Zero size rockfords

[Veritas]

I happen today to come across a zero sz Rockford.It is all intact, some damage on dial and wish i had a case for it.Are these verry rare? I dont see many around here.
Thanks.

[Veritas]

I happen today to come across a zero sz Rockford.It is all intact, some damage on dial and wish i had a case for it.Are these verry rare? I dont see many around here.
Thanks.

[HenryB]

About 32,500 Total zero size movements made (up to serial number 824,000)in 11 grades.
Grade 160 and 162 accounted for 21,400 of the total.

[Veritas]

Thanks Henry, i guess that explains why they are not seen often.

[Tom McIntyre]

The higher grades of little Rockfords are very nice. Here is an Iroquois (http://www.awco.org/SmallWonders/Rockford/Iroquois/iroquois.htm) from my collection.
http://www.awco.org/SmallWonders/Rockford/Iroquois/movement_small.jpg (http://www.awco.org/SmallWonders/Rockford/Iroquois/movement.jpg)

[HenryB]

Tom- Very nice looking zero size watch.

Come to think of it-when looking for a zero size comparable to the quality of that Rockford, where would one look ?

Hampdens - no zero size produced
Illinois - no zero size produced
Hamilton - about 10,000 zero size produced

No sure at all about the "big boys" Elgin or Waltham.

[Tom McIntyre]

The Rockford is pretty, but Elgin, Waltham and Hamilton all made much better watches in 0 size with full gold trains and fully adjusted to temperature and 5 positions. The Waltham Riverside Maximus zeros and the Elgin grade 201 and 205 were the same finish as the Riv Max. Hamilton's 985 is wonderful gold train bridge model.

The Illinois grade 204 is equivalent to the Rockford and maybe a little nicer looking.

High grade ladies watches are an interesting sub genre of watch collecting. It is also relatively competition free at the moment.

In my opinion the best of all of them is the Waltham American Watch Co. grade 00 size.

http://www.awco.org/AWCo/Small/OMmodel/00A/movement.jpg

[HenryB]

Another beauty.

Like to correct my previous statement, Obviously Illinois did produce size zero watches.
I got mixed up paging thru Russ's listing on his CD and missed his zero size listing. :rolleyes:

[Veritas]

Verry nice watches Tom.I did not realize that the quality of these small watches would be so good.Women liked pretty watches then , like they do now.

[Tom McIntyre]

I think without any real research that the high grade ladies watches are more rare than the 12 and 16 size equivalent mens watches.

It was an exceptional woman who had both the knowledge and the ability to own a high grade movement in her watch. Most of the ladies watches are 15 jewel or less, unadjusted watches in 8 size and smaller.

[Jon Hanson]

I disagree--if the production numbers are less, then it is reasonable to believe or assume that sm. ladies' HI-GRADE movements/watches are rarer EVEN with a higher survival rate.

For hi-grade ladies' watch purchases, let's credit the wealthy AND men suitors!
:biggrin:

[Tom McIntyre]

I don't see where we disagree. I just said I thought they were scarce, nothing about survival.

It may be historical blinders, but it seems to me that most women were not held in high esteem for their intellect by suitors or anyone else arund the turn of the century. Therefore, it was an unusual man and/or unusual woman who would have purchased a high grade small watch. Most men of the period thought women would not notice such things and were only interested in the jewelry properties.

Of course the really well heeled suitor would have just said "make it the best" and the enterprising jeweler would have complied with one of these little beauties.

[Greg Frauenhoff]

I don't have any 0s Rockford mvts of the same quality as Tom's to show, but here are some 0s dials from my collection:

http://members.aol.com/gfrauen/0sizedials.jpg

[Veritas]

Greg, nice dials, i wish mine were that nice.Must have taken some time to get a collection of them as nice as those are.

[Veritas]

I need a mainspring for my Zero sz Rockford, are these difficult to get?
I took a quick look on the internet and did not see any.
Thanks again.