Identification Help

[Kent]

Hi Rae:

Welcome to the NAWCC Pocket Watch Message Board!

The link you posted didn't work.

Larry Jones has written up a useful article on Image Posting (http://www.larjones.com/data/imagehelp.html), which may be helpful.

Currently, Tom Chaudoir, the NAWCC Message Board Administrator, is recommending that those who do not have web space in which to place pictures register for a free account at flickr.com (http://flickr.com/register.gne). Their menu-driven procedure for loading pictures is about as easy as it gets. Once you enlarge the picture, using flickr's magnifying glass icon, scroll down below the picture to find the field labeled "1. Grab the photo's URL:" The link in that field is the one to post on the NAWCC Pocket Watch Message Board.

If you have a problem posting the picture(s), you can attach it (them) to an e-mail to me (you can get my email address by clicking on my name in the upper left-hand corner of this post and viewing my Public Profile) and I'll post it (them) for you.

Good luck,

[Kent]

Rae:

I'm a bit weak on keywind watches. However, this one looks Swiss to me. Swiss watch manufacture was made up of a large number of small shops. Many would buy movements in the rough (known as ebauches) from factories who mass-produced them, and finish the movements to the grade (quality) contracted for by the distributor/exporter. The distributor/exporter would probably have specified the name on the movement and/or dial to meet a retailer's requirement. The result is that there are a large number of generic Swiss watches whose origins may never be fully known. Don Dahlberg has written a old ref::Good Description of the process. Also, Dr. Roland Ranfft has an online description about European watch manufacture and dates, entitled Date and Origin of a Watch (http://www.ranfft.de/uhr/info-e.htm#D1).

[Kent]

Rae: You're welcome!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">... I now realise must be the most common question asked. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Well, if not the most common question, its a close second. That's why there was a "canned" answer for it.

[rrwatch]

A little additional information about your case. The "Fine Silver" marking indicates that your case is 99.5% silver, with 0.5% being other metals. For comparison, Sterling silver is 92.5% silver (.925 fine) and coin silver varies from 80.0% to 90.0% silver depending on where and when the case was made. American made cases are always 90.0% silver (or .900 fine). Most Swiss cases are .800 fine, but some European silver can also be .850, .875 or .900.