Elgin Dial replacement question

[John C.Smith]

Hi all, I purchased a 16 size Elgin pocketwatch yesterday at a local antiques show. It has a Sterling hunter case made by Crescent Watch Case Co, and the movement is an 7 jewel Elgin grade 210 made in 1899. It has a fancy dial on it, that I believe to be original to the watch, but it is damaged. My question is whether I should try to find a dial to replace the damaged one or not. I don't really believe in switching parts around, but it really is a nice watch aside from the dial. Anyone care to comment? Many thanks,

John C. Smith
NAWCC #0163824

[John C.Smith]

Hi all, I purchased a 16 size Elgin pocketwatch yesterday at a local antiques show. It has a Sterling hunter case made by Crescent Watch Case Co, and the movement is an 7 jewel Elgin grade 210 made in 1899. It has a fancy dial on it, that I believe to be original to the watch, but it is damaged. My question is whether I should try to find a dial to replace the damaged one or not. I don't really believe in switching parts around, but it really is a nice watch aside from the dial. Anyone care to comment? Many thanks,

John C. Smith
NAWCC #0163824

[Kent]

Is the dial damaged beyond repair?

A 7-jewel watch would only have a single-sunk dial. Ordinary 16-size Arabic and Roman Elgin dials are fairly easy to get. You should have no trouble finding one. A fancy dial would be quite a bit harder to come by.

Take a look at turn-of-the-century Elgin ads to see what the dial ought to look like:
<span class="ev_code_brown">www.elginwatches.org/scans/elgin_ads/m_index.html</span>

<span class="ev_code_blue">To view, go to the </span><span class="ev_code_brown">Elgin Watch Collectors Site Home Page</span> <span class="ev_code_blue">at</span> <span class="ev_code_brown">elginwatches.com</span>, <span class="ev_code_blue">then copy and paste the address in your browser's address bar and click on </span>'Go'.

Good luck,

[Jon Hanson]

Tough to match exactly your fancy dial--but why not show it here for us to view?

[John C.Smith]

Kent, I have to disagree with you on that point. Many different types of dials were available from the factory, besides the standard dials. This, coupled with the fact that the jeweler or watchmaker would have ordered the movement and type of dial that the customer picked out from the catalogs, there would be any combination of jewels and dial types that are possible. This dial is original to the watch. Thanks,

John

[John C.Smith]

Jon, I know it would be a stretch to try to find an exact replacement, but I hope to find one as close as possible. I have taken a picture of the dial, and please excuse the quality, as I have a new camera, and haven't quite gotten used to it yet.
fancy elgin dial (http://members.aol.com/hd50el/dial2.jpg)
Thanks,

John C. Smith
NAWCC #0163824

[Kent]

John:

I'm sorry about the misunderstanding. I was merely trying to point out that it would be relatively easy to come up with a dial that would be correct for the movement. Of course if you like the fancy dial and want an identical, or near identical, replacement, you can certainly do that.

[John C.Smith]

Kent, sorry for the misunderstanding. I already have many original Elgin Dials of all the common styles, but I want to keep this watch as close to original as possible. The worst part is the fact that someone failed to take better care of what was a very nice and attractive watch. It makes me sad when I see a nice original watch that has been abused. Thanks,

John

[HenryB]

John:
The chips are not that big, and I will refer you to this link down in the repair section of this board.
old ref::http://nawcc-mb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/43160...286067684#9286067684

Pay close attention to the post on the Marine Tex. It will fix up those little chips, certainly so it is a lot better than what your looking at now.

The hairlines, a lot of guys swear by the Comet
Bathroom Cleaner (With no Bleach).

Practice on an less valuable dial first till you get the hang of it.

At this point you got nothing too lose.

[Don Dahlberg]

There are many people who just collect fancy dials. They often buy a watch, remove the dial and dispose of the watch. This makes finding a fancy dial in good shape very expensive. They are easy to find it you know one of these collectors, but you will pay dearly for it.

Don

[Jon Hanson]

Hi,

This one is not particularly a rare style of fancy dial and Elgin fancy dials are the most common--in my opinion this one can be found, but at what price if already on another watch?

[John C.Smith]

Jon, I would not buy a complete watch just to remove the dial to use on another watch. I would rather find just a dial, NOS or otherwise, but if I can't find a fancy dial, I will probably use one of the loose standard dials that I have in my parts collection. I have already cleaned and oiled the movement, and I am ready to put the watch back together. My search continues......

[Jon Hanson]

I understand and applaud you for not switch another watch.

I have owned many of these in this pattern which come in various color schemes.