Antique pocket watches...

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 27, 2012

This is off-topic, but are there any antique pocket watch enthusiasts/collectors on here? I started collecting Elgins several months ago, and have a few dozen watches in various states of repair, as well as some movements and parts and pieces. Most of them run well, but few need serviced and some don't work at all. My collection ranges in age from 1870 to 1950. I don't have anything too fancy. My nicest watch is a 21-jewel Father Time Railroad Grade, and I have a few other Railroad Grade watches as well. I mostly just go after what catches my eye and don't worry too much about the "value". I'm working up to trying to do my own cleaning and oiling and minor repair, and was just curious if there are any old tractor fans that are into old watches as well. I'd be interested in talking to anyone that is.

Jimmy King · Aug 28, 2012

[email protected] Is my son he works on some watches. his name is John Samual King. goes by John some people do call him Sam.

Fergienewbee · Aug 28, 2012

My Uncle Charlie was a C & O engineer. I would have loved to have received his watch but he had grandkids.

Larry

rrlund · Aug 28, 2012

Wouldn't call myself any kind of enthusiast,but I use one. Wife bought me one several years ago that was kind of big and cumbersom.Electric gadget. I've got a nice little one now that I bought for $30 at a Flea Market. Wind up model. Nice little watch.

WAYNE-N-TX · Aug 28, 2012

I carry a "Elgin Natl. Watch Co." pocket watch. Bought it at an auction, didn't run. Had it fixed and it keeps perfect time. The guy said it was built in the 1890's. It's in a Fahys Monttauk No 1 case.

John A. · Aug 28, 2012

DEEREMEYER, I carry a 1890 Burlington pocket watch! Got it 23 yrs ago. Was pretty pricy then I hate to think what it worth today. Keeps right nice time. Just thought I would mention.
Later,
John A.

Wheat Farmer · Aug 28, 2012

I have a Elgin's of my grandda, one of my Dad's, one of my FIL, which was is Dad's.

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 28, 2012

Go online and search for Pocket Watch Database. You can enter the serial number off the movement of your Elgin and it will give you the particulars - model, grade, movement size, number of jewels, production year, production numbers, number produced in that production run, number of production runs, etc. Elgin built almost 60 million pocket watch movements. The "rarest" one I have is a nice little 12-size that they built 5000 of.

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 28, 2012

That's nice to hear. Most of mine are pretty darn accurate, to within a few seconds per day, and that's good enough for me, lol.

JRSutton · Aug 28, 2012

I have my great grandfather's pocket watch - solid gold. He was the sheriff of worcester county - got this watch when he retired. I have a picture of him with it.

... the urge to scrap it comes along every now and then.

I could buy a pretty nice old tractor with that much gold...

But - what are you going to do. It's all I've got from my great grandfather. So it sits in a safety deposit box, untouched, unseen, doing nothing.

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 28, 2012

Get it out, get it serviced and carry it once in a while and display it. Get you a little fireproof safe at home to keep it in. They're machines and were made to work. I carry one daily.

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 28, 2012

And if you really want to convert the watch to a tractor, find a cheaper silver or gold-plated case to put the movement in and you can still have the heart of the watch, get use out of it and have a tractor as well.

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 28, 2012

I guess I hate to see guys scrapping cases, and there is tons of that going on right now, to the point that it's hard to find decent cases and uncased movements are relatively cheap on ebay. At some point, the value of a good intact case will exceed the "intrinsic value" of the gold (personally, I think gold is useless - you can't eat it, drive it, etc.) and all these guys that scrapped nice cases may feel like idiots. The price of gold is high because money is cheap.

jackinok · Aug 28, 2012

I occasionaly will buy one,mostly railroad watches that are lever set.I carried a pocket watch for years,because with my jobs wristwatches were either not allowed or in the way.wife bought me one for our first aniversary,and i carried it until i wore it completly out,and the case almost off.since then ive got out of the habit.the last few pairs of jeans i bought didnt even have a watch pocket in them.

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 28, 2012

I started carrying them because I can't stand wristwatches and I don't keep a cell phone on me. And yes, I think all railroad grade watches have to be lever set to prevent accidentally changing the time while winding. There's a whole list of requirements for a watch to be railroad grade - lever set, Arabic numerals, at least 16-size, black hands (although my Elgins have blued hands), etc. I think they were required to be accurate to 30 seconds per week. I carry one of mine daily. I put it together from a case and movement I bought separately. It's a little rough, but that way I don't mind carrying it. Like I said, I just buy what catches my eye and don't go in for the super-valuable stuff. I would like to have a wind-indicator watch someday, but those things are big money. Have you heard of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors? I looked into joining, but a basic membership was $70 per year, and I thought that was a little steep. I might join yet when I start doing some repair work.

Richard G. · Aug 28, 2012

Here is Grandpa's watch. In 1937 when my dad finished Clemson College, he ordered this from Sears. Two came in the order. My dad sent one back and a few weeks later, it came back to him. A note from Sears said 'Your watch has been repaired. We hope it is satisfactory'.
Daddy sold the extra one and gave his to Grandpa before the war. I ended up with it about 1968. It is a Watham that is very ornate inside and out.I need to find a watch repair shop to put a mainspring in it.
I keep it on a chain with my American Farmer Degree pin.
Richard in NW SC

Walt Davies · Aug 28, 2012

My grandfather came home one day complaining that he had to pay $3 for a $1 watch. Was not apply about it.
Walt

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 28, 2012

There are lots of places that do watch repair, but get ready for sticker shock if you take it to be repaired. The first one I bought runs fast and when I took it to the local jewelry store and had them send it in for repair, they quoted me $250 just to clean it, oil it and polish pivots. Ouch. I kind of suspect the jewelry store put a hefty markup on it, and obviously I have no problem with them making a little on it, but I think it was more than a little. That's why I want to learn to do my own work. That's a nice looking watch. I like the FFA medallion on the chain. I'll have to take a pic of my collection to post it.

jackinok · Aug 28, 2012

saw a nice little elgin a month or so ago at an auction in a hunter type case.one of those that are about half the size of a railroad watch.( i used to know the numbers years ago) it wasnt a lever set but i bid it up to $35 as i recall.another fellow bought it for $40.I sure dont see them around as often as i used to. i need a crystal on my best one,been meaning to get it fixed for years but keep putting it off. I never liked wearing a wristwatch either ,though ive got a few. Bought my wife a rolex for our 40th aniversary. she doesnt wear it much though. got to have one to match her outfit everytime she leaves the house.and shes really good about telling me if were late so i dont need one anymore!LOL

JRSutton · Aug 28, 2012

I'm afraid to break it!

(and I WILL)

I eventually break everything I own!

I'm not going to ever scrap it. Like I said - it's tempting when you look at the price of gold, but - it's not something I could ever replace.

I'll eventually pass it down to my son someday, and let him sit and wish HE could scrap it for the rest of HIS life.

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 28, 2012

There's a guy that lists on ebay that does pocket watch crystal replacement for $30 or so with NOS glass crystals. I'll get some info and post it here for you. $40 is a pretty cheap watch. I've bought one or two for that, but they're certainly nothing fancy and not hunter-cased. I only have one that is, as I just like the open-face watches more. The whole size thing is screwy. I do have one 0-size watch that's only about the size of a quarter, maybe a little bigger. Neat little watch.

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 28, 2012

I understand. Like I said, I think people scrapping them are nuts. A lot of guys have fancy watches they carry for special occasions. And some guys never carry any of them, they just sit in a case. I actually broke the balance staff in one I'd just gotten the first day I carried it. And I broke the balance staff in another dropping it onto shag carpeting. It doesn't take much of a fall and they're done. I wasn't happy about either, but they can be fixed.

JerryS · Aug 28, 2012

The only pocket watch I've ever had is this little beauty, which obviously needs a little work. This watch was in "the drawer" all the years I was growing up, but I never really inquired about it. I remember someone saying an uncle picked it up on a battlefield in Europe, so I assumed it was German. The crystal and hands are gone, and the face appears to have been burned. Couple of years ago a jeweler told me it was made in USA.

My dad carried a beautiful, thick gold watch for years. Don't know about now, but then bib overalls had a watch pocket and a button hole to push the chain anchor through. My nephew got the watch--oldest son of the oldest son--and I haven't seen it in 40 years. I suspect he sold it for dope.

barnE · Aug 28, 2012

Still have St. Regis from when I had paper route about 1953 Cost 2.49. Still runs better than me. Dave

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 28, 2012

I should add that I didn't let them do the work. I paid the $8 shipping and put it in the drawer. I still carry it on occasion, but I've got plenty more and it will wait until I can do the work. I'd been warned that it might be pricey, and I told the lady that anything under $200 they could just go ahead and do it, but if it was more than $200 to give me a call first. I have a feeling that someone might have gotten a little greedy, because she sure seemed a little testy when I told her no, I'll just come get it. What's another $50 on $200, right? Enough to be the difference, lol. I read another guy's comments online and he said that any time he wants a watch repaired he tells them to clean it and oil it, even if he knows it needs more work than that, and he gets repair work done real reasonably. He said he thinks that if you take one in and say "it's broken, fix it", they figure they have a sucker and will charge accordingly. But it is true that most watches that don't run just need cleaned and oiled, as long as the balance is okay, and that's fairly easy to check yourself. There are online videos of how to look for a bad balance. You see lots of watches advertised as "overwound", but that's actually about impossible to do. When they're fully wound, you can't wind them any further without breaking them. Most "overwound" watches are just fully wound and need serviced to free them up so the balance can oscillate and the pallet fork can move freely.

ihredo4 · Aug 29, 2012

I love pocket watchs and plan on getting a late 1800's unit of some sort. Dad has/had one he got from his dad I believe that is a key wound. Asked to see it multiple times but he finds better things to do. Unfortunately I will never get it as I have a dope head brother he favors on everything. $^it happens.

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 29, 2012

I have a couple key-wind/key set Elgins, one from around 1870 and the other the mid 1880s if I remember correctly. Big, heavy 18-size monsters with thick crystal cases. Unfortunately, neither is in operation condition. The 1870 has a broken balance staff, but I think the newer one may just need serviced to run.

SparepartsTN · Sep 1, 2012

I have 8 or 10 (can"t remember now) and have been carrying my 1918 Hamilton 17 jewel lever set for the past 30 years. I never liked wristwatches. The Hamilton is kind of fancy, especially the engraving inside, keeps good time and is big enough that I can see the time without my glasses.

Antique pocket watches...

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