The Elgin National Watch Co. was the biggest American watch company in terms of jeweled movements produced, over 50,000,000 in its approximately 100 years of building watches from 1866 to the 1960s. Detailed information on Elgin is available on Wayne Schlitt's Elgin Watch Web Site

The Grade of an Elgin movement, like those from other manufacturers, is the identification of the level of quality to which it is finished. This can get confusing because Elgin assigned a grade number to a movement of a specific size, jeweling and finish. If the same basic movement design underwent a change, such as replacing a conventional, bimetalic balance with a monometalic, temperature immune balance, a different grade number would be assigned.

Then, Elgin assigned a name to a whole range of movements (and grade numbers) of various sizes and jeweling, but finished to the same level of quality. Thus there were B.W. Raymond grade movements of different Models in 16-size having 17, 19, 21 and 23 jewels and in 18-size, full-plate 15 or 17 jewel, or 3/4-plate 17, 19 or 21 jewel. Each size and jewelling combination was built in a group of movements, having different grade numbers, as changes were made over the years.

To confuse the matter further, movements of the same grade number, and even from the same run, might be given a different grade name, such as Father Time or Veritas, or not given a name at all, just being marked with the grade number. All of this only makes sense to marketing people. Just how different were the different grades of what seemed like the same movement? Well, a study of the available information would help, especially in examining the descriptions and pricing in the ads and catalogs. For example, compare the description of the 18-size, 21-jewel Veritas grade No. 239 with that of the 18-size, 21-jewel Father Time grade No. 367 on page E2 of the 1917 Oskamp-Nolting Catalog and notice the $10.00 difference in the list prices. However, this may be misleading, as is shown by a look at the Elgin Master Records "Grade 367 Notes." The first three items mentioned, which differentiate the No. 367 from the No. 239, are:
The difference in pricing of a cased watch between the two in this 1909 Ad is $5.00, more than a day's pay for the average factory worker in 1914.

Elgin, having an observatory on thier grounds by the Early 1920s, started using a Star to symbolize their watches being "Timed to the Stars" in 1933, according to the 1935 Trade Mark Registration. The star was placed on the dials by the late 1930s, as seen on a 1938-1939 Montgomery-Ward Catalog Page. The campaign continued in 1940, referring to the watches as being "... timed directly to the standard of the stars." Not only did the star appear on the dials of presentation watches, it remained on the dials of Railroad Standard Watches. The practice continued into World War II, as seen on the "Elgin Railroad Watch" shown in the second row, left side, in this 1943 Military Timepiece Ad. After the war, the "... Star Timed accuracy ..." slogan continued to be used. The earliest of the B.W. Raymond grade No. 571 watches (late 1940s) were fitted with dials having the Star Along with the New 'dp' DuraPower Mainspring Symbol. Use of the star disappeared shortly thereafter when Elgin started putting the "B.W. Raymond" name on the dial.

Some of Elgin's war production is shown in this 1943 Ad. A picture of their B. W. Raymond Railroad Watch can be seen on the left end of the second row. The Master Navigation Watch towards the right side of the bottom row is probably one of the gold-flashed grade No. 581 movements. For more information on railroad watches produced during WWII, see pages 740 - 749 of the December 1997 NAWCC Bulletin. Back issues of the NAWCC Bulletin are available to members on loan by mail from the NAWCC Lending Library.

During World War II, Elgin produced a number of gold-flashed movements. Some say that it was done to conserve the nickel normally used for the plates, but nothing definitive appears in Elgin's literature. A number of grade No. 581 movements, made for the military, were finished this way. Other, civilian grades were also gold-flashed, such as the Grade No. 478 B.W. Raymond. The following runs of railroad grade No. 478 B.W. Raymond movements were finished this way, too:

41,168,001 - 41,170,000 = 2,000
41,306,001 - 41,308,000 = 2,000
41,442,001 - 41,445,000 = 3,000
41,526,001 - 41,530,000 = 4,000
41,725,001 - 41,727,000 = 0,600 estimated - some not gold flashed
Total gold-flashed grade
No. 478 movements made = 11,600 estimated

For a few grades, there are locations on Wayne Schlitt's Elgin Website in which, knowing the grade number, the adjustment number can be found and then the actual adjustment can be determined. For example, the grade No. 70: Visit the Documents & Pictures section, choose Technical Documents and select the Master Records. Once there, open the Grade 070 Specs page. If you look down the right-most column you'll find "adjustment lsited as 21." Knowing that, choose Elgin Databases from the left-hand buttons. Once in that section, choose Adjustment Numbers. From the Adjustment Numbers table, you can see that the grade No. 70 is adjusted in two positions, dial up and pendant up and that the regulation error is 5 seconds fast or slow in a twenty-four hour period.

Elgin applied the term "8 Adjustments" to their No. 571 B.W. Raymond grade. After a few years, to clear up confusion as to whether it meant adjustment to heat, cold, isochronism and five positions; or temperature, isochronism and six positions; Elgin changed the No. 571's marking to "9 Adjustments."

Online Information
Wayne Schlitt has a great Web Site Devoted to Elgin Watches. Also, an early article on the company, The National Watch Company by S. W. Robinson, J. of the Franklin Institute, 1869, originally from Greg Frauenhoff's website can be viewed.

Basic information about an Elgin watch, including its approximate date of manufacture, can be obtained from the Elgin Web Site Data Bases by using the serial number on the movement (the "works"), not the case, to look the watch up. Choose "Serial Number Lookup." Be sure to type in the serial number without any spaces or commas. If you enter a space and then "v=13" after the serial number, notes on surviving examples will be included in the ensuing report. These were as reported to Wayne, or as he found them on the internet. After you look up your watch, choose "Watch Codes" from the menu in the left-hand side of the page, that's where the abbreviations are explained. There is a lot of other good information on the site on Elgin watches and on pocket watches in general. Its well worth a couple of hours to go through different sections. However, be aware that Wayne based his information about Elgin's models on the data listed in Roy Ehrhardt's book, Elgin Watch Company - Identification and Price Guide, in which the model numbers for movements built after 1915 were assigned by Roy since they weren't identified by Elgin. See Larry Treiman's January 2010 NAWCC message board note on this subject.

Oldwatch.com's Elgin Production Date Table, or the Pocket Watch Site's Elgin Date Table also provide a means for determining the approximate production date. In general, we think of serial number vs. date lists - created by using the average number of watches produced over a period of years - to only be accurate within a year or two at best, and recognize that there are numerous exceptions wherein which the dates may be off as much as 3 years or more. This is not just for Elgin, but for other watch manufacturers as well.

A comprehensive list of Elgin Private Label Watches is available online, thanks to John Fogarty.

An in-depth discussion of a 16-size, 19-jewel, B.W. Raymond grade watch can be read in Edward C. Hahn's excellent online article: Making the (Railroad) Grade.

Catalog Information for quite a few Elgin watches can be seen online in scans from the:

1887 (Updated to 1889) S.F. Myers Catalog

1896 Marshall Field Jewelry Catalog

1903 Oy Company Catalog

1917 Oskamp-Nolting Catalog

To identify Elgin parts, check out Elgin's 1915 Material Catalog or 1950 Material Catalog.

Articles
Back issues of the NAWCC Bulletin and books are available to members on loan by mail from the NAWCC Lending Library, uing the Lending Library Form.

"Railroaders' Corner - The Elgin 16-Size B.W. Raymond, Part 1: 17 & 19-Jewel Watches," Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer, NAWCC Bulletin No. 336, February, 2002, pp. 65-71.
"Railroaders' Corner - The Elgin 16-Size B.W. Raymond, Part 2: The 21 and 23-Jewel Watches," Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer, NAWCC Bulletin No. 337, April, 2002, pp. 209-217.
"The Elgin 571," Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer, NAWCC Bulletin No. 298, October, 1995, pp. 599-605.
"The Elgin 16-Size 571, Revisited," Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer, NAWCC Bulletin No. 303, August, 1996, pp. 484-92
"Railroaders' Corner - The Watch That Gets Forgotten: Elgin's Father Time," Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer, NAWCC Bulletin, No. 348, February 2004, pp. 63-72.
"Railroaders' Corner - Elgin's Veritas Model - Part 1: The First Three Grades," Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer, NAWCC Bulletin No. 355, April 2005, pp. 208-216.
"Railroaders' Corner - Elgin's Veritas Model - Part 2: The Rest of the Standard Grades," Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer, NAWCC Bulletin No. 356, June 2005, pp. 361-368.
"Railroaders' Corner - Wind Indicators, Part 1: Elgin," Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer, NAWCC Bulletin No. 357, August, 2005, pp. 484-491.
"Railroaders' Corner - Standard Watches of WWII,," Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer, NAWCC Bulletin No. 357, December 1997, pp. 740-749.
"Railroaders' Corner - Elgin Grades 149 and 150,," Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer, NAWCC Bulletin No. 331, April 2001, pp. 225-227.

Books

Elgin Time: A History of the Elgin National Watch Company 1864-1968, E.C. Alft & William H. Briska, Elgin Historical Society, Elgin, IL, 2003.
Elgin Watch Company - Identification and Price Guide, Roy Ehrhardt, Heart of America Press, Kansas City, MO, 1976.