Henry Birks & Sons

[Frances]

My father has a Henry Birks & Sons Ltd. mechanical pocketwatch with a built-in alarm. The face appears to be ceramic and the body is gunmetal. The serial number is 1769938.

Does anyone know the age or history of this watch ?

[Frances]

My father has a Henry Birks & Sons Ltd. mechanical pocketwatch with a built-in alarm. The face appears to be ceramic and the body is gunmetal. The serial number is 1769938.

Does anyone know the age or history of this watch ?

[Mikrolisk]

Is this Henry Birks the same?

->
Founded in 1879, Henry Birks & Sons Inc. is Canada's premier retailer of
fine jewellery, timepieces and giftware. In addition, Birks offers a full
range of corporate gifts, estate jewellery, and gift and wedding registry
services. The company has 38 stores across Canada as well as six corporate
sales offices and offers catalogue and on-line shopping at http://www.birks.com.

Andreas

[doug sinclair]

Frances,

Welcome to the NAWCC Message Board!

Andreas' information about Birks is correct, except for the number of stores. As you can see, dating the watch based on the number of years Birks has been around is out of the question. If you can provide a picture of the watch face, and the insides (movement), we might be able to estimate the vintage. I suspect the gun metal case might place it somewhere during the years 1910 to 1945.

[Jeff Hess]

Hi,

This store produced (apparently) millions of private label watches over the years. (The store in Montreal is spectacualar by the way)

The majority of the versions I see are Longines watches and Longines made some nice quality alarm watches during that time period.

A picture would be a HUGE start in IDing your watch and if it is indeed a Longines, you have quite a collectable there!

Good luck! :smile: JPH

[Mikrolisk]

If your watch IS a Longines, it was made in 1902.

Andreas

[Kent]

To add a few years to the early side of the era of the gun metal case, here's a 1901 Ad (http://photos22.flickr.com/35322656_db42c67d58_b.jpg) them.

While we're on the subject of Henry Birks & Sons, are there any suggestions as to the manufacturer of This Example (http://photos25.flickr.com/35324873_abef726d92_o.jpg).

Thanks,

[Frances]

I've got some pictures now but I'm having trouble figuring out how to post them. Working on that now (any hints welcome !)
There were 3 screws to remove the backing which revealed a different serial number inside verus outside:
Mechanism 1768374
Case 1769938.

[doug sinclair]

Frances,

Check out the photo posting thread old ref::here and set up a free FLIKR account, and post your pictures. Don't be misled by the movement and case serial numbers being different. Birks didn't make their own watches, but bought them from watch brokers who in turn assembled them out of components that were "off the shelf."

[Frances]

Great thread ... Thanks. If that was as easy as it seems then here are the pictures:

http://photos29.flickr.com/35679724_8dbcf737b1.jpg

http://photos32.flickr.com/35679725_b41f62898e.jpg

http://photos22.flickr.com/35679726_edb4be09dc.jpg

[Jon Hanson]

Swiss alarm in gun metal

[doug sinclair]

Frances,

It would appear as though the alarm hand is set by turning the bezel or the crystal. My read on this is that the movement was originally designed as a small alarm clock, and is likely of the era of WW1. The movement would be considered a very ordinary grade for a watch, but a better grade for a clock, being jewelled, with a jewelled lever escapement.

As to the history of the watch, that would be a matter of pure speculation.

[Frances]

Thanks for your thoughts.

It's not in running condition. We were thinking of giving it as a gift but it looks like it would fall into the category of "worth keeping but not worth repairing".