Non-Magnetic Watch Co. with Peoria movement?

[Scott Tipton]

I have what I believe is a Non-Magnetic Watch Co. 18 size with a Peoria Watch Co. movement.
I want to be sure. The serial number is 31,959.
Nickle full plate movement. Marked "Paillard's Patent, ballance & spring", "Adjusted", "Safety Pinion".
Help as to number of jewels and date is appreciated.
Scott

[Scott Tipton]

I have what I believe is a Non-Magnetic Watch Co. 18 size with a Peoria Watch Co. movement.
I want to be sure. The serial number is 31,959.
Nickle full plate movement. Marked "Paillard's Patent, ballance & spring", "Adjusted", "Safety Pinion".
Help as to number of jewels and date is appreciated.
Scott

[Kent]

Scott:

You can be sure by removing the dial and counting the jewels. An open-face Peoria/Non-Magnetic movement is shown in the link below. The Hunting-Case Peoria movement (http://www.pockethorology.org/Railroad/Fig_10B.jpg) has a mirror image.

Other than that, the data base that Ed Ueberal and I maintain of surviving railroad standard watches contains the following serial numbered watches, all of which are 15-jewel and hunting-case, with no intervening examples having different jeweling or being open-face:

30,599
31,302
31,543
31,565
32,057
32,125 - in display case, probably an HC mvt
32,320
32,763
32,874
32,950
33,097
33,586

"Serial Numbers and Descriptions of Fredonia and Peoria Watch Co. Movements," Greg Frauenhoff, Sedalia, CO, 2001 (available at this Link To Greg’s Books (http://hometown.aol.com/gfrauen10/books.html)) shows the following serial numbers (with no other intervening numbers). All are 15-jewel, nickel, hunting-case Non-Magnetic Watch Co., except as noted - none are known to be open-face or other than 15-jewel:

31304 - case style unknown
31565 - nickel or gilt not known
31571 - case style or nickel or gilt not known
31634
31707 - jeweling, case style or nickel or gilt not known
31727 - case style or nickel or gilt not known
31750 - jeweling not known
31957
32039
32125 - case style or nickel or gilt not known
32252 - jeweling, case style or nickel or gilt not known
32357
32394
32468
32531 - case style unknown
32707
32728 - case style or nickel or gilt not known
32763
32810
32874 - case style or nickel or gilt not known
32942
32964 - jeweling, case style or nickel or gilt not known

I gather that your movement is a hunting-case watch. Does it have gold jewel settings or brass ones?

Kent

[Jeff Hess]

HAving once owned an extensive Peoria and Fredonia collection, I would bet 10,000 to one that it is 15 jewels.

Anything other than 15 jewels is VERY rare in Peoria and unheard of in non Magnetic Peoria's.

This is a great and way underappreciated watch. Enjoy!
Jeff Hess

[Greg Frauenhoff]

Hi,

Just got back from a couple days in Glenwood Springs enjoying the spectacular early fall weather.

Kent and Jeff have pretty much covered everything re the mvt in question, but one minor addition relates to 11 jewel 18s Non-Magnetic Watch Co. of America mvts made by Peoria. At least two such beasts have been verified by knowledgeable collectors and reported to me: #s 16538 and 20601. There are other possible 11j mvts reported, but they haven't been taken apart to verify the jewel count. Also, there is a period ad for an 11j NMWCA mvt called a grade 21.

[Scott Tipton]

Hello Kent, Jeff & Greg,
Thank you for the information. Yes, this is a hunter case movement. The jewel settings have a little too much tarnish to be gold, so I assume they are brass.

Greg: Now's a great time to go to Aspen and see the tree leaves change color. It's also a good time to go down valley and buy tons of great fruit. Also the BIG trout bite on surface flies.

Scott