This is a watch I inherited from my late grandfather. I believe it was from the 1940s or thereabouts — he served in the Army Corps of Engineers in WWII, and then worked as a highway engineer in Washington state.
The watchglass is missing, and a couple of hands have broken off. The mechanism is still kind of functional, in that when I wind it up it ticks away.
I post this on the off chance that anyone might know anything about it. It has sentimental meaning (I wore it when I got married!), and I’d also be interested in knowing where to take it for repair.
Also, it’s pretty and shiny.
Very pretty! It reminds me of those devices people used to use to tell time.
I actually have a very similar one that belonged to a great uncle. My grandmother was second-youngest of 10, and was born in 1901. The great uncle was older.
Elgin is a well-known and respected old watch maker. If you want to know more about it, unscrew the back plate and look for a serial number and any other markings. You can use Google to find sites which have listings of serial numbers which might give you an exact vintage as well as some notes about it. Also, check the inside of the back cover to see if there are any markings from service technicians.
Does it run? It looks like it’s missing the seconds and minutes hands.
Watches and the army: in WWI officers were issued with leather armbands designed to hold the watches so officers had their hands free. And so the wristwatch was born.
Keeping accurate track of time was important, for reasons that are obvious if you have seen the film Gallipoli.
The system just ate a comment. I will see if it re-emerges.
The dial is in very good shape, considering the glass is missing as is what I can see of the case..
Sorry, I missed the line where you talked about the missing hands and that it will tick.
As for repairs, I did a search for “mechanical watch repair minnesota” and got a few hits that would probably be worth investigating. Contact them with some pictures which includes one with the back off and they’ll probably be able to give you some sort of estimate on what it would cost to get it up to snuff.
Is that silvery attachment a little model wrench to commemorate his working as an engineer?
I have no idea how to open it up! There’s a seam, but no obvious place where I could pry it open — there are some scratch marks where it looks like somebody tried to open it. Maybe if I go in with a scalpel…
Yes, it’s a tiny adjustable wrench that actually works.
it doesn’t pry open, it unscrews. i just tried to unscrew my own elgin watch, which i haven’t used in years, and its back won’t unscrew either. i’m going to try some gentle heat from a hair dryer, and i’ll report back.
…i didn’t heat it for long, not wishing to damage it. it’s still not budging – the heat probably did not have enough time to penetrate far. i’ll keep it in my pocket for a couple of hours and maybe that will work.
One of my pocket watches screws and the other pries. WD-40 is your friend so you don’t scratch it further. That is to say, I grew up repairing any dang thing because that’s what my dad did and what he taught me, a man repairs his own things. But you know what?
With jewelry (and this is what our pocketwatches are) I find it better to just plain take it to the jeweler. (sorry, dad). My hands are just too big and my thick fingers are too clumsy. The best way I found (and unfortunately this is a big-city thing) is to visit several jewelers and find if they actually stock the front crystal for your watch. Don’t let them just say it put it in front of them and make them try. If they do, they can likely repair it instead of sending it out to another jeweler that actually can.
There’s a YouTube channel called Minnesota Clocks and Watches. One of the videos is Identifying Your American Pocket Watch, and it shows various ways that different pocket watches are opened. His website, minnesotawatches.com, lists repair people in Minnesota.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen a watch or clock face that has the hours from midnight to noon as roman numerals with the hours from noon to midnight in arabic numerals.
Repairs of this old watch is an investment!
Even if many were made, add the historical connection and it is probably quite valuable. It is the known history of the watch that really boosts the monetary value. But just the connection to your grandfather should make repairs a no-brainer.
If you can find the original missing dials, please have them reattached.
As Charlie noted, there are a number of channels about watches and restorations and stuff about, I’ve seen some videos. A quick search with the string “elgin watch restoration” shows several results.
I can only say that the picture brings back memories for me because it’s similar to the pocket watch my dad used for years to keep on schedule for the bus routes he drove. I don’t know what happened to that watch after he retired, but perhaps my brother inherited it.
I believe the “watch glass” as you call it is known as the crystal.
An old antique? As opposed to a new antique?
Help stomp out and eliminate redundancy!
Help stomp out and eliminate redundancy!
“When you open an Elgin pocket watch, you will understand why it is considered a work of art. But the important question to ask yourself is: How do you open an Elgin pocket watch? Follow these important steps:
Put the watch on a flat surface and hold the face of the watch between your thumb and forefinger. Then, use a screwdriver to unbolt the face gently from the body of the timepiece.
Find the small hinge at the top of the watch, slightly above the 12, and pull up the know at the top like you are setting the time. The knob will release the pin that holds everything in the watch together.
You can use your fingernail or a flat object to remove the entire face of the watch from the watch. Make sure you pull the face up towards the position of the hinge so that it will slip under the hinge that is holding it down.”
“Elgin pocket watches still remain the most sought-after watches for collectors.”
Cool info, thanks everyone. I think I’ll wait on hacking it open and take it to one of those repair shops — there seem to be a lot of them!
Don’t go after the back with anything that’s metal.
Pocket watches can open in many different ways. There is a video that shows how to open all the different kinds of watch cases.
When you’ve managed to open the case, write down the serial number from the movement (the mechanism), not the case.
Then you can use e.g. the pocket watch database to look it up and learn more about it.
The miniature monkey wrench is really adorable. Very fitting for an engineer.
Pocket watches can open in many different ways. There is a video that shows how to open all the different kinds of watch cases.
When you’ve managed to open the case, write down the serial number from the movement (the mechanism), not the case.
Then you can use e.g. the pocket watch database to look it up and learn more about it.
The miniature monkey wrench is really adorable. Very fitting for an engineer.
I inherited a Patek-Philippe pocket watch purchased by my grandfather in 1917 for $19. There is a local high-end jewelry store that sells that brand so I took it in to be evaluated. They had a Patek-Philippe representative look at it and give me an estimate. Unfortunately, it would have cost $1500 to fix up and would take 6 months (the work would be done in Switzerland).
You might be able to find an Elgin dealer that can check it out. Elgin started in the US so it shouldn’t be as crazy as Patek-Philippe.
The salesman did open the back of the watch to check it out. He used a cloth-like item with a high friction surface to open it. You can probably use something like a cheap jar opener gripping pad to do the same thing.
There’s an outstanding horologist here in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Draeb Jewlers (920) 743-4233 – George and his son run the shop and have done some spectacular (and quite fiddly) work for me.
I inherited what looks like a pocket watch, but when you open it it is a magnetic compass. My grandfather used it as an officer in the British army in Europe during WW1.
That’s a beautiful old Elgin. A reputable jeweler can restore it and replace the hands and bezel (glass). I wouldn’t fuss with it. Take it to a good shop and have them work on it. The tiny wrench is a watch fob ornament and has nothing to do with the watch itself.. Was your grandfather a mechanic or engineer? It might also signify membership in a union or fraternal lodge. Or it might have just been something special to him.
#11 said
Don’t think I’ve ever seen a watch or clock face that has the hours from midnight to noon as roman numerals with the hours from noon to midnight in arabic numerals.
Very elegant way to do a 24 hr clock as the separation is obvious as up to 12 the number of digits in Roman and Arabic are basically the same, 12 has one extra as XII.
However 24. etc, ie XXIV, is obviously more numerals. In the fog of war mistaking the time to attack as 1900 rather than 0700 is a recipe for lots is unnecessary casualties. This watch makes it very clear without colours that fade or are scratched off.
Disclaimer I’m not ex-military but have worked as a first responder, and missing the times up for a critical transfer has happened fairly regularly.
I’d love to know if the chain and attached tools are original as I’m guessing based on antique shows a restored watch in this condition if not common would be worth a bit. Some of the horologists valing a beaten up Rolex from 1965 at 65000 pounds have said its value would have 1/2’d if the manug=facuturor had used newer parts. The patina gave it gravitas.
Thanks #22 that answers my last question. Sorry I can’t remember the odd quoting format here.
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DO NOT pry it open. Take it to a jeweler and if they don’t do repairs on the premises, see if they send out their repairs.
My grandfather used to repair watches and jewelry. It is absurdly easy to damage a watch–the gears (movements) are tiny and thin and a watch is a precision instrument, so any bending or distortion of ANY of the parts will usually render it nonviable. My grandfather used tweezers to remove the watch parts–yes, they are that fragile. Also, if you pry it open, there is a good chance you will scratch or crack the bezel (the crystal).
It looks like a copper watch, and given the age, I’m wondering if there is some corrosion to the copper inside or if the dust of the years (or maybe the dried oil in the gears) is gumming up the works. A decent repair job should also clean and relubricate the interior of the watch as well. Or possibly the springs could have more or less lost their k constant (it is a windup watch) or possibly have corroded as well.
Hang on to memorabilia- human familial connections will become sparser.
See the diagram.
“Families will change dramatically over the years to come, says study”
https://phys.org/news/2024-01-families-years.html
The fact that it has 24 hour numerals suggests it might have been military issue. /it probably came with a full metal case the watch sat in. the minute and second hand should be fairly easy for a good watch repairer to source. So should a replacement watch glass. The fact that the mechanism still works when you wind it suggest it will still work when the hands ae replaced but it probably needs a good clean. You should be able to use google to find a reasonably local repairer.
Best (of many) YT channels for this: @WristwatchRevival
Send it to Marshall and see its restoration in detail later.
Best (of many) YT channels for this: @WristwatchRevival
Send it to Marshall and see its restoration in detail later.
Garydargan @ 28
That sounds like good news. The watch may last many more generations of the Myers clan!
It’s a very high quality Elgin and looks in great shape. @28 garydargan may be correct but I am more inclined to think it is a turn of the 20th C railway watch.
As others have suggested, DON’T TOUCH! Get a good watchmaker to look at it. With any luck, it will be in good working order after a cleaning and those repairs. Pity about the hands.
If I am correct, it is too old for you to get it certified for railway use.
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Ta I do xml, sql, C and Unix quoting. This fancified HTML stuff I’ve never done :)
I can’t recommend this place enough: https://www.caliberworkswatchrepair.com/
This is a one – woman shop specializing in antique watch repair in Minneapolis. She has consistently positive reviews on Google, and we’ve been there twice with old pocket watches. Her knowledge is extensive and the shop is full of cases with very old watches, which alone is a reason to go; she knows the history and significance of each one. Not to mention she’s as charming and friendly as humans get. Do look her up, I’m sure she can help.
That’s promising. Once the glaciers retreat and we can travel to the twin cities again I’ll check her out.