Bunn 19 jewel

[s. smith]

How many of the Bunn 19 jewel,s were made..

 

[terry hall]

like 'that' one... bout 850 of em...

 

[s. smith]

Thanks Terry this one has a unusally case a keystone swing out in 14kt us assay case,i have too sort out some problems with the stem but overall a nice case.

 

[John Cote]

Beautiful watch!

 

[bkerr]

Nice watch Sammie!

 

[Fred Hansen]

Nice watch Samie!

The total production across all variants of 18 size 19 jewel Bunns was 4,000 made.

This 4,000 is then split into smaller groups depending on the set of movement markings and the color of the movement's lettering.

The 19 jewel 18 size Bunn was not produced in a hunting case model.

Fred

 

[royllsister]

New here and hope I'm not posting out of order.

I have a 19 Jewel Bunn Adj. temperature, double roller, 5 position Isochronism stamped S/N 2037994. and the case is "double backed" (my word, hope this is not unclear) with C.W.O.C.O markings.

Can anyone tell me the age of this piece and/or any other information?

thank you,
Judy

 

[royllsister]

Sorry, I forgot to add the thumbnail.... if I can figure out how to.

Judy

 

[terry hall]

WElcome to the boards... no not out of order at all !!!

You have a very nice watch and a significant watch.

According to the serial number and the markings on the movement (particullarly the LACK of 'jeweled barrel' marking) you have one of the lower production variants of this grade.

This movement dates to about 1908

With the current information known, has a production estimate of 150 movements

There are about 7 variants of this grade and jewel count. Other variants have 'low' production numbers also.

The Black-filled engraving looks to be in fine form, as well as the condition of the plates.

The hinged case is a Crescent Watch Case Company product.

Can we see more of the watch? The 'thumbnail' is generated automatically when you attach the image.

 

[royllsister]

Thank you Terry. I appreciate the information. Here are more pictures as you requested.

FYI, my Dad is 96 y/o and he inherited this watch (I have two others also) in 1951 when his grandfather passed away (he was a railroad man) and it hasn't been touched in over 40 years. I wound it just a tad and it runs great! Unbelievable.

The worn spot on the exterior is its only visible flaw; yellowed crystal would make me think its original.

Thanks,

Judy

 

[RRPocketWatch]

Judy, Your Illinois Bunn 19J is 1908 by the serial number, If I'm not mistaken. Nice old watch! I see now Terry beat me to it....lol. I see the "Jeweled Barrel" marking Terry mentioned.

 

[John Pavlik]

I see the "Jeweled Barrel" marking Terry mentioned

I must of missed that marking....

 

[RRPocketWatch]

https://mb.nawcc.org/picture.php?albumid=231&pictureid=1321

 

[rrwatch]

Judy,
I would recommend that you replace that yellowed crystal as soon as you can. These old plastic crystals, when they age and turn yellow, create an atmosphere inside the crystal that will cause the hands and cannon pinion to rust. The newer plastic crystals are made of a different material and do not cause this problem.
Also, after sitting for 40 years, the oil lubricating the mechanism is long gone and is no longer protecting the delicate pivots and other internal components from wear. I would not recommend running the watch for any length of time before getting it fully serviced by a watchmaker familiar with working on antique watches. Its similiar to running your car engine with no oil in the crankcase. It will work for a while but will cause serious problems if done for very long.

 

[grtnev]

This movement dates to about 1908

With the current information known, has a production estimate of 150 movements

Terry,

I'm new to this as well, and am obviously missing something in your previous post. Per the Illinois CD database, if I'm reading the information corrrectly, this watch was made about 1908 and is a part of a run of 1600 made between 1907 and 1909.

I thought that it was the movements that were marked Jeweled Barrel that were the scarcer of the 19j 18s Bunn movement.

What I find interesting on this movement is where "19 Jewels" is marked.

I'd appreciate any additional input that you might have.

Richard

 

[terry hall]

more study in progress....will update later..

Ok... I'm back...

I had posted this morning this was a variant of about 150 movements.

I am mistaken... thank you for bringing this back up and questioning it !!

The CD has a choice when entering the serial number of 2 variants... "jewels unmarked" and "marked 19jewels'

i misread the 'jewels unmarked' as the existance of 'jeweled barrel' or the lack of 'jeweled barrel'

again... I was wrong.

The correct production number is approximately 1600 movements.

According to the text in the 'illinois bible' in 1985 there was only ONE example seen that lacked the jewel marking (19 jewels)

This example obviously has "19jewels" on the barrel plate.

I apologize for the error.

 

[RRPocketWatch]

You mean I went thru the trouble of making that comparison picture for nothing? Well for what its worth, I'd do it again.... Terry you contribute so much, and know so much, right or wrong (in this case) I'll still follow your lead! CHEERS!

 

[Kent]

Hi Judy:

I don't think that anyone else has mentioned it, but your 18-size, 19-jewel Bunn is a railroad watch widely accepted for railroad time service. You can learn a little bit about the case manufacturer in the Crescent Watch Case Co. wiki article. Here's a 1910 ad listing your watch.

 

[David1]

I'm wondering if you experts can help me out. I'm trying to figure out exactly what type/model pocket watch I have. It has been handed down through 2 generations.

I appears to be an Illinois Bunn 19 jewel, and
based on the serial number (3459115) I think it is from 1919 if my source is correct.
I don't know enough about these watches to be able to figure out any additional information about the exact model and how many of this type were produced.

The back case has a neat engraving of a train. On the inside of the back case it is marked with the Star Case Watch Company logo and number 2430342. It is the "Stellar" variety which seems to refer to 10k rolled gold plate case. There is also a faint hand engraving near the inside rim of the back cover that says 18,506WH. I have no idea where to start in looking up any information about the case itself.

It also has a gold chain, but to me this looks like it might be newer. The only identification on the chain is the quality of the gold written 1/20,12k.


This is a very cool watch and is in great working condition. It was serviced and cleaned just a few years ago before it was given to me. It is mesmerizing to watch this thing work with the back case open! Please let me know if you can give any more insight into this particular watch.

 

[Kent]

Hi David1:

Welcome to the NAWCC American Pocket Watch Message Board!

Congratulations on having a really nice heirloom!

Checking the references listed in the Illinois Watch Company Encyclopedia article (and your pictures), Illinois movement serial number 3459115 can be seen to be a 16-size, 19-jewel, model 11, open-face, Bunn grade movement, built (as you determined) in about 1919. There were 15,900 of this version made between about 1917 and 1925. You can see a catalog description for the 16-size, 19-jewel Bunn (a slightly earlier version) on page 40 of the 1915 - 1916 P.W. Ellis Illustrated Catalogue (found online by Gordian).

The style of dial on your watch is called a Montgomery dial.

The 16-size, 19-jewel, Bunn grade is a railroad watch, one that was widely accepted for railroad time service.

The watch case, made by the Star Watch Case Co. is (as you said) a rolled gold plate case. The "hand-scratched" characters in the back are watch repairers' marks.

Having gathered and printed out information about a family watch, it is a wise idea to write out as much as you know about the family member to whom the watch originally belonged. Then, add the names and relationships of the family members who passed it down to the current holder. Make up a booklet with this and all of the watch information and try to keep it with the watch. You might even include a CD or, better yet, a USB thumb drive with copies of the pictures or information, in addition to the printouts. Even though they may not be readable 100 years from now, some more recent descendent may transfer the files to the then current format and media. This way, the watch has real family heritage instead of it just being an old family watch, the identity and relationship of the original owner having been lost in the distant past.

Oh yeah, we think that these watches are neat too!

Please feel free to ask about anything that isn't clear to you.

Good luck,

 

[David1]

Thanks so much for your reply. That was very informative! The link to the old online catalog is pretty neat too.