkers with its shipping costs and policies.

 

Today’s lumps.....



interesting thing, I have this old Enfield clock in the living room. It died about ten years ago and no amount of oil, love or tinkering could coax the old thing back to life. About two weeks ago I was dusting and shifted it about to clean it a bit and the silly thing started ticking. I went back later and it was still at it so I set it and sat back to see how it would go... two weeks and one winding later its still going, and its keeping good time... WTF!