They are cheaper by the dozen and guaranteed to cure what ails you



Well, guaranteed to rock your pocket watch at least

 

When we were on an NAWCC tour of England in 2008, one of stops was the Clockmakers and Watchmakers Guild Museum. Lots to see, I’ll post a few pictures of what we saw, starting with this picture. From the sign beside the collection, I’ll post part of what it said.

THE NELTHROPP COLLECTION

“Few private horological collections survive in tact from the 19th century the clocks and watches in this case however constitute the greater part of the collection of Reverend Henry Leonard Nelthropp, FSA. The collection was made initially without the benefit of any reference books and was presented to the clockmakers in 1894 it is a fascinating insight into the mind of a pioneering private collector.”

If interested, you can read about Rev. Nelthropp here:

http://ahsoc.contentfiles.net/media/assets/file/2011-01-20_London_meeting_wm6.pdf

A quick scan of the collection leaves quite an impression of the Reverend as a collector. The are pieces there which probably date back to the 16th century, to the 19 th.

 

I inherited a Keystone Howard from my father. It seems to be in the original case. Unfortunately, it has lost the original dial and hands, and I have not been able to find good replacements. These are impressive watches.

 

A series “0”, 23-jewels, hunter case, no less. Indeed a rare bird, that one! You did well to find a Howard dial that fits the hunter cased model. Movement is not marked Series “0”, which apparently is not uncommon. Here’s the skinny on it.

https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/e.-howard-watch-co.-keystone/1286140

I have 2 series 5s, a series 11, a series 4 (or 9), and an original E Howard series VII, 18-size. But no series “0”. Indeed nice to have, especially being family. The listing (above) indicates these were made with stem setting, and lever setting. Yours appears to be stem set.

 

Many thanks for the link. Indeed it is stem set.

 

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@Mad Dog recently showed a picture of one of his wrist watches being worn on an @DaveK lanyard.I’m not certain just how that might work out. My lanyard is quite busy being spread amongst my pocket watches. (I don’t think @DaveK includes a warranty that his lanyards will improve the accuracy of any watch you put one of his lanyards on!). We’re waiting for a report from @Fritz though, that his Yamaha runs better with an @DaveK lanyard.

 

Look-y here! Thanks to the kind generosity of TexOmega I have an opportunity to dip a toe into pocket watches. I'm grateful to him for providing me with a silver cased Waltham hunter of a similar style as my great grandfather's watch. It doesn't even have a dent in its case from being kicked as Grandpappy's was.

Really the case is very nice as is the dial. I'm intending to see if the watch's original movement can be rehab'ed to serve. TexOmega said it would run. I wound it the day it arrived and it ticked merrily on our dresser for a full 24 plus hours. We got an hour hand going for us now so it's like one of those single handed "slow watches" that were advertised a year or two back. With hands, a crystal a service, and a DaveK lanyard it ought to be a lot of fun to wear around town.

I've been eyeing other pocket watches online and am sure to add some to the watch menagerie here, but am tickled that this one is the first pocket watch gathered in.

 

Here’s the skinny on your new acquisition.

https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/waltham/8243144

The texture on the case is called “barleycorn”. On most cases with that texture, you will easily notice how the texture wears thin, or almost entirely off. This one looks good, especially since the case is silver. Likely “coin” silver (.900 fine). The engraving was all hand done, and is very attractive, and also, not heavily worn. The 1883 model Waltham was made with 7 jewels, all the way to 21-jewels. I’ve only ever seen one of those. In my opinion, the 1883 model was the one that signified Waltham as a major watch manufacturer. The 1883 model was made for about 30 years, and it is probably the one model that Waltham produced more of, than any other. Enjoy! And welcome to the club!

 

3 oz of 925 fine Sterling

 

When someone gets into pocket watches, I never know if I should send them my congratulations or my condolences As @Fritz once told me, welcome to the looney bin! Pocket watches have so much to offer, enjoy the journey!!

Seriously, what a great gesture @TexOmega!

 

I was standing in the office this morning and I actually needed to check the time! This I happily did using both the 47 Tudor on my wrist and then the 1910 Howard in my pocket.

then I wondered why people would collect anything other than watches, especially railroad pocket watches. Most collections sit in a box or hang on a wall... but this hobby means i can pull a 100 plus year old thing of beauty out any time i want and have it serve its original function.

a 100 year old toolwatch... how cool is that!

 

I have often thought along the same lines. So many collectibles that you are unable to use! Coins, bills, stamps, bottle caps, barbed wire, glass insulators,, etc. Or, some things people buy that they get little use out of. Fur coats, as an example. Or things that can kill you. Snowmobiles, ultralights, boats, surfboards, etc. But watches, you can have, and USE!

Today, I am wearing a 57-year old Accutron, and a 110 to 115 year-old Howard pocket watch.

 

The topic of this thread is pocket watches. But please forgive me for a momentary diversion away from watches, to one of the most important clocks ever made.

John “Longitude” Harrison was born in 1693, the eldest of five children. John had a younger brother, James, who was equally as skilled a craftsman as John. Together, they built numerous spectacular clocks, believed to be of John’s design. Between 1725 and 1727, they completed two long-case clocks, both signed on the face by James Harrison. The movements in these clocks were made almost entirely of oak and lignum vitae wood, with “grasshopper” escapements, and bimetallic, temperature compensating pendulums of brass and steel. These clocks were capable of accuracy to within seconds per month.

On our 2008 trip to England, we had the opportunity to tour the Clockmakers and Watchmakers Guild Museum, in London. On display is one of the two clocks built by the Harrison brothers at that time. Like so many extant clocks by John Harrison that are complete, they still run. Here is a picture of the most complete one of these two clocks, on display at the museum.

 

While we're talking about Harrison here's a short video about him, his clocks, and longitude.

 

A Wikipedia article on the London watchmaker, John Jefferys, who made John Harrison’s H-4 chronometer.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jefferys_(clockmaker)

Also available is an in depth series on watchmaker Derek Pratt’s replica of H-4. How Jefferys managed to build H-4, 270 years ago is a complete puzzle to me. You’ll see that in the series on Pratt.

https://quillandpad.com/2016/12/29/...-first-precision-marine-chronometer-part-1-3/

 

Don't know if I ever posted this before here. This was my grandfathers watch given to him by his parents on his 21st birthday. If I remember right the movement date was 1906. There was a repair on the regulator some time in it's life.

 

Outstanding condition and quite the heirloom.

 

@river rat That's a gorgeous watch, the engraving is outstanding.

 

I was unable to see a s# on your Waltham. My 1948 Waltham parts list shows your watch as being a 14-size, and it is listed as being an example of the “Colonial” series. The 14-size movement has a size 14 pillar plate, but the rest of the watch is basically 12-size. I don’t recall your having shown it before. The case it outstanding!