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.