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Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs

Canuck
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B bobertdob
I agree you do not see very many I think I have only come across two in my travels. Many more Wm Ellery 1857s and 1877s.....and off coarse the Broadway 7 jewel. I don't know why they have no Waltham inscriptions. Perhaps they were just trying to segment their base 1857 product to appear like they have multiple brands or maybe unknowingly begin the Private Label business. Ive seen some really odd inscriptions on these very early key wind American watches....I continue to look for them and recently added a non working but cheap Tremont to my collection......easily and inexpensively repaired and now a joy to watch working....
Waltham didn’t apply the Waltham name to Home watches because they were in the midst of a price war against the National Watch Co. (Elgin).
 
Pastorbottle
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Waltesefalcon Waltesefalcon
I've always been partial to the Studebaker Golden Hawk. And, we can't forget the Avanti, it was so far ahead of its time. But, it was too little and too late to save the company.
So is there any relation between the Studebaker watch and the car companies?

Dad had a 62 Hawk GT, White/ Ox Blood Red leather on wire wheels........beautiful car.
 
Waltesefalcon
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Pastorbottle Pastorbottle
So is there any relation between the Studebaker watch and the car companies?

Dad had a 62 Hawk GT, White/ Ox Blood Red leather on wire wheels........beautiful car.
Yup, the Studebaker family made its fortune as coach builders initially, the company was founded in the 1850s. When Dietrich Gruen's first watch company, Columbus failed one of the Studebakers bought it moved the equipment and some of the workers to Southbend Indiana (where their coach works was already located) and started the Southbend watch co. Around the same time they got into the car business, I believe that the first Studebaker car was electric.
 
Pastorbottle
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Waltesefalcon Waltesefalcon
Yup, the Studebaker family made its fortune as coach builders initially, the company was founded in the 1850s. When Dietrich Gruen's first watch company, Columbus failed one of the Studebakers bought it moved the equipment and some of the workers to Southbend Indiana (where their coach works was already located) and started the Southbend watch co. Around the same time they got into the car business, I believe that the first Studebaker car was electric.
Cool!
 
TexOmega
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Speaking of early Hampden....
18s, 11j, Year 1887, grade 54, model #3
Leader coin silver case
THICK glass crystal

IMG_9807.webp IMG_9808.webp IMG_9809.webp IMG_9810.webp
 
Canuck
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My recently resurrected 110 year old Hamilton 992 is now running about 10 seconds fast in 60 hours. Very close to railroad standards. I might do one more tiny adjustment on it, but I’m quite happy with it as it is.

IMG_3667.webp IMG_3668.webp
 
Canuck
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I too have a Hamilton grade 940. Mine is a private label for a retail jeweller and watch inspector in Kenora, Ontario. Name of G M Rioch. Kenora was originally named “Rat Portage”. Rioch sold out in 1940, and the business was subsequently sold again. The building still stands. One might wonder whether the choice of the name Rat Portage was selected after a popularity competition! I have about 7 private label watches in my collection with Canadian jeweller names.

This one is from circa 1907.
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/hamilton/567084

P2248457.webp P2248458.webp
 
Lucky14
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Canuck Canuck
I too have a Hamilton grade 940. Mine is a private label for a retail jeweller and watch inspector in Kenora, Ontario. Name of G M Rioch. Kenora was originally named “Rat Portage”. Rioch sold out in 1940, and the business was subsequently sold again. The building still stands. One might wonder whether the choice of the name Rat Portage was selected after a popularity competition! I have about 7 private label watches in my collection with Canadian jeweller names.

This one is from circa 1907.
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/hamilton/567084

P2248457.webp P2248458.webp

Rat Portage is a rather interesting name. It’s no wonder they changed it to Kenora.
I added several railroad grade Hamiltons to my collection in 2025. The craftsmanship is simply stunning. Most of them look as beautiful as the day they were made.
I recently bid on a 940 with a Maison Birks of Montreal dial but didn’t successfully win. I regret missing out on that one. Was in exceptional shape. And Birks is still there.
 
Canuck
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I’ve shown this one before. The Hamilton grade 941, the hunter cased version of the Hamilton grade 940. The 940 was a very popular 18-size railroad watch. The 941 much less popular. It had everything the 940 had, but limited use because hunter cased watches were going out of fashion. Production was one tenth of the production of the 940. This one was produced in 1913, during the second last run of the grade 941. The increased popularity of the smaller 16-size pocket watch also contributed to the decline of these larger watches.

https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/hamilton/696010

P2268608.webp P2268610.webp P2268607.webp
 
B
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TexOmega TexOmega
Speaking of early Hampden....
18s, 11j, Year 1887, grade 54, model #3
Leader coin silver case
THICK glass crystal

IMG_9807.webp IMG_9808.webp IMG_9809.webp IMG_9810.webp

Canuck Canuck
I too have a Hamilton grade 940. Mine is a private label for a retail jeweller and watch inspector in Kenora, Ontario. Name of G M Rioch. Kenora was originally named “Rat Portage”. Rioch sold out in 1940, and the business was subsequently sold again. The building still stands. One might wonder whether the choice of the name Rat Portage was selected after a popularity competition! I have about 7 private label watches in my collection with Canadian jeweller names.

This one is from circa 1907.
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/hamilton/567084
P2248457.webp P2248458.webp

Canuck Canuck
I too have a Hamilton grade 940. Mine is a private label for a retail jeweller and watch inspector in Kenora, Ontario. Name of G M Rioch. Kenora was originally named “Rat Portage”. Rioch sold out in 1940, and the business was subsequently sold again. The building still stands. One might wonder whether the choice of the name Rat Portage was selected after a popularity competition! I have about 7 private label watches in my collection with Canadian jeweller names.

This one is from circa 1907.
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/hamilton/567084
P2248457.webp P2248458.webp
I am a Canadian collector and just love the Private Labels we have experienced up here. In the Hamilton theme this is my Hamilton 18S 17J Model 924 by W Mallett of Brandon Manitoba. Dates to 1905 in a sterling case. The inscriptions on the movement are very Canadianized.
IMG_1025.webp IMG_1204.webp IMG_1205.webp IMG_1206.webp
 
Waltesefalcon
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Wasn't the 941 also introduced right before hunters ceased to be accepted as railroad approved?
 
Canuck
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Waltesefalcon Waltesefalcon
Wasn't the 941 also introduced right before hunters ceased to be accepted as railroad approved?
Someone will correct me if I am wrong, please. But I think it was the standards introduced by Webb Ball circa 1892 that signalled the death knell of the hunter cased railroad watch. Hunter cased watches that were in use when the standards changed, yet were still able to meet the standards, could be grandfathered for use on railroads. My information is that the 940 and 941 were introduced in 1900. This was after the 1892 standards dropped hunter cased watches. Also, Hamilton appears to have begun producing 17-jewel hunter cased watches in about 1900. If 17-jewels was the minimum accepted standard for a railroad approved watches, my suggestion is that Hamilton never did produce a hunter cased watch that would have been railroad approved. They would all have been made after 1900.

However, time service rules for individual railroads were at the discretion of the individual general time inspector of each railroad. Who knows, but some railroads may have continued to accept hunter cased watches for entry service, even after the standards changed. Not every general time inspector followed rules set down by Webb Ball, to the letter.
 
B
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TexOmega TexOmega
Speaking of early Hampden....
18s, 11j, Year 1887, grade 54, model #3
Leader coin silver case
THICK glass crystal

IMG_9807.webp IMG_9808.webp IMG_9809.webp IMG_9810.webp
Your note is timely I like Hampden pocket watches and bought an 18S Silver Hunter last Thursday at a local estate auction picked it up yesterday. Totally speculative as no details were provide just the pic of Fays Coin Silver stamp on the back case. My only competition was from the metal munchers now that Silver is on a run.....so they dropped out quickly. The watch ended up being an 18S 7J made in 1883 stem wind lever set and although the staffs look OK the very heavy black patina suggests it may not have been cleaned for 80 or so years.....full hunter case is 3 oz so I got it well below its value in silver alone.....but thats not the real story.....I have had a beautiful and running Hampden 18S 11J Dueber Watch Company in a completely roached and buckled silveroid open face case running as a sidewinder for a long time....so this movement will be going into the new case. I will attach the pics of the watch just obtained and the last pic is the movement going into the case.... I have a few other Hampden project pieces including a private label from McKinney Texas also not running in a makeshift silveroid case as a sidewinder....staffs look OK to me but again the movment Im using runs well so it gets restored first......

1.webp 2.webp 3.webp 5.webp 9.webp IMG_1286.webp IMG_1287.webp IMG_1289.webp
 
B
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B bobertdob
Your note is timely I like Hampden pocket watches and bought an 18S Silver Hunter last Thursday at a local estate auction picked it up yesterday. Totally speculative as no details were provide just the pic of Fays Coin Silver stamp on the back case. My only competition was from the metal munchers now that Silver is on a run.....so they dropped out quickly. The watch ended up being an 18S 7J made in 1883 stem wind lever set and although the staffs look OK the very heavy black patina suggests it may not have been cleaned for 80 or so years.....full hunter case is 3 oz so I got it well below its value in silver alone.....but thats not the real story.....I have had a beautiful and running Hampden 18S 11J Dueber Watch Company in a completely roached and buckled silveroid open face case running as a sidewinder for a long time....so this movement will be going into the new case. I will attach the pics of the watch just obtained and the last pic is the movement going into the case.... I have a few other Hampden project pieces including a private label from McKinney Texas also not running in a makeshift silveroid case as a sidewinder....staffs look OK to me but again the movment Im using runs well so it gets restored first......

1.webp 2.webp 3.webp 5.webp 9.webp IMG_1286.webp IMG_1287.webp IMG_1289.webp
This is a quick pic of the McKinney PL which I probably will use as backup if my plan hits a speed bump

IMG_1290.webp
 
Canuck
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I have never collected Hampdens. But I do have one. This one is a Dueber Hampden, produced after John Dueber bought the Hampden company. Dial marked Dueber Watch Co., and as might be expected, it is in a Dueber Hunter case. But it is a Hampden.
 
Canuck
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Our pocket watch thread was a suggestion by @DaveK , almost 5 years ago. It is now at 273 pages, 309,000 + views, and 5,000+ posts. Pocket watches really are interesting, aren’t they?
 
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