New Arrival, Job Number 250076

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https://photos.app.goo.gl/fKbMogoE6mQvrzo1A

New Arrival, Job Number 250116

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https://photos.app.goo.gl/qhLygdHcgDEH7awY8

New Arrival, Job Number 240089

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https://photos.app.goo.gl/VFWDz2hpaCZeNPQ2A

Job Number 210147, Elgin Grade 214

This 18 size, 23 jewel, grade 214 Veritas model is one we've seen before. It's been job numbers 210147, 200090 and 180034.

I have literally lost track of how many times this watch has been sent back since 2018. It's off the charts at 6 or 7, maybe more (one other time in 20 years I had one other watch come back twice). This time it was stopping, again, and I found the roller jewel to be loose AGAIN. Cleaned it all up and reshellaced it, again. Now it's running fine, again.

The album for this watch is here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CXHQYqyPOB08UIOA3

Job Number 210147, Elgin Grade 214

This 18 size, 23 jewel, grade 214 Veritas model is one we've seen before. It was formally job numbers 210147, 200090 and 180034. 

Made about 1907...

This is the underside of the upper balance cap jewel, a diamond chip. Interestingly, the jewel is not flat and smooth on the underside. It has a jagged, unfinished contour. There's a tiny wear mark where it contacts the balance pivot.

The album for this watch is here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CXHQYqyPOB08UIOA3

I found the roller jewel to be a little loose, fixed that. Then it seems the lower part of the two-piece double roller might be loose too. Something like that sure shouldn't move. Fixed that.

I cased it up for testing. It seems pretty good.

New Arrival, Job Numbers 200056

New Arrival, Job Number 190166

This is another instance where an old-style plastic crystal has decade, yellowed and given off corrosive gases that have dissolved the hands. Often in such cases there will be other damage to steel parts under the dial. We'll see.

This is also a great example of a completely practical watch selection by the original buyer. It is in a low cost, plain nickel case, but it is a high-end Elgin Veritas movement, railroad grade. Also the case is a swing-out style which was required by some railroad specs. Even the plastic crystal is a practical choice. These were considered a technical improvement over glass and referred to at the time as "unbreakable" crystals.

My Grandfather once told me that the Veritas movement, one of Elgin's most expensive, cost about $85 at a time when he was making, as a skilled watchmaker, $24 a week.

New Arrival, Job Number 190038

Another 18 size Veritas...

New Arrival, Job Number 190018

This one is a Veritas model. It's always nice to see those, especially in good condition. I'm looking forward to working on it.

Job Number 180034

This watch came back to me running badly and with a screw loose inside, which turned out to be a case screw. There was nothing damaged by the screw so I thought this would be a quick turn-around after the screw was put back.

It wasn't so. While testing the watch again, it kept inexplicably stopping while running pendent up. Now, this is an Elgin Veritas model, in very good condition, with an excellent amplitude and extremely low beat error. These are among the best railroad watches ever made. In addition, it's been worked on a few times in the past, clearly, but as far as how it runs it's as close to "like new" as you will ever find. I could not find a thing wrong, for several days. Nothing I tried to tweak cured the stopping. Hands? FIne. Hour wheel lifting, nope. Banking too tight? no. Balance flat? Check. etc...

Finally, I realized that the roller jewel is loose. Before anyone thinks that I should have checked that both originally, and later, I did. Oddly, the jewel is so snug that it seems fine. It will just move only by the slightest about - and I mean you can barely feel it every so slightly responding to a little pressure for the tweezers. It's mostly up and down, so I think it was sliding down enough to interfere with the guard pin, in one orientation.

Quick fix, testing again now...

See the entire album for this project here.

Job Number 160224

This is a grade 376, 16 size, 23 jewels, made about 1911. 

Veritas model, one of the best...

There's a natural diamond for the upper balance cap jewel. There's another one on the other side too, under the dial where no one sees it.

Elgin Grade 453

This is an Elgin grade 453, 16 size, 23 jewels, made about 1919.

Another fine Veritas model, a high grade railroad watch from Elgin.

These parts secure the mainspring arbor to the ratchet wheel. The mainspring barrel is jeweled on this watch, on both sides.

Just In

New into the queue, two wonderful Elgin Veritas grades.

Elgin Grade 453

The balance cock on this movement has the complete serial number on the underside.

This is the mainspring barrel from this 16 size Elgin Veritas model, a high grade railroad watch. The motor barrel, as opposed to the going barrel we usually see, has the arbor in the middle fixed to the teeth around the outside. These are also called safety barrels. They isolate the rest of the train from a reverse jolt if the mainspring breaks. This design also reduces friction allowing a more powerful spring to be used, which improves accuracy over a day's run.

This is Elgin's railroad grade 453, 16 size, 23 jewel Veritas model, made about 1923.  This watch is one of the highest quality timepieces of its era and represents some of the best technology available at that time.

Elgin Grade 376

This is another Elgin Veritas, grade 376, 16 size, 23 jewels, made about 1912. 

Here are some details showing the motor barrel, also called a "safety barrel." Like a safety pinion, the safety barrel protects the train in the event of a sudden release of power (mainspring breaking), among other advantages.

This shows some detail of the balance cock, which provides the upper jeweling for the balance wheel pivots. The cap jewel, covering the upper pivot is a natural diamond chip on this Elgin Veritas model (railroad grade).

Through the moving balance wheel, we can see the pallet stones acting on the teeth of the escape wheel.

Elgin Grade 376, Veritas Model

This is one of Elgin's high-end products. It is a railroad grade grade 376, 16 size, 23 jewels, lever-set movement, made about 1912.

Elgin's Veritas grades feature a "motor barrel", as opposed to the typical "going barrel". This design allows the two parts of the barrel to move separately. The outer edge, where the teeth are, is fixed to the center arbor. This design allows a more powerful spring to be used with increased safety and lower friction, and that in turn increases accuracy. It also isolates the train from winding motion.

Here are the secondary serial number stamps, with a usual prefix symbol.

This is a 23 jewel design. The pivot for the mainspring arbor is jeweled with a gold bezel on both sides.

Also not the distinctive three holes for the screws that hold the ratchet wheel.

All the wheels have beveled and polished arms.

Here is the ratchet wheel. Elgin motor barrels have three screws exposed, which hold the wheel to the top of the barrel. A "going barrel" would have one screw holding the wheel to the winding arbor instead..

The pallet fork, also with chamfered and polished edges...

The roller jewel is missing. The 'D' shaped hole in the larger disk of the double roller is where it should be.

The over-coiled hairspring and stud are gold-flashed.

The balance, with the hairspring removed is held in a warmer. The back end is heated in an open flame until enough heat is transmitted out to the roller table to melt a speck of shellac.

Here is the replacement jewel. It is a length of synthetic sapphire, 'D' shaped in profile.

 This is the alcohol lamp I use for jobs like this.

The new roller jewel in place, the watch is now running fine.

Note the diamond chip cap stone used on the upper balance pivot, on Veritas models.

 Another feature typical of railroad watches is being lever-set. The watch has a lever under the dial, near 1:00, that pulls out to engage setting. It is not set by pulling the crown. The case edge has been filed away to allow the lever to pass. Cases are often hand altered some to fit a given movement. American watch companies sold the bare movements only direct to retail. Cases, made by other companies, where purchased separably by the consumer and fit with the movements by jewelers and watchmakers.

 The double-sunk dial, large heavy hands, and large Arabic numerals are all features typical of railroad watches.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no single definition of "railroad watch". Railroads all issued their own timepiece specs and lists of approved timepieces. And those definitions changed over time.

See more Veritas examples here!