Elgin Grade 97

All of the secondary serial number stamps on this movement are prefixed with a square.

The older Elgin 18 size watches use just one case screw. Opposite the screw there is supposed to be a pin that sticks into a hole in the inside edge of the case to secure the movement. I have mentioned a number of times here that for some reason this pin is almost always broken or missing and I have to make another one. It is supposed to be threaded into the edge of the case, but where the hole is destroyed (often is) I friction fit them.

This watch movement has the pin, but it's obviously a rather crude replacement. It's just a little snip of brass wire, looks like, stuck in the hole. It's not snug, it came right out. When cased, this works fine.

This is the older, English style, tangential escapement. Elgin and other American makes used this design in earlier watches, but soon transitioned to the more stable Swiss style, perpendicular, pallet arrangement which remains the type used in most mechanical watches to this day.

The watch is an Elgin grade 97, 18 size, 7 jewels, made about 1888.