Elgin Father Time 16 size Railroad Grade Pocket Watch
Antique Elgin Pocket Watches
Antique Elgin Pocket Watches for Collectors and Investors + the History of Elgin Antique Pocket watches.
History:
The Elgin National Watch Company was founded in 1864 by J.C.Adams a Chicago watchmaker in partnership with former associates of the ‘Waltham Watch Company’ and is most commonly known as simply ‘Elgin Watch Company’.
Elgin Watch Company set up it’s first factory in 1866 in Elgin, Illinois on 35 acres of land donated by the City, and the first watch movement produced by the Elgin factory was a ‘B.W.Raymond, 18 size, full plate design.
During World War II the Elgin Watch Company manufactured bombsights and other precision military instruments for the defence industry but in 1964 the Elgin Watch Companies factory in Elgin closed, having produced half of the pocket watches in the U.S.A. in it’s life time.
The Elgin Watch Company produced pocket watches under the names of Elgin and Lord Elgin, later the company relocated to Columbia, South Carolina and renamed to Elgin, South Carolina.
The rights to the name "Elgin" were sold to MZ Berger, but Elgin-branded watches produced after 1964 have no other connection to Elgin or the Elgin Watch Company.
Antique Elgin Pocket Watches
The Elgin Watch company produced many handsome pocket watches in a wide variety of styles including: hunter style, open face and railroad grade pocket watches. The hunter style pocket watch comes with a lid that opens with a click, open face type Elgin pocket watches have no lid covering the glass dial covering and railroad grade pocket watches are also open faced but are also lever set providing an increased level of accuracy. Elgin pocket watches were an extremely popular make in their time and these days Elgin antique pocket watches remain a firm favourite amongst the worlds dedicated watch collectors
Antique Elgin Pocket Watches
A personal favorite from my own collection is this 18 size Elgin B.W. Raymond movement housed in a 14K gold box hinged hunters case. This antique Elgin pocket watch features a variety of leaf and flower designs, vermacilli, circular engine turnings and an initialled shield centers the front cover. The back of the cover features an extremely detailed village scene and each cover tapers on a classic polished ring ending in a raised pie crust lip.
The case is signed "Warranted 14K - U.S. Assay - B.W.C.Co. - 678418." The Brooklyn WatchCase Company was a large case manufacture that was well respected for their large, heavy gold cases. This case is an excellent example of their work.
This antique Elgin pocket watch measures 56mm (2 3/16") wide X 85mm (3 1/4") from the top of the bow to the base of the case X 18mm (3/4") thick. Total weight of the piece is a super heavy 5.6 ounces (159 grams).
The front cover on this antique Elgin pocket watch opens to reveal a beautiful double sunk, white porcelain dial which is marked with black Roman hour chapters. Blue, fluer-de-lis pointers center the dial and are bright and clean. The dial is stark white and clean and features an 18 size, 15 Jewel, B.W. Raymond grade 27, nickel, full plate, stem wind and lever set movement. And all in all it is an excellent example of the sort of quality pocket watches that Elgin produced.
When I was at the library the other day, I picked up a book about Antique Elgin Pocket Watches, it is so cool the history around this watch because of it being made to be carried in a pocket, most were developed in the 16th century and made popular in the 19th Century.
ReplyDeleteThis is great information on Elgin pocket watches. I actually have an elgin, among others, and I love it! Thanks for the memories.
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ReplyDeleteAntique Elgin Pocket Watches
Elgin and Waltham,were always in competion with each other when waltham came out with their impressive 92 model,Elgin knew that they had to come up with something as good if not better.Thus came the model #8, 3/4 plate movement.Then waltham bested Elgin again, they put a power reserve indicator on their 92 model movement.So Elgin had to put a power reserve on their best model,but what Elgin did that in my opinion won the race,was to incorporate a planetary gearing system on their reserve indicators a system that Waltham also adopted a few years later.
ReplyDeleteYour website has really helped me in gathering the information I needed... I like antique elgin pocket watches. thanks for video.
ReplyDeleteI really adore antique stuffs, and its great to know that there were still existing things like this.This antique Elgin pocket watch features a variety of leaf and flower designs, vermacilli, circular engine turnings and an initialled shield centers the front cover.
ReplyDeleteI have an old "Beaume et Mercier" pocket watch more that 100 years old, in gold and platinium, 18 jewels, very thin, that I am considering to sale via an Auction of Pocket Warches.
ReplyDeleteIf you give me your E-Mail I´ll send some photographs.
Look forward your comments. Thanks & regards = F. Sáenz de Tejada
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