Kent
01-22-2004, 04:31 AM
ac ravenwood:
Only a small percentage of American watches (or Swiss watches for the North American market) were cased at the factories prior to the mid-1920's. Most watch companies just made movements (the "works") in industry standard sizes. The case companies made cases in those same sizes. The practice at that time was to go to a jeweler, select the quality of the movement and then pick out the desired style and quality of case. The jeweler would then fit the movement to the case in a matter of moments.
Or, watches were sold by mail-order. Large outfits such as Sears, Roebuck & Co., Montgomery Ward, or T. Eaton (in Canada), would offer the movements in a variety of cases of different design and quality in their catalogs. Smaller mail-order retailers would case the watches, typically in a 20-year gold filled case and offer it only that way, with the buyer not having a choice of cases.
When sold fitted to the movement by a jeweler, or by a mail-order retailer, the case serial number would bear no relationship to that of the watch movement. Typically, the case serial number is stamped inside of the back. To keep the parts of cases together throughout the manufacturing process, the bezel and center ring are frequently stamped with the last 4 or 5 digits of the case serial number.
As you probably know, your watch was made in about 1907. I've put a link to an early A.W.C.Co. ad below. Our course, the firm also made gold-filled cases. Also, they had a Canadian operation, producing cases there as well.
The model `92 No. 845 movement was made for quite a few years. Here's a link to a 1917 catalog page, showing the No. 845
http://elginwatches.org/scans/sales_catalogs/1917_Oskamp-Nolting/m_pg_W2.html
(you should copy this link and paste it in your browser address bar since directly linking to this website from the NAWCC Message Board is not possible)
Kent
That guy down in Georgia :smile:
P.S. The Ohlson (figure-8) regulator (shown in the catalog page No. 845 cut) was introduced in 1908. You movement may be fitted with a star-wheel regulator.
[This message was edited by Kent on January 22, 2004 at 13:42.]
Only a small percentage of American watches (or Swiss watches for the North American market) were cased at the factories prior to the mid-1920's. Most watch companies just made movements (the "works") in industry standard sizes. The case companies made cases in those same sizes. The practice at that time was to go to a jeweler, select the quality of the movement and then pick out the desired style and quality of case. The jeweler would then fit the movement to the case in a matter of moments.
Or, watches were sold by mail-order. Large outfits such as Sears, Roebuck & Co., Montgomery Ward, or T. Eaton (in Canada), would offer the movements in a variety of cases of different design and quality in their catalogs. Smaller mail-order retailers would case the watches, typically in a 20-year gold filled case and offer it only that way, with the buyer not having a choice of cases.
When sold fitted to the movement by a jeweler, or by a mail-order retailer, the case serial number would bear no relationship to that of the watch movement. Typically, the case serial number is stamped inside of the back. To keep the parts of cases together throughout the manufacturing process, the bezel and center ring are frequently stamped with the last 4 or 5 digits of the case serial number.
As you probably know, your watch was made in about 1907. I've put a link to an early A.W.C.Co. ad below. Our course, the firm also made gold-filled cases. Also, they had a Canadian operation, producing cases there as well.
The model `92 No. 845 movement was made for quite a few years. Here's a link to a 1917 catalog page, showing the No. 845
http://elginwatches.org/scans/sales_catalogs/1917_Oskamp-Nolting/m_pg_W2.html
(you should copy this link and paste it in your browser address bar since directly linking to this website from the NAWCC Message Board is not possible)
Kent
That guy down in Georgia :smile:
P.S. The Ohlson (figure-8) regulator (shown in the catalog page No. 845 cut) was introduced in 1908. You movement may be fitted with a star-wheel regulator.
[This message was edited by Kent on January 22, 2004 at 13:42.]