New Arrival, Job Numbers 200124

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New Arrival, Job Number 200065

Job Number 170159

This is an Illinois Watch Co 18 size, 17 jewels, grade 65-E, with Ball regulator modification. It's lever-set, with a two-tone finish. It is also a private label "H.M. Jacobson & Son, Philadelphia", made about 1903.

Top it all off with a display back "salesman's" case!

Job Number 180050

Here's an Illinois Watch Company grade 304, 16 size, 17 jewels, made about 1912. 

It's a private label, "Mermod-Jaccard & King, St Louis" on the dial,
"Standard, St. Louis, USA" on the movement. 

See the entire album for this project here.

Nice looking bridge layout on these... As usual on American watches, the separate fingers 4th and escape are false. It's really one part.

The watch movement's serial number is hand scribed at the factory on the underside of an arm of the balance wheel.

I enjoy seeing signs like this of a human connection in the manufacture of this antique.

Elgin Grade 179, Sun Dial

These are "before" images, before complete disassembly and cleaning. There's a couple odd things right off the bat. One is a case screw with what seems like a not completely completed head.

The second is something weird about the post the minute wheel rides on.

This watch is an example of Elgin's "Sun Dial" make. It doesn't say Elgin anyplace on it, although its serial number falls in line with Elgin production records.

Sun Dial is one of a handful of brands Elgin used for lower cost watches. There are parts-interchangeable, mostly, with like Elgin branded watches, but the finish on these is crude.

This watch using serial n umber prefix symbols on secondary stamps that are consistent with Elgin watches.

Sun Dial, and brands like it, are sometimes lumped in with private labels. But it's really not the same thing.

This dial has some pretty bad damage near the 12:00. I patched it up. Mostly, this just helps keep it from getting worse.

This watch has a spring with a tab that sticks out. The tab is meant to be pressed in by the rim of the case when the watch is in the case. That tension makes the mechanism want to slip into setting, so when the crown is popped out, it does so.

But this movement does not fit the case well. The case edge does not press against that tab enough, so it stay in winding mode all the time. At some point in the past, someone tried to "fix" this by banging a large divot into the case body at that point, to stretch the metal inward and press the tab in. It didn't work. The tab falls below where the divot deformed pushed out the case rim.

Near where the dial was all chipped up is where that divot is. Isn't that interesting... The person that did this didn't take the movement out before whacking the case with a punch and a hammer, and severely damaged the dial.

I resolved the issue  the issue by forming a little spring out of wide steel and inserting it so as to press against the setting lever spring, right behind the tab, tucked in where it can't go anywhere.

One of the most basic rules of watchmaking - never do anything to a watch that can not be undone.

This watch really didn't set well. The trouble is that the minute wheel is too damaged. I thought I could keep it, but it's too far gone and I had to replace it (with an Elgin part from the normal line).

Waltham 1899 Model

Here are the barrel parts from an American Waltham 1899 model, grade 620, 16 size, 15 jewels.

The Waltham motor barrel is different from Elgin's. I'm not sure it qualifies as a true motor barrel since the outside teeth and and arbor are fixed together.

These parts form the winding arbor and clutch.

The classic "shipper" Walthams have... This mechanism works well, but it a bit complicated.

This watch has a private label (custom) dial marked R.C. Brown.

Emil Geist

This watch is a Swiss made Emil Geist private label. Emil Geist was a jeweler in St. Paul, Minnesota for decades. I have seen Geist private labels made by Elgin, but the exact maker of this on is unknown to me. It is a Swiss movement, with several interesting features.

First, the mainspring barrel has a Geneva Stop. This nifty little invention limits the number of turns the arbor can make when winding the watch.

I have some other examples of this mechanism here.

The hairspring stud is held by a clamp.

Here is the hairspring stud in place on the balance cock.

Most Hamilton pocketwatches share this design feature.

The minute wheel, under the dial, has its own bridge, just holding it.

The dial is held by two screws that actually thread straight down into the dial feet. Very unusual... And it would be hard to repair if anything were to break.