show us your old,vintage or pocket watches.

[Kyrasym 1]

here's mine!

[kire612002 0]

Tissot chronograph from the end 30′s. Movement is Lemania/Tissot/Omega cal. 15TL/33.3

 

 

 

[OLDBLOKE74 6,815]

[Robin195959 2]

Some beauties there peeps. Great box full from old bloke. Any individual close ups?

 

here's mine!

 

Love it.

[Sbybbuser 0]

1962-63 Heuer Autavia

 

 

 

 

[Robin195959 2]

Tissot chronograph from the end 30′s. Movement is Lemania/Tissot/Omega cal. 15TL/33.3

 

 

 

 

A well used beauty that.

[Robin195959 2]

Great watch vying for the motor racing paddock cool prize in the sixties with Daytona

[Aren 27]

WOW...you guys have been holding back. Fantastic watches.

These are all stunning :cheerleader2:

The Rolex, Tissot, and Heuer and all of OldBlokes watches are gorgeous.

 

My next post will be shameful

 

Great watches gents and thanks for posting!

[Kcore 0]

Robin, the thread's new name is perfect, Good Job! -

Great to see some new posts of vintage pieces with pics. A lot of neat PW and WW our members have tucked away.

 

Come on everyone, break out your secret stash of wonderful oldies & show 'em off!

 

If things go right, I'm hoping to have a new acquisition soon. I'm in negotiations for a real beauty from the mid- 1950s. Wish me luck all

[Robin195959 2]

Good luck with the acquisition Eric. Here's my second oldest watch, an American beauty especially for you and Aren a 1930's(I think) white gold filled Waltham with some nice engraving and cobalt blue hands on a painted dial.

 

[Aren 27]

That Waltham is beautiful Robin. I would be curious if that is a Radium dial, now that I know a bit more about them.

 

I like Walthams and probably need to aim at working on Walthams more than Elgins.

The Walthams (and Hamiltons) have friction fit balance staffs.

I pass on watches with balance staff issues because I don't have a lathe and can't replace them.

With the friction fit, you can install a new staff without the need for a lathe. The only tools needed are a staking set.

 

All the best with your new purchase Kcore...can't wait to see what you are getting.

 

The watch I am going to post below has a damaged balance staff, and I doubt I will be able to fix it. Even so, unbelievable to me, it runs and actually keeps accurate time. I don't know how that is possible.

 

Here is an Aristocrat Railroad Special.

 

Trust me, these watches never saw a Railroad unless it was in a passengers pocket, and they are anything but "Special".

 

These watches are the absolute cheapies of the pocket watche world. These watches were so cheaply made it was cheaper to purchase a new one than repair a broken one. For that reason, they are referred to as "Dollar Watches." The funny thing about these mass produced cheapies is that most where tossed in the bin when they stopped running or keeping time, so not as many remain as we would imagine.

Of those remaining, finding an actual running one is more of a rarity.

 

 

This watch has some unusual characteristics. It has an light amber dial. It has a hard (plastic ?) dial cover that will compress up and down when touched because it is loose. This is a problem since this is a pop off case back and even slightly too much pressure removing or replacing the case back would easily break the domed crystal. I can hardly bring myself to call this a crystal since it isn't a crystal at all. This Aristocrat is missing the bow, and I don't know if I will find one to replace it. It looks like the ring from a dog license would fit it.

 

 

 

This watch was manufactured by The E Ingraham Co of Bristol Conn. USA. The little number under the movement makers engraving is 51. That means this watch was made in 1951. Nothing sophisticated there. Surprisingly, the watch has very little rust and not surprisingly appears to not have been serviced. If it was serviced, the usual interior case markings were not made.

 

 

I haven't had time to take this apart, and I am almost afraid to. If you can see the balance wheel you will notice the wheel is about 20 degrees lopsided. Because it is so out of true, I don't know how it keeps accurate time. It is also incredibly noisy. The ticking sounds like an old, loud clock and you can hear the rocking of the wobbling balance wheel. Unlike the Waltham watches, this isn't going to be a friction fit balance staff and I may have to leave this problem alone.

 

After posting this mocking bird of a pocket watch , I will need to post my 1951 Longines for a real comparison from the worst to (among) the best.

 

Thank you for looking.

Please keep sharing your watches. TIA

 

[Kcore 0]

Thanks Robin!

Your Waltham is sure a beauty. If you're comfortable with popping open the caseback, i'd love to see the movt, serial# and any markings.

[Robin195959 2]

I'll have a go at opening it tomorrow and post pics if successful.

 

How can we check if it's a radium dial Aren?

[Robin195959 2]

That Waltham is beautiful Robin. I would be curious if that is a Radium dial, now that I know a bit more about them.

 

I like Walthams and probably need to aim at working on Walthams more than Elgins.

The Walthams (and Hamiltons) have friction fit balance staffs.

I pass on watches with balance staff issues because I don't have a lathe and can't replace them.

With the friction fit, you can install a new staff without the need for a lathe. The only tools needed are a staking set.

 

All the best with your new purchase Kcore...can't wait to see what you are getting.

 

The watch I am going to post below has a damaged balance staff, and I doubt I will be able to fix it. Even so, unbelievable to me, it runs and actually keeps accurate time. I don't know how that is possible.

 

Here is an Aristocrat Railroad Special.

 

Trust me, these watches never saw a Railroad unless it was in a passengers pocket, and they are anything but "Special".

 

These watches are the absolute cheapies of the pocket watche world. These watches were so cheaply made it was cheaper to purchase a new one than repair a broken one. For that reason, they are referred to as "Dollar Watches." The funny thing about these mass produced cheapies is that most where tossed in the bin when they stopped running or keeping time, so not as many remain as we would imagine.

Of those remaining, finding an actual running one is more of a rarity.

 

 

This watch has some unusual characteristics. It has an light amber dial. It has a hard (plastic ?) dial cover that will compress up and down when touched because it is loose. This is a problem since this is a pop off case back and even slightly too much pressure removing or replacing the case back would easily break the domed crystal. I can hardly bring myself to call this a crystal since it isn't a crystal at all. This Aristocrat is missing the bow, and I don't know if I will find one to replace it. It looks like the ring from a dog license would fit it.

 

 

 

This watch was manufactured by The E Ingraham Co of Bristol Conn. USA. The little number under the movement makers engraving is 51. That means this watch was made in 1951. Nothing sophisticated there. Surprisingly, the watch has very little rust and not surprisingly appears to not have been serviced. If it was serviced, the usual interior case markings were not made.

 

 

I haven't had time to take this apart, and I am almost afraid to. If you can see the balance wheel you will notice the wheel is about 20 degrees lopsided. Because it is so out of true, I don't know how it keeps accurate time. It is also incredibly noisy. The ticking sounds like an old, loud clock and you can hear the rocking of the wobbling balance wheel. Unlike the Waltham watches, this isn't going to be a friction fit balance staff and I may have to leave this problem alone.

 

After posting this mocking bird of a pocket watch , I will need to post my 1951 Longines for a real comparison from the worst to (among) the best.

 

Thank you for looking.

Please keep sharing your watches. TIA

 

 

Interesting that these were still mass produced as late as the fifties isn't it.

 

ps Enjoying the PW collection Aren.

[Aren 27]

I'll have a go at opening it tomorrow and post pics if successful.

 

How can we check if it's a radium dial Aren?

You could look at the serial number and see if there was info on it, or

another possibility is to look for a similar model on ebay.

You could see if you can detect a faint lume...very faint.

Look with a magnifying glass to see if you see the interior of the numbers are painted with a soft metallic looking paint (not reliable tho)

For me, I use a monitor, but most people don't have them.

 

Edit...check if it is a Radium watch before you remove the case back. PM

NAWCC says the only way to tell is with a geiger counter (radiation metre/monitor)

[plankton 1]

[Robin195959 2]

Nice selection Plankton. The Burlington has a really interesting dial.

 

What is the smaller piece laying down in the pic?

[digger2 0]

I have some too, the gold watch is from my great grandfather

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Robin195959 2]

They are great Digger. Love the Seiko too.

[Robin195959 2]

I'll have a go at opening it tomorrow and post pics if successful.

 

How can we check if it's a radium dial Aren?

You could look at the serial number and see if there was info on it, or

another possibility is to look for a similar model on ebay.

You could see if you can detect a faint lume...very faint.

Look with a magnifying glass to see if you see the interior of the numbers are painted with a soft metallic looking paint (not reliable tho)

For me, I use a monitor, but most people don't have them.

 

Edit...check if it is a Radium watch before you remove the case back. PM

NAWCC says the only way to tell is with a geiger counter (radiation metre/monitor)

 

Popped the back safely and separately from the front. So here goes. Pics not great. Aren, Eric can you glean anything from the numbers?

[Aren 27]

Plankton...beautiful watches !

 

Oh Digger, I was hoping you would post your pocket watches. I remember admiring your old thread.

Didn't know you had the vintage Seiko....Nice.

 

The watches are beautiful gents.

Thank you for sharing.

[Aren 27]

Robin, I think you can look at the link below.

I don't think these numbers apply only to pocket watches, but you can check

http://www.pocketwatchrepair.com/histories/waltham.html

If so, it appears your watch was manufactured in 1926.

 

Looks like a nice movement. Waltham produced rectangular watches with a 750b movement, but your watch would pre-date those and on those movements, the "b" is clearly marked like images on this thread:

http://www.vintagehamilton.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=4122

 

[Robin195959 2]

Robin, I think you can look at the link below.

I don't think these numbers apply only to pocket watches, but you can check

http://www.pocketwatchrepair.com/histories/waltham.html

If so, it appears your watch was manufactured in 1926.

 

Looks like a nice movement. Waltham produced rectangular watches with a 750b movement, but your watch would pre-date those and on those movements, the "b" is clearly marked like images on this thread:

http://www.vintagehamilton.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=4122

 

 

Thanks for the link Aren. So 1926? Older than I thought. It's nice to have that history on your wrist.

 

Not many people appreciate the contribution the American companies made to standardisation of parts and automation in the watch industry. The influence on machine tools spread into general engineering.

[Aren 27]

Robin, I think you can look at the link below.

I don't think these numbers apply only to pocket watches, but you can check

http://www.pocketwat...es/waltham.html

If so, it appears your watch was manufactured in 1926.

 

Looks like a nice movement. Waltham produced rectangular watches with a 750b movement, but your watch would pre-date those and on those movements, the "b" is clearly marked like images on this thread:

http://www.vintageha...f=35&t=4122

 

 

Thanks for the link Aren. So 1926? Older than I thought. It's nice to have that history on your wrist.

 

Not many people appreciate the contribution the American companies made to standardisation of parts and automation in the watch industry. The influence on machine tools spread into general engineering.

 

You were incredibly close on dating your watch.

I only study pocket watches lately, and it looks like I could probably do that for the rest of my life and still be a noob.

I will be posting my Longines triple signed 10 Grand Prix PW next, but hope others will post more watches in the meantime.

I had a Hampden, but I don't now. I like variety since it broadens my frame of reference and scope of my study.

The Longines is the last of my pocket watches, except for my father's, which I can't get to ATM.

 

I want a Hamilton Railroad quality PW, but I don't have one yet. I also like the Omega's and Zenith's but have neither.

I aim to get a Hamilton Railroad PW sometime soon, and want one in really good condition.

As you can tell, I have plenty of watches to work on - needing service or parts for now.

 

[Kcore 0]

 

 

Popped the back safely and separately from the front. So here goes. Pics not great. Aren, Eric can you glean anything from the numbers?

 

Robin, using the movt. serial number from your photo, 26012077, I was able to obtain the following information from the NAWCC's Gray Book and Waltham handwritten ledgers:

 

Records show the Model is: 1907, which had serial numbers from 25998001 - 26018000. My understanding is Waltham model #s generally correspond with the year the watch was first manufactured.

Material Grade: "U" - No. 361 ( See NOTE)

Size: 3/0 ("Lancashire Gauge system" )

Jewels: 7

Balance: Breguet Spring

Material Note: "U" stands for "Unadjusted." These include most 7-15 jewel watches. These are usually not adjusted for positions or temperature (other than that provided by the bi-metallic compensation balance). Timing screws are brass and there are usually no mean-time screws. A "U"-grade balance staff has no oil grooves and the coarsest pivots. Wheel pivots are the coarsest used in the model.