Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs

Aaron Dennison, the founder of the American Watch Company (Waltham), sent a man named John Gold to Britain to learn how to make hard enamel dials. This was in the early 1850s I think.

Henri Focuey, who worked for the American Watch Company, introduced glass enamel dials to the US. I believe he had learned it in Switzerland before immigrating to the US. I don't know for certain what year, but by the early 1880s glass enamel dials were being used by Waltham and Elgin.

Aaron Dennison is notable for being the first person to believe that watches could be mass produced. With the American Watch Company he pioneered the use of mechanization and interchangeable parts where possible in building his watches.

Superb information! Thank you for elucidating. The early years of the American watch relied a lot on English (and perhaps Swiss for a lot of specialized components. But it was the American companies that finally taught English and European watchmakers about producing a quality watch that the masses could own.

The use of standardized parts changed the way things were manufactured forever. Honré Blanc and Eli Whitney may have started by producing standardized flint locks for muskets, but Whitney's invention of standardized parts to build his locks from made much of the progress of the industrial revolution possible.

Dennison wanting to take that innovation and apply it to the watchmaking industry turned a cottage industry into what it is today.

A Winter Blast, at least for North Texas, has descended, so, time(pun intended) to spin the tumblers and enjoy an indoor hobby.....

Hamilton Watch Company

16s Grade 992 Model #1 circa 1910 with a Special Checkerboard Pattern #1(Large squares) gold gilt flashing and finish damascening and inlays. Four different patterns were used over a period of time all with their own block of numbers stradling both the initial 4 footed dials to the final 3 footed dials. The 2 screws on the winding wheel indicates an early 4-footed dial, plus the early serial # 786094.

Double sunk Montgomery porcelain dial with a #6 in the seconds subdial which was in the patent description Mr. Montgomery had won a few years earlier.

The unique thing about these 992 watches are that they are considered Private Label watches. A Chicago jeweler(G.Tucker) used an account of a local RR watch inspector(JW Forsinger) under some arrangement to have these special 992's made for sale in his jewelry store.

So, we have a top RR grade with a unique design pattern, a top dial, a top and a unique dial inscription.

A few years later, the word Special will be added to the movement.

Also, a unique, hand-scratched, extremely small series of numerals were added under the serial number of each of these checkerboard 992's. Still a mystery. Mine has 3201 and can be seen just barely, if the light reflects just right, if I use a 40x loop!

Correct early Hamilton Spade hands
Illinois Watch Case Company model Bona Fide

Stunning watch Tex. I have always liked checkerboards, and own two Illinois Model 6s with them. I did not know that Hamilton had used them on the 992. Now I have something to start looking for in 2024. And, I call dibs.

Not all 992’s just these in various block runs

It makes mine look rather pedestrian.

Nutin’ to complain about, dat one!👍

After a bit of internet sleuthing I have only found one other 992 with a checkerboard. S/N 1610948, sold at Heritage Auctions online auction back in August of 2023. It is in a BOC case, which I think is a later case, as this watch dates to 1921(the auction states 1919 but the Pocketwatch database says 1921 and I have found their Hamilton records to be reliable), and I believe the BOC wasn't introduced until 1926. You'll notice this dial lacks the '6' in the seconds bit, and has a thicker font for the numerals. The signature appears to be identical to yours though.

@TexOmega I just noticed that yours is a Model 1 and the one I located is a Model 2. So they made runs of these for at least ten years.

My only “checkerboard”, but it is a Keystone Howard model 3 (or 7) depending on the reference.

Here are my two checkerboards. They are both Illinois Model 6, grade 89 watches. The cased one was my great granddad's and dates to 1917. The one that is apart dates to 1920.

I posted this one in 2021.

Illinois 18s model 6 grade 89
1920

Serial close to your grade 89 parts watch

In use today 😀

Outstanding! Exquisite condition! It would appear as though the regulator is equipped with temperature compensation. The semi-circular arc on the bridge is (I think) the compensation device. We don’t run into a lot of watches like this on our side of the world.

@Bernhard J that is a beauty. Is the dial smooth to the touch? Those folds are mesmerizing.