Puchase a pocket watch from Good Will

[COOKS68]

Hello,

I need some help on what to do about this pocketwatch I puchased for $10.00. Two watch repair shops would not open it for me so where should I take it to have a look inside? I'll send photos if anyone is interested.

It's an ELGIN Nickel or possible S/S with the railroad train embossed or engraved on back. Another piece of information is the second hand is between the 2and4 w/ large black Arabic numbers. It's NOT working but has very nice engraving on the handle front and back.

Looks can be deceiving especially when you don't have a clue. It looks pretty old?
Any information about his watch would greatly be appreciated.

Cooks68

[COOKS68]

Hello,

I need some help on what to do about this pocketwatch I puchased for $10.00. Two watch repair shops would not open it for me so where should I take it to have a look inside? I'll send photos if anyone is interested.

It's an ELGIN Nickel or possible S/S with the railroad train embossed or engraved on back. Another piece of information is the second hand is between the 2and4 w/ large black Arabic numbers. It's NOT working but has very nice engraving on the handle front and back.

Looks can be deceiving especially when you don't have a clue. It looks pretty old?
Any information about his watch would greatly be appreciated.

Cooks68

[John F]

You can open it yourself to take a look inside - there are some very helpful instructions, courtesy of Kent Singer, at this link:
http://www.knology.net/~ksinger/opencase.txt

From your description, it sounds like it has a "conversion" dial - that is, it's a "hunter" movement (made for the kind of case that has a cover which closes over the face, with the winding pendant at the 3 o'clock position). When a hunter movement is placed in an "open face" case, it's sometimes referred to as a "sidewinder," but the dial could also be replaced with one that would put the winding pendant at the 12 o'clock posiiton, but by rotating the watch 90 degrees like this, the seconds hand winds up at the 3 o'clock position instead of at 6 o'clock.

Once you've opened it and can get the serial number (and any other info) off the movement, it will be possible to determine just what your $10 got you! A picture would be helpful, as well.

[COOKS68]

I'll try to open it today. I'll send more information once I open it photos included. Thks! Cooks68

[RL]

Cooks,
What was the repair shops reason for not opening it for you??

[COOKS68]

The two different people working at the repair shop didn't want to open it?? They ask that I return when the owner was present. They seem to be qualified but didn't want to touch it. I still haven't open it. I tried but it won't open without force. I'll check around this week hopefully I'll find someone to open it.

Cooks68

[Kent]

Hi Cooks68:

Welcome to the NAWCC Pocket Watch Message Board!

Your watch sounds like it has a screw back & bezel replacement case. If it is a screw back and bezel case, the back of which is hard to unscrew, a rubber pad (such as is found in the kitchen for opening jars) can be used to get a better grip upon the back. First, hold the watch dial down in your left hand, With the Pendant/Crown/Bow Against Your Thumb (http://static.flickr.com/28/41613119_4b6f2c9c3f_o.jpg). Then, place the rubber pad on the back of the watch, press down with the heel of your thumb and Unscrew Counter-Clockwise (http://static.flickr.com/23/41613120_53064a849c_o.jpg)).

Since the seconds dial is in the 3 o'clock position, it identifies the movement as being a hunting-case movement. When a movement designed to go in a hunting-case (one with a metal lid or cover over the crystal) is placed in an open-face case, the winding stem ends up at the 3 o’clock position. Such combinations are frequently referred to as a “Sidewinder.” As hunting-case watches fell out of favor during the early part of the twentieth century, hunting-case movements, some of them of quite high quality, were offered to dealers at substantial discounts to clear them out of inventory. Dealers placed these in open-face cases in order to sell the high grade watches at attractive prices. Many other sidewinders were created during the depression, and much later during the 1980’s, when gold hunting-cases were scrapped out for the value of the gold, the movements being recased into inexpensive cases. Still other sidewinders were, and continue to be, created by watch collectors and dealers who stripped lower grade movements out of hunting-cases in order to use the cases to house higher grade movements.

Good luck opening your watch,

[COOKS68]

Thanks! I will post pictures once I get the thing open.

V/r Cooks68