Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs

In a recent post on the message board, I discussed servicing my Hamilton 992. During assembly, a pallet stone loosened, and I didn’t see it. With the pallet in place, I wound the mainspring a bit. The train began to spin, and there was a shower of SPARKS (a new phenomenon for me). I re-set the pallet stone, and finished assembling the watch. It ran fine, but gained hours in a day! Diagnosis? A missing escape wheel tooth!

An acquaintance runs a watch repair shop, but doesn’t service antiques. Decades ago, a major jeweller locally had a shop with 4 or 5 watchmakers. They decided to close the shop. My acquaintance bought the entire shop, tools, parts, parts watches, etc. I asked him today if he had a 992 escape wheel. He pulled out a box full of Hamiltons, and right on top was the watch of in the pictures. Problem solved. I may or may not use the dial. My dial is damaged as well, but the damage doesn’t show with the bezel on.

Mark Twain. A colourful character, indeed. Link to a Wikipedia article.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain

This is the Hamilton 992, (above), finished. Rather than to re-work the original movement, I used the movement I acquired out of my friend’s scrap bin as it was in better condition. Shown on my @Duracuir1 leather lanyard.

Indeed, a very early Illinois.

I believe this model was a tribute to Otis Hoyt. Read on, if interested.

https://thecivilwarandnorthwestwisc...from-northwest-wisconsin/otis-hoyt-1810-1885/

I too have an Illinois model 1. Coin silver hunter case. But much more recent than the subject watch. I rescued this one from a scrapper, back in the day when silver went for about $8.00 an ounce! The previous owner might have realized about $20.00 from the scrapper. I paid a lot more than that for mine, even though it had a tooth broken out of the cannon pinion. I was so excited that, right after supper, I went to my work shop, and by 1:30 am, I’d fabricated a cannon pinion for it.

Ah yes! Hoyt’s connection to the Illinois Watch Co. The years 1872 to 1877 were tough for Illinois. (Hoyt had shares in the company.) Creditors were getting antsy. In January of 1877, a committee was established, consisting of John W. Bunn, W J Conkling, and Otis Hoyt, formed to try to establish a way to mitigate the distressed financial state of the firm.

There is much more information which I found in the following book.

This information from the following: If you need to know more, I suggest you acquire Volume 2, American Pocket Watches, Illinois Watch Co., Encyclopedia and Price Guide, William “Bill” Meggers & Roy Ehrhardt, ISBN 0-913902-34-9. This is the definitive volume for information on Illinois. This book is out of print, but it can be found, used, on line.

Very interesting! I wonder if the Otis Hoyt, foreman of the train room, was also a shareholder in the Illinois Watch Co., and was one of the committee of three in the aforementioned. Indeed the Otis Hoyt I mentioned several posts ago was a different Otis Hoyt! (@Waltesefalcon must have the Illinois book.)

I spent several hours on my Hamilton 992, today. I cleaned it a week ago, and found it was losing as the cannon pinion was slipping. I tightened the cannon pinion. Otherwise, i wasn’t totally happy with the time keeping. So I had time today to look at it again. I noticed that the balance wheel pivots seemed loose in their hole jewels, so I decided to replace the balance staff. I had one on hand, so I fitted it. I found the bottom pivot to be tight in its jewel. Several trips to the lathe to burnish the pivot size down a bit. Was the problem pivot size or hole jewel hole size? Dunno! Anyway, fine now. Will it keep railroad standard time? Time will tell.

The case style is called a half-hunter, or Demi-hunter. The front cover has blue vitreous enamel Roman numerals over a guilloche background. The case appears to be made of 18-karat gold based on the stamping inside the rear cover. The movement (mechanism) is of Swiss origin, key-wound, key set. I don’t think the case is Swiss. A Swiss case would likely be marked .750 (decimal equivalent of 18 karat). Otherwise, the case would be marked with an image of Helvétia, the Swiss standard mark for 18-karat gold. The movement has a cylinder escapement and has (possibly) up to perhaps 10 or 11 ruby jewels. The watch likely dates from the fourth quarter of the 19th century. The greatest value would be to your family. The more desire there would be in the market place, the higher the market value would be. This watch would be of little value as a collectible, so the value would most likely be the melt value of the case. It would be next to impossible to determine the maker of the case or the movement. The decoration on the case back contains a monogram, it would appear, and the decoration was all done by a hand engraver. The front cover can be opened by pressing the button in the middle of the pendant on the edge of the case. The dial is of white vitreous enamel, likely with black vitreous enamel Roman numerals.

Interesting that the balance cock with the regulator is marked FAST and SLOW. Being Swiss, I would expect the makings would be ADVANCE and RETARD. During the era when this watch was made, the Swiss were not a major exporter of watches. But this one was likely made for an English speaking market. But not likely for England because the markings in the case back are not consistent with the markings as would be found in a Swiss watch sold in the English market.

Consider printing this information and keeping it with the watch. Now that you know about the watch and its family history,,it should be worth more to you.