Case originial?

[vein1]

I have a United States Watch Co, G. A. Read, in an English hallmarked case. I see no apparent indications of a recase. Is this case original to the watch? What about the hands? Thanks for any info.



http://static.flickr.com/57/205451646_6c026f30ab.jpg


http://static.flickr.com/78/205451647_3eb274260d.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/77/205451648_4e121597c4.jpg

[vein1]

I have a United States Watch Co, G. A. Read, in an English hallmarked case. I see no apparent indications of a recase. Is this case original to the watch? What about the hands? Thanks for any info.



http://static.flickr.com/57/205451646_6c026f30ab.jpg


http://static.flickr.com/78/205451647_3eb274260d.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/77/205451648_4e121597c4.jpg

[Wes]

Nice watch.
It is quite normal for the exported English watches from Waltham to have gold hands, but I do not know about Marion.
Are you sure there isn't an extra case screw mark just to the right of the current case screw? Could just be my screen.
The expert in the Marion field of the Early American Watch Club's Mentor Program is Jon Hanson. You may want to email him directly, as I don't think he frequents this board.
Good Luck!

[beta21]

This case would most likely have housed a Waltham mvt originally, judging from the "AB" hall mark. Furthermore the hall marks say 1876-7 so a mod mod 57 mvt would fit in perfectly. They were exported to England in big amounts. Often with a more "English looking" plate design than the usual. The mod 57 have the case screw at 27 degrees from the "6" on the dial, and that is the place where your extra screw mark is. The other Waltham 18s mvt mvt in that time frame is the mod 59 (KW18) but they have the case screw at approx 23 degrees from the "6". Also, the 59 mvt may not have been exported to England as was the 57. I am sure other more knowledgeable can give better info.

[terry hall]

What Wes said....

the appearance of the marking next to the current case screw should be the 'tell'.

[Wes]

At any rate, even if the case is not original, sure is nice to see Marions! Thanks for posting images of it.

[vein1]

Thanks for the info. I had completely overlooked that little cresent in the case until is was posted large on the screen.

I am a complete novice, this was my husbands. Just trying to find info on some of the watches. In my reading, I did not think the case and movement should be connected...

[Bob Weinstein]

This one has been switched.

[doug sinclair]

Bob W,

You may very well be correct about the re-case, but I was wondering about the keyhole in the cuvette. It seems to be in the right place, and I see no evidence of an original keyhole being patched! Or did I miss something? I would think an accidental perfect alignment of the winding arbors on an American and an English movement to be somewhat unlikely!

[Bob Weinstein]

Again, this one has been switched, possibly more than once. Probably from a Waltham 1857 model.

Most 18s American watches have the same position for winding the watch. Most Eng watches open from the front and have the movement hinged.

[doug sinclair]

Bob,

Agreed! But this appears to be an English case that doesn't follow the norm. At least the way I see it. And English cases that have a swing ring still wind through a hole in the cuvette. It would seem to me that a Marion in an English case would be a most unlikely combination, for sure! I suspect there WAS a switch as well, but I'd be interested in seeing how they did it, that's all!

[mikeh]

I've always been under the impression that the vast majority of exported American movements were cased in English cases. Those cases, although English made, would have been designed for American movements, and would have had a keyhole placed likewise, correct?

[Tom McIntyre]

You are right Mike. Waltham had a very large English operation and Bedford was in charge of casing movements for the English market. The cases were probably actually made by Dennison & Co. but marked for Bedford.

Waltham not only had central operations in England but also had Waltham Watch Depots in major cities. More Englishmen carried Walthams than any other brand according to Kemp's "The Englishman's Watch."

[Bob Weinstein]

"it does't follow the norn" because the case was made to house a Waltham!