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Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs

noelekal
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Prototype?

An odd category to assign to a display of production items.

Nonetheless, y’all deserved the awards for such a detailed and labor intensive display that offers so much education and entertainment value.
 
Canuck
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noelekal noelekal
Prototype?

An odd category to assign to a display of production items.

Nonetheless, y’all deserved the awards for such a detailed and labor intensive display that offers so much education and entertainment value.
Over the many years we have done this exhibit, our awards have (on several occasions) included awards for “Best Museum Display” which seems to make sense. But it was indeed an honour to have been recognized. There were about 15,000 people that attended the show over two days. I’ve talked myself hoarse!
 
noelekal
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Do you feel that you straighten out some misconceptions about what is a proper railroad watch when you talk to attendees?
 
Canuck
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The questions we get from those who visit our booth go from earnest and intelligent, to inane. Like the guy who told us the there was nothing there that kept as good time as his Timex! (You’ve heard of a bum’s rush 😀!) The watches we show cover the years from 1865 (Waltham 1857 key wind model), all the way to modern quartz railroad standard wrist watches. We portray not only railroad standard watches (and clocks), but also how railroads have evolved over close to 200 years, standard time including time zones, standards for watches, etc., telegraphy, and so on. Some really soak up the information, and occasionally, the eyes glaze over as they came to be entertained, not to learn. But it was fun!
 
noelekal
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Regarding the guy and his Timex. What is he trying to prove?

There is such a thing as stupid, arrogant, smugness. Life's too short to expend time (either railroad grade time or Timex time) on these types.
 
Canuck
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noelekal noelekal
Regarding the guy and his Timex. What is he trying to prove?

There is such a thing as stupid, arrogant, smugness. Life's too short to expend time (either railroad grade time or Timex time) on these types.

My response to the Timex guy was withering! He tucked his tail between his legs and took off. I’m surprised he didn’t report me to the show committee! But generally, there were many who were edified by our spiel, and by the exhibits. Our guests included numerous professional people. And I would guess that approximately half the folks are our exhibitors were wearing Smart watches, or some other similar watch. One guy told me that the jewels in these watches “vibrated”, making it possible for the watch to tell the time!🥱 We had lots of queries about batteries in these watches, and many who were startled that they had to be “wound” every day for them to run!

One person asked why all the watches were set to 10 minutes to two! I asked him what the time was on his watch. Ten to two, he said! He was startled that the watches were all running. 😀
 
noelekal
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Hah!

Y’all deserve the recognition of winding and setting all the watches rather than mere speculation about why the 10 minutes to two.
 
JimInOz
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Canuck Canuck
This week end is the 2025 edition of our local model train show. Supertrain. Two of us have exhibited at this event for at least 25 years. This year, we are three involved in the exhibit. God attendance, and the usual annoying question (what’s it worth), but lots of intelligent questions as well. Our display thus far has been well received.

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I've seen a few of your posts about the display at watch shows etc and always enjoyed them. I just hope the show organisers and the audience appreciate the effort that you and your mate puts into it.

It would also be wonderful if this knowledge could be passed on to children via school visits to the shows or a mini display at schools where you take some examples and do a quick (four hour 🤣🤣🤣) presentation that gives kids an understanding that time wasn't always measured and displayed on phones and smart watches.
 
Duracuir1
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JimInOz JimInOz
I've seen a few of your posts about the display at watch shows etc and always enjoyed them. I just hope the show organisers and the audience appreciate the effort that you and your mate puts into it.

It would also be wonderful if this knowledge could be passed on to children via school visits to the shows or a mini display at schools where you take some examples and do a quick (four hour 🤣🤣🤣) presentation that gives kids an understanding that time wasn't always measured and displayed on phones and smart watches.

I can just picture Canuck at school, with the kids…

Shut Up!!! There is no battery!

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Canuck
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Bernhard J Bernhard J
What time did the Timex then show?😆
@Bernhard J ,

I didn’t ask him what time his Timex showed. When you have about 100 watches that range in age from about 1875 to about 1970, they are all running, but they are not all reading exactly the correct time. So he might have been correct that his boring, uninteresting, disposable watch might have shown the correct time. But in the future, our watches will still be in someone’s collection, while his will be 12 feet down in a landfill, somewhere!
 
Canuck
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JimInOz JimInOz
I've seen a few of your posts about the display at watch shows etc and always enjoyed them. I just hope the show organisers and the audience appreciate the effort that you and your mate puts into it.

It would also be wonderful if this knowledge could be passed on to children via school visits to the shows or a mini display at schools where you take some examples and do a quick (four hour 🤣🤣🤣) presentation that gives kids an understanding that time wasn't always measured and displayed on phones and smart watches.
Generally, the kids were with their parents, and were there to see “toys”. There were lots of kids at our exhibit, and many of them were able to read the time shown by the watches. Some of them had good questions about what they were seeing. But in many instances, their little voices were lost in the general din of the thousands of people who were at the show. There were 13,000 guests at the show over the two days. Their best attendance since 2016.
 
Canuck
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Whenever this exhibit is shown at shows like this, the one question that pops up most frequently is as to if such watches as we exhibit, were “supplied” by the railroads! One American railroad in the1870s distributed Elgin B W Raymond railroad standard watches to train crews. Within one year, most of the watches had either been smashed or pawned! Practice discontinued! Thereafter, the crews had to buy their own watches and maintain them at their own expense, or they didn’t work!
 
Bernhard J
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Canuck Canuck
But in the future, our watches will still be in someone’s collection, while his will be 12 feet down in a landfill, somewhere!
I would not be too sure about that. There likely are Timex collectors, just like e.g. the Roskopf pocket watches having a considerable following. Or think of the Dollar watches. And: low cost mass products have a much harder life surviving decades and even centuries, compared to collector items from new.

Collectors of all kinds and price ranges of watches have one thing in common, all are watch enthusiasts and contribute to history.
 
Canuck
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Bernhard J Bernhard J
I would not be too sure about that. There likely are Timex collectors, just like e.g. the Roskopf pocket watches having a considerable following. Or think of the Dollar watches. And: low cost mass products have a much harder life surviving decades and even centuries, compared to collector items from new.

Collectors of all kinds and price ranges of watches have one thing in common, all are watch enthusiasts and contribute to history.
@Bernhard J ,

You know my opinion, and it remains the same!
 
UNLucky
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Just finished servicing and cleaning this one. I know it's a Lanco, couldn't see a SN anywhere on it. Anyone have any more info or recognize it? It's running well so far!
PXL_20250408_160159542.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.webp PXL_20250408_160205215.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.webp PXL_20250408_160232946.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.webp PXL_20250408_160239509.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.webp
 
TexOmega
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A solid 18s pocket watch by Hamilton
Grade 924 circa 1905 17j. Encased by an equally solid, one could even say, heavy duty gf Keystone J. Boss 20 year case.

Look at the coin edge and those massive hinges and equally massive glass crystal.

Not RR grade but built rugged and unadorned to give a great value to a working man.

Private labels are always fun. Pop plowed the hard ground and it appears son followed.

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noelekal
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The early Hamilton 18 size, 17 jewel watches are bewildering to me. I have 940, 944, and 946 watches on hand. I would like to add a 17-jewel example to those three in order to create some sort of an 18 size "set" of Hamilton railroad grade watches 17, I9, 21, and 23 jewels. Only thing is, which of the many big 17-jewel Hamiltons to go for? They all appear to be variations on the same theme.

I suppose a 936 would be an appropriate choice?
 
TexOmega
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All are solid runners, just less finish, adjustment and adornment to keep price point low. I'd go for a great looking dial with that first era, Hamilton Watch Co. logo

Hamilton Dial Signatures copy 2.webp
 
TexOmega
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And, i've probably had this one 15 years and only noticed an anomaly this morning. Can anyone spot it?

Must, again, been a Monday.
 
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