In this week's post I'm going to share an item that was given to me by my father. Here it is...
This is a small pocket watch that I thought he said belonged to my grandfather (which I may have gotten confused, more on that later) As you can see, it's an Elgin watch, made in Elgin, Illinois. They stopped making watches in the 1960s.
I was able to pop the case open, and this is what I found...
The "Supreme" marking and serial number are for the hunter's case, not the watch itself. It shows that the case is gold filled (solid gold cases were never guaranteed due to being soft) and was made by the Illinois Watch Case Company.
Now, lets look at the movement, shall we?
There we find the serial number which is the pot of gold in this story. You see, there is a website, pocketwatchdatabase.com, where you can enter in the serial number and maker and find out all sorts of info about a pocketwatch! I did so, and this came up...
Next, since I'm certainly no expert, I asked AI to break these facts down. In a nutshell, I found out..
Grade and Model: The watch is a Grade 308, Model 5, Class 104. The Grade 308 is a 17-jewel movement, which is a higher-end model for its time, offering better accuracy and durability due to the additional jewels reducing friction in the gear train. The Model 5 designation and Class 104 indicate specific design and production specifications within Elgin’s catalog.
Manufacturing Details: Made by the Elgin National Watch Co. in Elgin, Illinois, with the movement serial number 11655876. This serial number aligns with an estimated production year of 1905.
Production Run: A run quantity of 1,000 suggests this was a limited batch within the broader Grade 308 production, which totaled 25,000 units. Being the 14th of 19 runs indicates it’s part of a series with some variation over time.
Technical Specs: The movement is an 18-size, full-plate, pendant-set design with a gilt finish, openface configuration, and a quick train. It features a Moseley regulator, Breguet hairspring, and is adjusted to temperature, indicating it was finely tuned for consistent performance across different conditions. The 17 jewels are screw-set, a sign of quality craftsmanship.
Patents and Adjustments: The U.S. patents (77078, 347272, 345619) and the "Adjusted: Yes" and "Adjusted to Temperature: Yes" markings confirm it was a precision movement, though it’s not a railroad grade, meaning it wasn’t specifically designed for the strict standards of railroad use.
Case and Dial: The case is listed as "Various," which fits with the gold-filled "Supreme" case with a 10-year guarantee. The single-sunk dial type matches the subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock.
So, now I know that it's 120 years old and that it was a high end, fairly rare watch. I registered it with the website and apparently out of those 1000 watches only seven have now made it there. Also, that manufacture date of 1905 is interesting. Why? Because my grandfather was born in 1910. That's why I said I might be confused. Could this have been my great grandfather's watch? Possibly, but I'll likely never know for sure, since my dad passed away in 2008, so I can't ask him.
The watch isn't working, and in fact if you look closely at the gears, you'll note one is just sitting there, not attatched to anything. This type watch apparently sells for 150.00 to 400.00 not working, but 500.00 to 800.00 working. AI said that it typically costs 100.00 to 300.00, plus parts, to fix one, so it seems like it would be worth it. Of course, that's still a pretty good chunk of change, and I'll have to find someone who specializes in antique pocket watches. But I think I'll eventually do it.
It will be a nice thing to hand down to my daughter, even if I'm not exactly sure whose watch it was.
Until next time, keep searching for treasure!