Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs

Nice watch I have bought several in the last month of both the 1857 and 1877 configurations open face and hunter. I have had a couple arrive with a busted mainspring so its not an uncommon problem and maybe one of the reasons these watches got set aside back in the day rather than being repaired. Your watch is a 7 jewel broadway with is the basic watch. I finally found an 1857 in 15 jewel in May....have had numerous 7 and 11 jewel configs....
You will enjoy it....

I posted this on the "Any Hamilton Fans" thread but felt it would be equally appreciated here.

Here are a few 992s representing all iterations of the model. The 992 was an open face 3/4 plate 16s watch. it was originally developed by Hamilton to supplement the 18s 940 as many railroads were beginning to move towards allowing 16s watches to be used. The upper left watch is a 1st model of the 992 produced. It has two screws holding down the winding wheel and four feet on the dial. This model was introduced in 1903. The very earliest of these had single rollers, but by 1904 they all had double rollers. The upper right is the 2nd model 992, Hamilton changed it to only have one screw holding the winding wheel and three dial feet. This version was introduced in 1915. The bottom left watch is a 992E and represents the third and final 992. This one changed the balance staff to a friction fit staff rather than a riveted staff, a mono-metallic balance wheel. and it also incorporated an "Elinvar" alloy hairspring. This version was introduced in 1931

The bottom right watch is a 992B. This represented a totally new watch built by Hamilton to replace the venerable 992. Nothing in this watch is interchangeable with the preceding 992s. The plates are completely redesigned in this watch, all the jewels are friction fit, a new escapement was featured on this watch, the winding arbor and stem were different. This watch was introduced in 1940 and would stay in production until Hamilton operations ceased in Lancaster in 1969.

My information comes from the Halligan 16 Size Papers, pgs 146-185.

Edit: I had the wrong name for the other thread.

Simply beautiful.
Do you have a similar offering in Illinois?
Not that I don't like Hamilton's but I do love Illinois more 😀 it's just unfortunate that I don't own more to show off in a curated subset in this manner 🙁

Give me a few days and I'll line out a few Illinois for a post.

I just picked up a very interesting Canadian Private Label Swiss Ebauche which I believe is a higher end movement produced by the Electa Watch Company. The watch is a 16 Size 17J micrometer adjusted open face in a nice plain gold filled A.W.C.Co Fortune 20 Year Case. The inscriptions on the dial and movement are entirely of the Jeweler Retailer Challoner & Mitchel Victoria B.C. with no indication of its Swiss origin hence a true turn of the century ebauche. Going through my files Im pretty certain its an Electa which had a close association with Gallet in fact was taken over by Gallet in 1907 so this watch predates that. Challoner & Mitchell started off in the late 1800s in Victoria ending in 1910. I date the watch to about 1905 from the info I have got.

I think this is a higher end watch. The nickle damasceen movement and screwed in jewel cups highlights this and the micrometer regulator as well.

It runs but needs a service. I have tested the movement for a balance staff issue but I think they are good there is no wobble or lift at all to the wheel. A very clean watch excellent dial and movement looks bright.....anyways pretty excited about it...

Thank you for your note as I have no experience with Electa and basically spent hours on the internet finally finding the David Boettcher site in the UK on identifying Swiss movements. I have a note into him hoping to confirm it. There is a picture on that site almost identical I thought to my movement. The low serial number of 21408 pretty much ruled out any American manufacturer from the start. Is your watch also a 16 size? The history of the Electa from its late 1800s timeframe run by Mr. Prosper Nordmann through to the early 1900s when the Electa Watch Company was created to it being finally associated with Gallet. Here is the pic I based my assumptions upon.... it references both 12 and 16 size movements and the movement physically looks the same in terms of component alignment. What happened to Electa with the takeover by Gallet in 1907? Because this movement has an issue and definitely needing service I wanted to be as accurate as I could be with my watchmaker here. I think its a positive sign I got it to run while sitting in its face up position but as soon as you pick it up it freezes the balance wheel which I have tested but I think they are OK....it ran all night.

Since you pointed me towards the bankruptcy I did further research and Gallet did purchase the Electa factory in 1907 upon the bankruptcy of Gallet and integrated the Gallet product with theirs which is why I think the T Eatons 17 Jewel open face movements made by Gallet are so striking similar to the Electa movement with the exception of the micrometer adjusted regulator which was different. So I think you are right the Electa name in terms of a maretplace commodity was gone but the product was not and apparently a new factory was opened in 1913 and yet another bankruptcy sale occurred in 1926 which included what remained of the Electa company.
I did an AI query "does the electa 16 size pocket watch movement of the 1905 timeframe become the Gallet 16 size pocket watch movement used in the T Eatons pocket watches" and the answer was interesting and I think supports the notion that Electa continued albeit through Gallet. Here is what AI said " Yes. The 16-size Electa movement from the early 1900s essentially became the 16-size Gallet movement. [1]
Because Gallet & Co. maintained a deep, evolving working relationship with the Société d'Horlogerie Electa, they rebranded, supplied, and eventually bought the Electa factory completely in 1907. Therefore, the 16-size movements supplied by both companies for the famous T. Eaton Co. pocket watches are historically interchangeable and share the same Swiss heritage. [1, 2, 3]"....and they point me to more information in something called the Grail Watch Wiki.
Wow this has been quite the day going from my assumption I was dealing with a Swiss ebauche with no inscriptions or association with Switzerland through seeing something materialize that might link to the heritage of the T Eatons Gallet watches. I have only three Eatons Gallets but they are coveted.....one 15J and two 17J.....have never seen the Interocean when you start to talk about the Eatons Gallet Railroaders.....I would love to see your 16 Size 23 Jewel watch which again is significantly different than mine. Your movement has far more attention and focus in the David Boettcher UK work than mine no doubt befitting its higher end positioning.....thx for the help thinking this through....Bob

Mighty fine, mighty fine watch!