elgin

[bash]

Sorry Im new to watches and my dad just gave me a few to get started. I have a elgin serial# 341831 could you give me any info on this? I would appreciate it greatly. Thanks

[bash]

Sorry Im new to watches and my dad just gave me a few to get started. I have a elgin serial# 341831 could you give me any info on this? I would appreciate it greatly. Thanks

[Kent]

Hi bash:

The Elgin National Watch Co. was the biggest American watch company in terms of jeweled movements produced, over 50,000,000 in its approximately 100 years of building watches from 1866 to the 1960s. Wayne Schlitt has a great web site devoted to Elgin watches at <span class="ev_code_brown">elginwatches.com</span>. Also, an early article on the company, The National Watch Company by S. W. Robinson, J. of the Franklin Institute, 1869 (http://photos14.flickr.com/16926791_a7d5497b8b_o.jpg), originally from Greg Frauenhoff's website can be viewed.

Basic information about an Elgin watch, including its approximate date of manufacture, can be obtained by using the serial number on the movement (the "works"), not the case, to look the watch up on Wayne Schlitt's Elgin watch web site at <span class="ev_code_brown">elginwatches.com</span>. Choose "Elgin Databases" on the left-hand side of the page and then "Serial Number Lookup." Be sure to type in the serial number without any spaces or commas. If you enter a space and then "v=13" after the serial number, notes on surviving examples will be included in the ensuing report. These were as reported to Wayne, or as he found them on them internet. After you look up your watch, choose "Watch Codes" from the menu in the left-hand side of the page, that's where the abbreviations are explained. There is a lot of other good information on the site on Elgin watches and on pocket watches in general. Its well worth a couple of hours to go through different sections.

Oldwatch.com's Elgin Production Date Table (http://www.oldwatch.com/elgindate.html), or the PocketWatchSite's Elgin Date Table (http://www.pocketwatchsite.com/elginserials.html) also provide a means for determining the approximate production date. In general, we think of serial number lists (not just for Elgin, but for other watch manufacturers as well) to only be accurate within a year or two at best, and recognize that there are numerous exceptions wherein which the dates may be off as much as 3 years or more.

Catalog Information for quite a few Elgin watches can be seen online in scans from the:

1887 (Updated to 1889) S.F. Myers Catalog at:
<span class="ev_code_brown">www.elginwatches.com/scans/sales_catalogs/1887_S_F_Myers/m_index.html</span>

1896 Marshall Field Jewelry Catalog at:
<span class="ev_code_brown">www.elginwatches.com/scans/sales_catalogs/1896_Marshall_Field/m_index.html</span>

1903 Oy Company Catalog at:
<span class="ev_code_brown">www.elginwatches.com/scans/sales_catalogs/1903_Oy_Company/m_index.html</span>

1917 Oskamp-Nolting Catalog at:
<span class="ev_code_brown">www.elginwatches.com/scans/sales_catalogs/1917_Oskamp-Nolting/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,