- Posts
- 4,867
- Likes
- 49,158
Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs
- Posts
- 8,575
- Likes
- 61,137
TexOmega
·Private label 18s Hamilton grade 924, circa 1905.
J Boss case
T.G. Dillon & Son Wheeling, West Virginia
Top quality timekeeper if you did not require a RR grade/approved pw back in the day.
J Boss case
T.G. Dillon & Son Wheeling, West Virginia
Top quality timekeeper if you did not require a RR grade/approved pw back in the day.
- Posts
- 15,596
- Likes
- 46,450
Canuck
·Time to inject a bit of activity to our thread. No activity for 5 days. The 2026 version of the Calgary ModelRailroad Society Supertrain show. Pictures of our exhibit.
Edited:
- Posts
- 8,575
- Likes
- 61,137
TexOmega
·VERY handsome display of Historic RR items. Great organization and extremely educational.
- Posts
- 8,575
- Likes
- 61,137
TexOmega
·16s Waltham Premier Vanguard circa 1942-3
23j RR grade & approved
23j RR grade & approved
- Posts
- 337
- Likes
- 3,309
gilb12
·Hey Doug 👋
May I ask you, what is this one? 😲😲
May I ask you, what is this one? 😲😲
- Posts
- 15,596
- Likes
- 46,450
Canuck
·
Edited:
- Posts
- 4,056
- Likes
- 11,499
Waltesefalcon
·What can I tell you about the watch under the lens, aside from what is on the descriptive sign just in front of it? If you have specific questions other than found in the description, just ask. The magnifier (clearly) is not a watch. The watch is engraved with the Canadian Pacific Railway logo.
- Posts
- 15,596
- Likes
- 46,450
Canuck
·All I can make out in the photo is "Waltham." Could you tell us what the sign says?
- Posts
- 337
- Likes
- 3,309
gilb12
·What can I tell you about the watch under the lens, aside from what is on the descriptive sign just in front of it? If you have specific questions other than found in the description, just ask. The magnifier (clearly) is not a watch. The watch is engraved with the Canadian Pacific Railway logo.
Never mind. Thanks in any case for the reply 👍👍
- Posts
- 4,056
- Likes
- 11,499
Waltesefalcon
·The card says: Waltham, 1883 model, 18-size, 17-jewels, movement engraved with C P R logo. The serial number I could find out if you really have to know. This is not the same watch, but this is what it looks like.
- Posts
- 15,596
- Likes
- 46,450
Canuck
·Thank you. I always like the CPR engraved watches.
- Posts
- 6,756
- Likes
- 53,420
noelekal
··Home For Wayward WatchesThank you. I always like the CPR engraved watches.
Yes, that shield is well executed and the frosted surface inside the shield is appealing.
- Posts
- 8,575
- Likes
- 61,137
TexOmega
·16s 21j Hamilton grade 990 circa 1911
Marginal Minutes dial
Generic display case
Marginal Minutes dial
Generic display case
- Posts
- 337
- Likes
- 3,309
gilb12
·I’ll never get tired of admiring my 940 under the loupe 🥰
- Posts
- 48
- Likes
- 60
Omegaboy1990
·I just received this from my father. It belonged to my great grandfather. No idea about the history of it but would love to get it restored. Does anyone here know any good pocket watch watchmakers in the uk the would recommend. It’s looking a bit sorry for itself and yes that’s sellotape over the seconds hands and seconds dial.
- Posts
- 15,596
- Likes
- 46,450
Canuck
·During our recent participation in the Calgary Model Railroad Society Supertrain event, we exhibited approximately 120 railroad standard pocket and wrist watches, and three Seth Thomas World standard wall clocks. Of the pocket watches, there were approximately 6 that surprised us. These six were the only ones that were not running. One of the six was my Keystone Howard series 5 model. So today, I looked after that. I cleaned it. This one is 16-size, 19-jewels, and from circa 118 years ago. I’ll be wearing it on my @DaveK mystery braid lanyard for a few days, just to test it. I have two of these, and I rather like them. Railroad approved in Canada and the U S.
- Posts
- 1,794
- Likes
- 9,131
bubba48
·
- Posts
- 4,056
- Likes
- 11,499
- Posts
- 143
- Likes
- 1,087
watchmann44232
·:: Good advice and thank you for bringing up the grading system - wasn't aware of that.
:: And yes, the pricing appears to be all over the place
A short update: the black dialed Omega slipped away. But this was really me not being decisive enough. I want to thank @bobertdob for a wonderful post regarding Regina connection. Thank You also for everyone chiming in there!
That out of the way, some early remarks from a newcomer looking at pocket watches. With the wrist watches I'd like to think they're something I wear/use, even if rarely, and somehow owning (hoarding?) them for me builds around that. Allure of owning pocket watches feels different.
Having read (much) more about the pocket watches has been truly eye opening. So many things I wasn't aware of, had ignored, or at best had a hazy understanding of (and I mean supposedly 'obvious' thing like railroad watches, the Kipton, Ohio train wreck in 1891, the standardisation that followed, how Waltham and other American watchmakers pioneered and dominated the system of interchangeable-part, machine-made watch production, how for example Omega, and Zenith embraced this,...). Yet, I've barely scratched the surface here.
There are quite a few high quality resources available for pocket watch collecting when one bothers to look. Shoutout to NAWCC[2] 'beginners' guide - although I am going to ignore the very first advice it gives (to study for 6 months before buying...).
I am in awe of information found in pocketwatchdatabase[1]. Especially for the American brands that I've been now looking at, the detail and records available are incredible compared to what I'm used to with the wrist watches. Unfortunately for non-US brands the information appears to be a bit more incomplete. Wish there was a similar db to search for wrist watches of all brands.
Then the movements; just from the beauty perspective Waltham and others absolutely nailed it with the way they've decorated the movements. I cannot wait to get one of those under the loupe.
Grading systems for pocket watches: I didn't even know there was such a thing couple of weeks back. Now the systems appear simply confusing and other than approved for RR use in particular country, every manufacturer appears to have their own grades and definitions and I am possibly more lost than when I didn't even realise being lost! 😀 But let's see, maybe I can walk myself out of this labyrinth.
I am now approaching this a bit more methodically. I've set a budget and I'm in a process of obtaining a 'starter kit' of 6 to 10 pocket watches (max 2000EUR total, 2-6 months, must be 100 years or older, emphasise different styles and manufacturers, major brands only, private sellers only, rules maybe stretched, but no more than by 20%).
The first one I got is/was 6s size 15 jewel Elgin (grade 67) from 1890s in a hunter case. It's in the mail now.
Before this gets too long and rambly, I'll just end with: "A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving".
[1] https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/
[2] https://mb.nawcc.org/wiki/Encyclopedia-Subjects/American-Pocket-Watches/Beginning-Watch-Collecting
:: And yes, the pricing appears to be all over the place
A short update: the black dialed Omega slipped away. But this was really me not being decisive enough. I want to thank @bobertdob for a wonderful post regarding Regina connection. Thank You also for everyone chiming in there!
That out of the way, some early remarks from a newcomer looking at pocket watches. With the wrist watches I'd like to think they're something I wear/use, even if rarely, and somehow owning (hoarding?) them for me builds around that. Allure of owning pocket watches feels different.
Having read (much) more about the pocket watches has been truly eye opening. So many things I wasn't aware of, had ignored, or at best had a hazy understanding of (and I mean supposedly 'obvious' thing like railroad watches, the Kipton, Ohio train wreck in 1891, the standardisation that followed, how Waltham and other American watchmakers pioneered and dominated the system of interchangeable-part, machine-made watch production, how for example Omega, and Zenith embraced this,...). Yet, I've barely scratched the surface here.
There are quite a few high quality resources available for pocket watch collecting when one bothers to look. Shoutout to NAWCC[2] 'beginners' guide - although I am going to ignore the very first advice it gives (to study for 6 months before buying...).
I am in awe of information found in pocketwatchdatabase[1]. Especially for the American brands that I've been now looking at, the detail and records available are incredible compared to what I'm used to with the wrist watches. Unfortunately for non-US brands the information appears to be a bit more incomplete. Wish there was a similar db to search for wrist watches of all brands.
Then the movements; just from the beauty perspective Waltham and others absolutely nailed it with the way they've decorated the movements. I cannot wait to get one of those under the loupe.
Grading systems for pocket watches: I didn't even know there was such a thing couple of weeks back. Now the systems appear simply confusing and other than approved for RR use in particular country, every manufacturer appears to have their own grades and definitions and I am possibly more lost than when I didn't even realise being lost! 😀 But let's see, maybe I can walk myself out of this labyrinth.
I am now approaching this a bit more methodically. I've set a budget and I'm in a process of obtaining a 'starter kit' of 6 to 10 pocket watches (max 2000EUR total, 2-6 months, must be 100 years or older, emphasise different styles and manufacturers, major brands only, private sellers only, rules maybe stretched, but no more than by 20%).
The first one I got is/was 6s size 15 jewel Elgin (grade 67) from 1890s in a hunter case. It's in the mail now.
Before this gets too long and rambly, I'll just end with: "A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving".
[1] https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/
[2] https://mb.nawcc.org/wiki/Encyclopedia-Subjects/American-Pocket-Watches/Beginning-Watch-Collecting
Edited: