Peoria Horological School watch

[Fred Hansen]

One I found a few months ago and thought I'd picture here ...

Movement marked "Finished by Wilson D. Bogue at the Peoria Horological School, Peoria, Ill., Adjusted 1893"

Dial marked "Non Magnetic Watch"

[Fred Hansen]

Apparently this one was created from Peoria Watch Co. material and was engraved and worked on by a student at the local watchmaking institute.

No serial number is marked on the back plates, but I haven't been inside yet to see if there are any internal serial numbers.

I think items like this are a neat bit of horological history and I'd be interested to see or hear more of other "school" watches that are out there.

Fred

[mikeh]

Woohoo! Very cool watch Fred.

All I can add is my Waltham model 99 shown in this older thread (http://www.nawcc-mb.com/bbv2/bbBoard.cgi?a=redirect;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Enawc c%2Dmb%2Ecom%2Fbbv2%2FbbBoard%2Ecgi%3Fa%3Dviewthre ad%3Bfid%3D3%3Bgtid%3D215452%3Bgpid%3D215623%23gpi d215623l), but it's obviously not marked at all, just blank.

[Fred Hansen]

Thanks for reposting that link Mike!

I remember your terrific unsigned Waltham 16 size, and that was some absolutely fantastic information that Bill Tapp added to the thread.

Fred

[LarFure]

There were a lot of people who learned the trade at the Bradley Institute. The watchmaker who used to own the bench and tools I have now learned the trade there in the 1920's.
http://www.bradley.edu/about/founding.shtml

[Tom McIntyre]

Charles DeLong taught at Bradley before he moved to Arkansas and then Oklahoma around 1900.

[Jerry Freedman]

Here is another movment from the Peoria school. The maker was a student of DeLong.

[Jerry Freedman]

Here is another movement from the Peoria school. The maker was a student of DeLong. This watch has a detent escapement.

[Fred Hansen]

Very nice Jerry! What type of escapement does your watch have?

Fred

[rrstd]

Fred,

Great post and pictures from both you and Jerry. I would love to see more examples from some of our other members.

[Veritas]

Garry Fox of Chapter 111 has some pictures of watches made at the C.H.I in Toronto, along with quite a bit of other information on the school and students.
One antique show i was at a man had a watch he said was made at a school. I knew nothing then about watches so it did not catch my interest. I wish i saw the watch again.
Nice watches one looks , swiss made.
Sure would be a nice find.

[Jeff Hess]

I have sadly, let slip through my hands aobut a dozen of those and even more of the working escapement models from the various incarnations of that school.

I was such a watch nut in the my 20's that I purposely lived in a apartment at the former mansion of the President of the Peoria Watch Company in Peoria.

Lydia Bradley had her head on straight and her legacy lives on today at Bradley University and at Gem City college.

The University today is abutted by a long long street named Fredonia Avenue, renamed from Fuller Avenue, when the Peoria Wine and liquor merchants were conned into buying the Fredonia Watch Company by the Howard Brothers (who moved to Peoria) and JC Adams.

Jeff Hess

There are tons of old tools and wire drawing machines and lathes and small hand tools floating around Peoria from Fredonia and Buffalo that were sold off over the years. GREAT PIECE!

[Grant Perry]

As a follow up to Kevin's posting, Gary has recently posted a site detailing his finding on the Canadian Watchmaker Institute and their masterpieces.
http://www.cdnwatchmaker.com/
Grant

[Veritas]

Thanks for the link Grant i will have a look.

[Tom McIntyre]

Gary has done a wonderful job on the CHI site. I am really impressed.:thumb: