Elgin 16s BWR

[perby]

Wish I knew more about this stuff.
Hi again,
Just got a Elgin BWR 21j 16s PW, and was wondering what holds the crystal in, when I got it, it was lying loose in the package. It appears that the crystal somehow just sits in the front bezel, from the outside rather than from the inside ? What holds it there ?
Also I have a couple of other Elgin cases and I noted this one has Elgin RR just beneath the stem, is this normal.
Thanks for any info,
Bill

[crsides]

This is the Elgin case #39 and I think it is the only style marked Elgin RR under the crown. It is one of the better cases for Elgin RR watches.

The crystal goes on the case bezel from the outside. In the perfect world, it fits just right so it will pop in the groove going around the bezel. Otherwise, as long as there is a close fit, the judicious use of a little glue applied with toothpick will hold it. If it is a plastic crystal, you may need to get a watch repairman to seat it. A crystal press bows the plastic out, the bezel is fitted to it and when the pressure is released, it pops into place.

Either way its not big deal to fix.

Charlie

[perby]

This is the Elgin case #39 and I think it is the only style marked Elgin RR under the crown. It is one of the better cases for Elgin RR watches.

The crystal goes on the case bezel from the outside. In the perfect world, it fits just right so it will pop in the groove going around the bezel. Otherwise, as long as there is a close fit, the judicious use of a little glue applied with toothpick will hold it. If it is a plastic crystal, you may need to get a watch repairman to seat it. A crystal press bows the plastic out, the bezel is fitted to it and when the pressure is released, it pops into place.

Either way its not big deal to fix.

Charlie



Thanks for the info Charlie, good to know should be an easy fix.
Thanks again,
Bill

[lak611]

This is the Elgin case #39 and I think it is the only style marked Elgin RR under the crown. It is one of the better cases for Elgin RR watches.

The crystal goes on the case bezel from the outside. In the perfect world, it fits just right so it will pop in the groove going around the bezel. Otherwise, as long as there is a close fit, the judicious use of a little glue applied with toothpick will hold it. If it is a plastic crystal, you may need to get a watch repairman to seat it. A crystal press bows the plastic out, the bezel is fitted to it and when the pressure is released, it pops into place.

Either way its not big deal to fix.

Charlie



Thanks for the info Charlie, good to know should be an easy fix.
Thanks again,
BillI recently purchased a Waltham Vanguard 1892 model on ebay. It had a plastic crystal with glue that was coming off. I took it to my local watchmaker. He replaced the crystal with an original old stock glass crystal for a very reasonable price. My watch is circa 1904. Plastic crystals were nonexistant back then. My watch looks great now. I did not care that it had a plastic crystal when I bought it on ebay, because the dial was in great shape (no chips or hairlines) and the movement was also clean and working great. The case was also original, with no brassing.

[Kent]

perby:

You can view ads for your BWR online. Go to to the Elgin Watch Collectors Site Home Page at elginwatches.org, then select "Documents & Pictures" from the left-hand menu. Next, select "Elgin Ads" and view the years 1923-1925.