Burlington Special What style hands?

[Cary]

Picked up a VERY nice Burlington special 19j sn 2560843. The minute hand is the moon style while the hour is spade...Which one is correct with the monty style dial, and when was it made?

Thanks,

Cary

[Cary]

Picked up a VERY nice Burlington special 19j sn 2560843. The minute hand is the moon style while the hour is spade...Which one is correct with the monty style dial, and when was it made?

Thanks,

Cary

[Kent]

Cary;

You can check you hand styles against this May 1912 Burlington Ad (http://www.knology.net/~ksinger/burl_spcl.jpg). I believe that the same hands were used on the Montgomery dial.

Almost all Burlington watches were made by Illinois. You can look up you watch in the Illinois date tables.

Kent :smile:

[Cary]

Wow, That is it exactly, right down to the case. I am glad the hour hand is correct, a spade minute hand should be easier to find than a moon hour hand.

Note the fancy numbers on the dial, it is a really nice looking watch. Now, at 19 jewels, lever set and adjusted to temp and positions, would this be RR grade or RR approved. It seems like the Bunns were the approved ones during this time frame.

What is all that Anti Trust stuff. Did the public know that Burlington Watch Co of chicago was actually Ill? There look to be no shortcuts on this watch, gold inlaid in the checkerboard pattern on the cock, gold in all of the engraving except for the "Burlington Watch Co Chicago, under the balance.

Thanks for the Ad.

Cary

[Barry G]

Cary: There may have been one or two railroads that allowed the Burlington Specials to be used in service, but in general they were neither RR grade nor approved. The big difference is that they were only adjusted to 3 positions instead of the 5 positions like most RR watches.

My understanding is that these watches were basically being sold to people who wanted a fine watch that looked like a RR watch and had a name associated with a RR, but who didn't actually work for a RR and therefore didn't need it to actually be RR grade or approved.

I think what the ad is basically saying with all its blustery language is "if this were a real RR watch you'd be paying a lot more..."

:wink:

Barry

------------------
My Online Pocket Watch Collection (http://barrygoldberg.net/watches.htm)

[Kent]

Cary:

The Burlington Watch Co. was a totally separate business from the Illinois Watch Co. They were a sales organization who just happened to have Illinois supply most of their movements (Click Here (http://www.knology.net/~ksinger/hy_moser_burlington_1729678_m.jpg) to see a 21-jewel, non-Illinois Burlington, adjusted temperature and to 6 positions).

For the story of Burlington's "fight" against the trust, see Naham Lewis' article on the subject on pages 706-9 in the December 1997 NAWCC Bulletin.

Kent :smile:

[Kent]

Cary:

I dug around a little and found a 1915 ad for a Burlington Special with a Montgomery Dial (http://www.knology.net/~ksinger/burl_spcl_mont_lr.jpg). The hour hand is slightly different than the one show previously.

Kent :smile: