Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs

Canuck · Aug 5, 2024

DaveK
My Bulova, also from ‘73, for comparison on what customers were choosing from

My Spaceview sends salutations. Mine was “assembled” from parts, so I am unsure of its age. But likely also early 1970s

Waltesefalcon · Aug 5, 2024

My newer Accutron is a railroad approved one, so it is related to the pocket watch thread. It also has the red 24hr track, so it may have been used in Canada.

Waltesefalcon · Aug 5, 2024

Pastorbottle
As you can probably tell from my avatar, I don’t like being in close proximity to sharp objects like razors!

Growing a beard is not an option for me. I've got enough Native blood that I only grow stubble. I tend to shave twice a week, I start looking like I have 5 o'clock shadow every three days or so.

TexOmega · Aug 5, 2024

Elgin for Ball for bus and trolley in 3oz Dueber coin silver case.
18s Grade 331 16j circa 1905

ghce · Aug 5, 2024

TexOmega
Elgin for Ball for bus and trolley in 3oz Dueber coin silver case.
18s Grade 331 16j circa 1905

I do love Chunky silver cased 18s watches!
My favorite one says Hello.

Not the best photo, I have since had a bit of a go cleaning up the glass (which I wont change as I like its chip blemishes which reflect it working life) and the staining has gone.

Canuck · Aug 5, 2024

I have 4 pocket watches in silver (coin and sterling) cases. This one is fairly pedestrian, being an orchard run, 7-jewel Elgin. My late father inherited it about 65 years ago from his mother’s estate. My father always told me it had belonged to his father who died in 1908. I have often wondered about that. This watch was made circa 1889, and my grandfather died 19 years later. The case has a rose gold etching of a locomotive applied to the case back. The engraved detail on the locomotive is 90% worn away. In 19 years? Seems unlikely. I think that my grandmother’s second husband must have had a lot of use out of the watch. He died in the late 1950s.

.

noelekal · Aug 5, 2024

I've been ridin' the electric rails today, playing with interurban/trolley watches. Checking the newest aquisition against the newly rehab'ed and regulated watch.

The Hamilton came to roost back in April, but was off to a needed "spa treatment" so returned recently. The Illinois only came to roost last week and is off to "spa treatement" and a proper crystal on Wednesday.

I gotta wonder if this style case could have been originally supplied for the Illinois 706 movement as late as 1925. Canuck, could you are one of our other knowledgeable pocket watch aficionados shed any light on case originality?

Canuck · Aug 5, 2024

@noelekal ,

The case your Illinois is in doesn’t appear to be among the Illinois cases in my reference material. This watch was seemingly produced about 2 years prior to Illinois selling the business to Hamilton, in 1927. I am unable to identify any stray case screw marks on your case. Such stray case screw marks are a good indication the case has had a different movement in it. For many years, watches were set into the case of the customer’s choice by the retailer. At one point, watch manufacturers commenced selling the movements, cased. So it can be next to impossible to know for certain if a given watch was sold in the case it is in.

DaveK · Aug 5, 2024

I’ve been looking into South Bend watches lately, and am interested in picking up a Size 16 Grade 229. Does anyone have one or observations to share?

Why South Bend? My c1930 railway gate sign has both my hometown of Sarnia, and South Bend on it. Kind of fun to have a South Bend watch

Why the grade 229? It’s their super nice size 16 grade made while the company was doing well, and much more attainable than their other size 16, but very rare, grade 295

more info on the company is at:

https://southbendhorology.com/watches/dials/

https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/364101939/m/398107005

https://www.historymuseumsb.org/south-bend-watch-company/

Alpha · Aug 6, 2024

Proper use today 😀

TexOmega · Aug 7, 2024

DaveK
I’ve been looking into South Bend watches lately, and am interested in picking up a Size 16 Grade 229. Does anyone have one or observations to share?

Why South Bend? My c1930 railway gate sign has both my hometown of Sarnia, and South Bend on it. Kind of fun to have a South Bend watch

Why the grade 229? It’s their super nice size 16 grade made while the company was doing well, and much more attainable than their other size 16, but very rare, grade 295

more info on the company is at:

https://southbendhorology.com/watches/dials/

https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/364101939/m/398107005

https://www.historymuseumsb.org/south-bend-watch-company/

circa 1911-2...My grade 229,

TexOmega · Aug 7, 2024

and 227

The 229 is my favorite styling

DaveK · Aug 7, 2024

TexOmega
and 227

The 229 is my favorite styling

Those are nice 👍 I love that “The Studebaker” script. Though not the same family members who ran the wheeled vehicle businesses, the Studebaker bros that ran South Bend made a good product (until they went for the mail order business) and probably did well by trading on the family name. I’ve found some fun advertising from the company

Edit: The Columbus watch co (which the Studebaker bros bought and turned into South Bend, was co-founded by Gruen. There is 10 tones of history to explore via pocket watches

TexOmega · Aug 7, 2024

Updated pix post service a few years ago

TexOmega · Aug 7, 2024

Yes, buy the early ones not the later mail order Studebakers.

DaveK · Aug 7, 2024

noelekal
I've been ridin' the electric rails today, playing with interurban/trolley watches. Checking the newest aquisition against the newly rehab'ed and regulated watch.

The Hamilton came to roost back in April, but was off to a needed "spa treatment" so returned recently. The Illinois only came to roost last week and is off to "spa treatement" and a proper crystal on Wednesday.

I gotta wonder if this style case could have been originally supplied for the Illinois 706 movement as late as 1925. Canuck, could you are one of our other knowledgeable pocket watch aficionados shed any light on case originality?

The NAWCC has a zoom lecture on trolly watches in a few days. https://net.nawcc.org/NAWCC/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=ZM081124

noelekal · Aug 7, 2024

TexOmega
Yes, buy the early ones not the later mail order Studebakers.

Those South Bend watches are nice. I saw one for sale in a shop down on the courthouse square. The fellow had about 15 vintage pocket watches for sale. I didn't have my reading glasses that day so couldn't scrutinize them well. I need to get back down there to see which model South Bend he is selling.

DaveK · Aug 7, 2024

noelekal
Those South Bend watches are nice. I saw one for sale in a shop down on the courthouse square. The fellow had about 15 vintage pocket watches for sale. I didn't have my reading glasses that day so couldn't scrutinize them well. I need to get back down there to see which model South Bend he is selling.

…and if you aren’t into it, I might be 👍

TexOmega · Aug 7, 2024

My 229 was a local antique shop discovery back in the late 1990’s. I hope you get lucky, too.

pdxleaf · Aug 7, 2024

DaveK
The NAWCC has a zoom lecture on trolly watches in a few days. https://net.nawcc.org/NAWCC/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=ZM081124[/lined.

"The first electric interurban in the country opened in 1892 between Portland and Oregon City. A vast network of interurbans rapidly grew until it became the fifth largest in the industry in the country."

Thanks. I live near the end of one of those lines. The line ran down an alley and then went back downhill. We sometimes comment on how much fun it'd be to have a trolley instead of the buses.

Grabbed a hunk of track that was cut out of the road during construction of a new sewer line for a new building. Now it's a yard ornament. Used to own a trolley lantern but donated it to a local museum.

We have old iron rings where people used to tie up their horses. People chain up toy horses but now we get other random stuff too.