"Pocket watches"... out with 'em! Come on, lets see them!

Canuck · Aug 8, 2018

Dan S
All business for sure. They didn't even bother to brag about the chronometer grade on the dial.

The Howard series XI has the same performance characteristics of all the railroad grade Keystone Howards, but it is the only one marked as a chronometer. Movements on Keystone Howards were usually marked with symbols signifying jewel count and adjustments.

Most 16-size, 21 jewel Keystone Howards would be marked with the STAR symbol above. The Keystone Howard series XI in the picture is not marked this way. The symbol has been replaced by the word “chronometer”. I have a Keystone Howard series XI that is marked just the way the subject watch is marked.

Oku · Aug 11, 2018

Being a pocket watch guy since many years, I've enjoyed this thread from the beginning on.
Most of my pocket watches are unphotographed by now, so only one to start with:
A Zenith Teletachymètre:

JPE.88305 · Sep 6, 2018

My father passed these along to me the other day.
Wound a few times and working fine (they were cleaned a few years ago), hopefully they can carry a full day's reserve. Beautiful to see & hear them in action.
Grandfather's watch:

Great grandfather's watch.

sah · Oct 1, 2018

The Waltham is about 1934ish, from my great uncle on his retirement. Not too many gold watches are given out on retirement anymore.

Dan S · Oct 1, 2018

I'm not really a PW guy, but I inherited a few from my father. This is the most interesting one, a RR grade Sangamo class Illinois (Type 5) from ca. 1906, in a Keystone silveroid case (re-cased, I assume). Hands and dial are plausibly original based on my research. I believe the dial is called a Montgomery dial (double-sunk, gothic/arabic), with some cracks, obviously.

JimInOz · Oct 2, 2018

I recently picked this up for a song. I've never heard of B.H.O.A. watches, and while it was cheap, had a nice dial and hands; but.............

................this is what caught my eye in the listing. Now to find out who made it, it's definitely not a low grade caliber.

sdre · Oct 2, 2018

Got this from the bay. Works 100% granted it isn't a clock.

jmazpiazu · Oct 2, 2018

Oku
Being a pocket watch guy since many years, I've enjoyed this thread from the beginning on.
Most of my pocket watches are unphotographed by now, so only one to start with:
A Zenith Teletachymètre:

WOW! Beauty!

AdamS · Oct 2, 2018

My favorite pocket:

Waltesefalcon · Oct 2, 2018

Dan S
I'm not really a PW guy, but I inherited a few from my father. This is the most interesting one, a RR grade Sangamo class Illinois (Type 5) from ca. 1906, in a Keystone silveroid case (re-cased, I assume). Hands and dial are plausibly original based on my research. I believe the dial is called a Montgomery dial (double-sunk, gothic/arabic), with some cracks, obviously.

I doubt you are looking to part with it, but I call dibs anyway.

Dan S · Oct 2, 2018

Waltesefalcon
I doubt you are looking to part with it, but I call dibs anyway.

Thanks Walt, I take that as a compliment on my father's good taste. 😀

WhereMadnessLies · Oct 2, 2018

This is my great uncles pocket watch. I don't know much about it at all. The case is 18k gold from Birmingham, UK, 1881. The movement has the number 72542 on it which I'm guessing is a serial number. Does anyone know anything more about it or where I could find out some more?

Toishome · Nov 17, 2018

This is my first one ever. I am assuming I paid a substantial noob tax 😁.

Fritz · Nov 17, 2018

from about 1890, its pretty. it was cheap, it solid silver, it even runs well and keeps sorta decent time.... but its still a cylinder escapement TURD!

Canuck · Nov 17, 2018

JimInOz
I recently picked this up for a song. I've never heard of B.H.O.A. watches, and while it was cheap, had a nice dial and hands; but.............

................this is what caught my eye in the listing. Now to find out who made it, it's definitely not a low grade caliber.

Looks Russian to me. But I would accept being called wrong, if anyone knows for sure.

Canuck · Nov 17, 2018

WhereMadnessLies
This is my great uncles pocket watch. I don't know much about it at all. The case is 18k gold from Birmingham, UK, 1881. The movement has the number 72542 on it which I'm guessing is a serial number. Does anyone know anything more about it or where I could find out some more?

I’ll go'out on a limb, and call it English. Possibly an English lever, with fusee. As with many of these we see, the movement is not marked with a name. If it actually had a name on it, i’m 99 44/100 % certain it would be a retailer’s name. Not a maker. Lancashire was the source for many English watch movements of this type. The case appears to have been hallmarked in Birmingham (see the anchor) inside the case back. I think I can see a date letter but can’t make it out. If there is a trademark inside the case back, please show us. I have reference material that might give info on the case maker. Also, please give us a good, clear picture of all the stampings inside the case back

X vintage · Nov 17, 2018

Permanently mounted on my dash.😉

X

jimmyd13 · Nov 18, 2018

WhereMadnessLies
This is my great uncles pocket watch. I don't know much about it at all. The case is 18k gold from Birmingham, UK, 1881. The movement has the number 72542 on it which I'm guessing is a serial number. Does anyone know anything more about it or where I could find out some more?

As @Canuck has said, it's English.

Fun fact: the continental pocket watches were slimmer. English makers stayed with the fusee far longer than their European counterparts purely because of fashion. The French started wearing tight fitting, heavily decorated waistcoats from the mid-late 18th century and insisted on thinner pocket watches so as not to spoil the lines of their clothes. It's colder in England so, while the waistcoats were still popular, men wore frock coats over them and the (at least initially) more accurate fusees were still used as the additional thickness wasn't a problem.

As the movement isn't signed, I'm going to take a stab that the movement is fairly generic and it was bought in, then cased by a case maker. All looks good and original. Hands and style are exactly right for 1870-1890.

Meant to add: Liverpool, Manchester and Bolton were all pretty large manufacturers of these types of movement. Individual makers in Liverpool, Bolton, Lincoln, London would have made complete watches and these are invariably signed on the back plate.

WhereMadnessLies · Nov 18, 2018

Canuck
I’ll go'out on a limb, and call it English. Possibly an English lever, with fusee. As with many of these we see, the movement is not marked with a name. If it actually had a name on it, i’m 99 44/100 % certain it would be a retailer’s name. Not a maker. Lancashire was the source for many English watch movements of this type. The case appears to have been hallmarked in Birmingham (see the anchor) inside the case back. I think I can see a date letter but can’t make it out. If there is a trademark inside the case back, please show us. I have reference material that might give info on the case maker. Also, please give us a good, clear picture of all the stampings inside the case back

jimmyd13
As @Canuck has said, it's English.

Fun fact: the continental pocket watches were slimmer. English makers stayed with the fusee far longer than their European counterparts purely because of fashion. The French started wearing tight fitting, heavily decorated waistcoats from the mid-late 18th century and insisted on thinner pocket watches so as not to spoil the lines of their clothes. It's colder in England so, while the waistcoats were still popular, men wore frock coats over them and the (at least initially) more accurate fusees were still used as the additional thickness wasn't a problem.

As the movement isn't signed, I'm going to take a stab that the movement is fairly generic and it was bought in, then cased by a case maker. All looks good and original. Hands and style are exactly right for 1870-1890.

Meant to add: Liverpool, Manchester and Bolton were all pretty large manufacturers of these types of movement. Individual makers in Liverpool, Bolton, Lincoln, London would have made complete watches and these are invariably signed on the back plate.

Thanks for the information chaps. I had pretty much come to the same conclusion that the movement itself is a generic one and then cased.

I'll try and get some clear pictures in some natural light tomorrow as some info the the case maker would be great.

jimmyd13 · Nov 18, 2018

WhereMadnessLies
Thanks for the information chaps. I had pretty much come to the same conclusion that the movement itself is a generic one and then cased.

I'll try and get some clear pictures in some natural light tomorrow as some info the the case maker would be great.

This is an excellent resource: http://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/

Identify the city mark (most likely Birmingham in your case), then just look up the initials/mark.

"Pocket watches"... out with 'em! Come on, lets see them!

Canuck

Oku

JPE.88305

sah

Dan S

JimInOz

sdre

jmazpiazu

AdamS

Waltesefalcon

Dan S

WhereMadnessLies

Toishome

Fritz

Canuck

Canuck

X vintage

jimmyd13

WhereMadnessLies

jimmyd13

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