1857 Stemwind

[Tim Clarke]

I was recently excited to be able to purchased what I though was a stemwind 1857 model Appleton Tracy #499383 on ebay. As I would very much like one of these for my collection of early American keywinds, I failed to research the #s and ask the questions I probably should have before bidding.
What I got was the top plate, balance cock and barrel bridge with one serial # mounted on a nicely jeweled pillar plate which was once a 3 post,pillar plate with stem wind mechanism converted to have 4 pillars and fit the older top plate.
My questions are 1. Is this just a well executed cabbage job or has omeone seen this before?
2. With all the disscussion on switching is there any point to using one of my parts watches to take the movement back to what it was supposed to be even though I won't have matching #'s or is it just now suitable to be relegated to the parts bin?

Opinions greatly appreciated.
Regards

[Tim Clarke]

I was recently excited to be able to purchased what I though was a stemwind 1857 model Appleton Tracy #499383 on ebay. As I would very much like one of these for my collection of early American keywinds, I failed to research the #s and ask the questions I probably should have before bidding.
What I got was the top plate, balance cock and barrel bridge with one serial # mounted on a nicely jeweled pillar plate which was once a 3 post,pillar plate with stem wind mechanism converted to have 4 pillars and fit the older top plate.
My questions are 1. Is this just a well executed cabbage job or has omeone seen this before?
2. With all the disscussion on switching is there any point to using one of my parts watches to take the movement back to what it was supposed to be even though I won't have matching #'s or is it just now suitable to be relegated to the parts bin?

Opinions greatly appreciated.
Regards

[Tom Huber]

Tim, I have a model 57 stemwind. The setting lever is unique. It does not pull out like a newer model setting lever. If I'm describing it right? It moves out on a pivot and lifts about 45 degrees. Is your setting lever like that. If your setting lever pulls straight up, it could be an Abbots stemwind conversion.

Tom

[Tim Clarke]

Hi Tom, If 'm not mistaken about the model I believe the pillar plate is from an 1877 stem wind model re-drilled to adjust the pillar configuration to match the 1857 top plate. On further inspection the barrel arbor had to be moved slightly in the barrel bridge to accomodate it's position in the pillar plate. I'm of the opinion that someone with reasonable skill and no soul has cabbaged my old key wind.
I have a very nice 1870 model with a properly installed abbots conversion.But this one is not an Abbotts.

Thanks for your feed back.
Regards

[Tom Huber]

Hi Tim, Wow, what a watch. Just an assumption--what if this was a student watch? Students in many watchmaking schools had to complete some kind of a special project to graduate. You said it looked professionally done. Maybe the student was given the parts and instructed to make a working watch. Who knows?

Tom