Seriuos Scientific Investigation

[beta21]

I'd like to know which watch mvt you think the least of when it comes to jewelled American PW's.
Which is the ugliest; the worst mechanically designed; most awkward to repair; most prone to breakage; ets, etc? :biggrin:

[beta21]

I'd like to know which watch mvt you think the least of when it comes to jewelled American PW's.
Which is the ugliest; the worst mechanically designed; most awkward to repair; most prone to breakage; ets, etc? :biggrin:

[Jon Hanson]

How about 18s Manistee for ugly? Or, 7J Hamilton? some Ill 7J 18s?

For breakage--16s Keystone Howards?

Other garbage--small Molly 7J Hampdens?

Tough to re assemble--Mozart? :biggrin:

Merry Christmas and which one is on your list! :wink:

[Tom McIntyre]

I would have picked the Howard Split Plates for breakage. Almost all the center jewels and/or arbors are broken and the winding mechanism seems to take a lot of beating too. This is for a quality watch that was expensive when new. The design appears to not be obvious to most watchmakers.

[Jon Hanson]

Gee, Tom, you are partially correct EXCEPT I have many, many split plates that are NOT broken (not all watch makers are gorillas! :biggrin: )and they wind just fine!:biggrin:

[Fred Hansen]

Hi Peter -

I really like the 21J Rockford wind-indicators, but how about the wind indicator mechanism itself as another weak design that is prone to breakage?

And for an ugly watch I'd like to nominate the 8 adjustment South Bend "Studebaker". For as nice a watch as the grade 229 "The Studebaker" is, I've always thought these later 8 adjustment "Studebaker" grades are pretty poor.

Fred

[beta21]

What about Illinois 16s (not the Getty ones!)with "special" shaped train wheel bridges for PLs (eg 3fbg)for ugliness!! They all seem to be drawn by an apprentice searching hard for originality.But the Manistee 18s cut out mod isn't such a bad candidate, Jon.

Most boring: Hampden 16s serVII, no wonder the Russians picked just that model to produce for themselves :biggrin:

Natural canditate for fragility: Rockies with WI.
OOps Fred types a lot faster than me!!

Merry X-mas everybody

[Jon Hanson]

another candidate--that 16A 16s Waltham and what abt those horrible late Vanguards!:biggrin:

[HenryB]

Some New York Standards, where a full plate is really a full, one piece plate.

[Jon Hanson]

Henry,

I THINK THOSE 16S 7jewelers ARE WORSE!:biggrin:

[Jon Hanson]

How about the nightmare of working on those Manhattans and Benedict and Burnhams.

Oh, I forgot to mention those small NE duplexes! Pretty cases but-----------Yuck!

[4thdimension]

Oh, I forgot to mention those small NE duplexes! Pretty cases but-----------Yuck![/QUOTE]
Jon,
I reluctantly agree about the fixing of these.
So many got buggered by folks who weren't taking their time. Then again, about the same
ratio will work with a proper simple cleaning if compared with the other brands(about 15-20%) Maybe its just that I tend to buy twisted up refuse?Hmmm.
-Cort
edit to add- At least Addison's and other duplex were uniform through many production years. I have a pile of Rockford and Illinois which seem to have had one-run setting parts!
(operative words "seem to").

[Jon Hanson]

Here's another, then, those terrible "Visible to all parts of the Globe" US Marions in 7 jewels!

[Jeff Hess]

I agree with Jon on the 16A. Dismal watch design. The feds must have helped.

Hardest to work on and Breakage MUST include New ERa and New York Standard...

Prettiest might be some of the 19J Hamiltons, 12 AND 16 size...and some of the funky 1883's and 1872's..

Jeff Hess

[Jon Hanson]

Jeff touched on a real winner--the high grade 21J 1872 Walthams which might just be the most beautiful of all watch movements--TAKEN APART THEY ARE EVEN MORE SPECTACULAR! (I PURPOSELY NOTED THE 21 JEWELED ONES, AS THE 18Js ARE FOR THE MOST PART BORING AND PLAIN! :biggrin: )

Also, the nickel US grade United States Watch Co. 19J watches are spectacular if in top condition--some have incredible engraving but the workmanship is not even close to Waltham high grades!

[doug sinclair]

Peter,

Nobody has mentioned English levers with fusee. Some of the 7-jewel ones, plain gilt plates, no ornamentation to speak of, and I hate working on them! Strange nobody has brought up the Keystone Howard Series XI, Railroad Chronometer as ugly. It has been dragged through the mud numerous times in these parts. Some of the exotics that have received cudos for their beauty are watches I have only seen at arms length. So, as beautiful as they might be, I like my 16-size Vanguard 23-jewel with diamond end-stones. Prosaic, but nice.

[Jon Hanson]

Rare, unusual, fun to watch operate, ingenius but how well do they perform--the Auburndale Rotary?