hartford watch company

[nurselorri]

Hi! Now that I've figured out how to leave a message, I'm looking for any info on the Haartford Watch Company. I recently picked one up at a garage sale and it seems to be in perfect running condition. Also appears to be quite old. The serial number on the movement is quite low. Any help out there?

[Don Dahlberg]

I believe that is a Swiss fake. :~(

In the 1850s the US started mass producing quality watches with interchangeable parts and relatively low prices. This nearly destroyed the Swiss watch industry, which was only semi-automated. They reacted by copying our techniques and producing watches that look like American watches with American sound names. Some were of good quality, while many were not.

There are several ways to detect Swiss fakes. They use a name for which there are no records. The jewels tend to be large. They used a two foot dial. The way they attached the upper balance jewel setting was different.

Eventually the US government demanded that the word "Swiss" appear on the movement, but the Swiss then hid the name in hard to see places. The US government then demanded that "Swiss" be easy to see on the dial and movement.

Swiss Fakes fooled people then and they are still fooling people 140 years later. It is important to remind you that there are some high quality Swiss Fakes. The problem is finding parts, should the need arise.

Don

[Tom Huber]

Please post a picture of the movement (works inside the watch)

Tom

[Vic Kuring]

Even though the watch is more than likely a swiss fake they still are really interesting pieces of watchmaking history. I have a few swiss fakes with various names. Most of the ones I've seen are full plate keywinders, which I have a soft spot for.

I find these rather amusing with the variety of misspelled more prestigious american made models and locations & other american sounding names to dupe the american public into buying. I have a matching pair of swiss fake "Ohio Watch Company" scrap movements somewhere that sport identical serial numbers, found at different times on ebay. They can be an interesting and inexpensive category for collectors to focus on.

Enjoy your watch and if you can - post a picture of the movement.

:thumb:

[Jerry Treiman]

You can see some different Swiss fakes, including an Ohio Watch Co. movement, in >>this other thread (http://www.nawcc-mb.com/bbv2/bbBoard.cgi?a=viewthread;fid=3;gtid=20095;gpid=200 99#gpid20099)<< Vic, do your Ohio movements have the same serial number as mine? Note also that the Bristol Watch Co. movement also has the same serial number.

[Vic Kuring]

Jerry,

My twins are # 104240. Interesting that your Ohio & Bristol share the same serial number.

I always assumed that the mainspring barrel bridge shape confirms the manufacturer. Bristols, adelphi (is this a play on Philadelphia?), ohio and many others share the same style of barrel bridge. I have a stripped Standard American Watch Co "Nation" faker whos barrel bridge resembles that of a Waltham 1857. I've seen others on ebay that have the Waltham '57 style bridge.

Any idea who actually produced these? All the same manufacturer?

[terofpa]

Here are pictures of my "Hartford" that I just fixed. I needed a winding part and was lucky to find an american gear that worked. I'm now trying to find a crystal.

[terofpa]

Here are pictures of my "Hartford" that I just fixed. I needed a winding part and was lucky to find an american gear that worked. I'm now trying to find a crystal.

I didn't realize it was swiss till I removed the bezel and saw swiss marked at the bottom of the dial.

[terofpa]

Here are pictures of my "Hartford" that I just fixed. I needed a winding part and was lucky to find an american gear that worked. I'm now trying to find a crystal.

I didn't realize it was swiss till I removed the bezel and saw swiss marked at the bottom of the dial.


Ter

[Don Dahlberg]

Notice how large the center jewel is. 21 jewels but only 3 adjustments? I am not sure if they even mean positions. It could be hot, cold and isochronism and no positions. Why make a 21 jewel watch and not adjust it for positions? Notice also how the balance jewel setting is attached from screws underneath. Less common in US watches, but very common in Swiss.

Notice the lever is an early type where the escape wheel, pallet arbor and balance wheel are not in a straight line. The plate configuration is very strange to me. Almost looks like full plate with exposed crown and rachet wheels.

Looks like the regulator spring is broken. That will be impossible to find.

Don

[rrwatch]

Don,
Around 1910, Illinois made a 16 size movement, the Grade 174; that was lever setting, had a double roller, micrometer regulator and contained 23 jewels. It was unadjusted!:?|
Apparently there was at least a small market for highly jeweled unadjusted American movements. With the adjusting process adding so much to the cost of the watch, these could have been sold at a much lower price.

[terofpa]

Check out this link. Looks like I have one of the better fakes. I still like it and it was a good watch to learn on.

ter

http://www.nawcc-mb.com/bbv2/bbBoard.cgi?a=viewthread;fid=3;gtid=62015;gpid=620 17#gpid62017