Posted 13 years ago
realriderd…
(2 items)
From what I hear, you're the watch-man. Well, I have an Elgin gold pocket watch or railroad watch passed down from my grand father "Emmett Watson." He carried the watch with him when he was in WWII and I have been doing some research as to its value. The problem is everytime I find one on Ebay with the second hand at 3 o'clock, the darn thing has Roman numerals and mine has conventional numbers. The stem and crown are at 12 o'clock and operational but I have been unable to set the time so far. The front appears to be fixed dial and back cover opens, although it seems impossible because there is no catch to speak of. Also I think it is a military watch because he was in the Army in Germany during WWII. Please, please help me to identify my watch.
V/R
Dave
There are several very good watch people on here, and they will help you out every chance they get. First to date this GREAT timepiece, I or the others need to know the Movement serial #, this will be engraved on the movement inside the back. Second, it's probably a lever set. There are two different ways(depending on the style of case) that it is done, the movement has a hinge or you unscrew the basil(the crystal ring) the should be a small lever to pull out. then turn your stem to set the time. A picture of the movement would sure help. Hope this get you started and will be watching for your new info(serial # and picture of the movement).
Thanks, Kerry. I'll see if I can find the movement serial number. Yes, the basil does unscrew. It's still ticking. OMG, that's so C00L. I'm able to set it. So I was NEVER supposed to pull out the top of the crown in the first place. Thanks again. I'll see if I can get the number. No 2405823. There's something on the inside of the cover too. It says KEYSTONE WATCHCASE and below are the numbers 9277426. W0W!
Could you take some better pictures? One of the movement would be helpful. According to the serial number you've given your watch dates to 1886. Your watch's dial has been replaced at some point. Originally, your watch was designed to fit in a hunter style case. That's the type of case where the watch face is covered and you push down on the winding stem to open it. By the teens and 1920's the hunters were out of style and a lot of them were retro-fitted with this kind of dial and put into open face cases. See how the seconds bit is at the three? Also, this dial looks to be metal. Am I right? It would have originally had a porcelain dial. Seeing the movement will give you a lot more info...
How big is it? Measure it from side to side and don't include the winding stem. I think it's a 16 size model three... That would make it about 2" wide...
Here's one I have with a conversion dial:
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/19197-1924-illinois-pocket-watch?in=user
Thank you Dave for the thanks, I see toolate2 has giving you the dating info, He's really smart about watches and will steer you in the right direction,
Hi, toolate is right. My pocketwatch is a size 16, it's about 2 inches in diameter. The movement pieces are brass, that explains all the yellow. Oh, and I know the case is gold plated, probably the watch is too. Whatever the case, I don't care because you all have been so helpful. I am grateful that it still works after all these years. I will hold onto it as long as I can.
Here's a new website the run your serial number. It'll give you more info:
http://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/elgin/13891424
I have an Elgin pocket watch 307817, movement #26879867. I believe my father won it in a card game.Any information would be helpful.