new old pocket watch

[demoman3955]

Ive started to think i need to buy my first pocket watch. At 66 years old, thats kind of silly, but im sure ill leave it to one of my kids. Ive never dealt with any pocket watches other then my grandfathers, which is nothing great and im sure the cost to repair it would ought weigh the cost of buying one in working order. My question is about what brand and style? Yep its all a matter of opinion, but like clocks, so many different choices out there, and everyone has their opinion on whats best. I could pick clock makers that i like, but ive yet to see a Gustav Becker pocket watch. lol.
Id just like to hear opinions on what others tend to like and why. I would prefer american made, but thats not set in stone.

 

[Kent]

You may also find the following Encyclopedia article useful What to Look For in Choosing a Vintage Pocket Watch

 

[Bila]

All depends on what expenditure range you are trying to fill, as that will narrow down your options, not much use talking about stuff that is not in your reach

 

[demoman3955]

All depends on what expenditure range you are trying to fill, as that will narrow down your options, not much use talking about stuff that is not in your reach

thats true, but then i cant say i have a set price range. Lets start with im a poor ass white boy living in the getto. lol It can only get better
from there. I guess the better thing to do is see what it would cost to have my grandfathers repaired first.

 

[Bila]

I guess the better thing to do is see what it would cost to have my grandfathers repaired first.

That would be my first step, always great to have a Family "hand-me down", my Family were always to poor to hand down anything that even resembled a watch, let alone anything else of value

 

[musicguy]

Ive started to think i need to buy my first pocket watch.
At 66 years old, thats kind of silly

It does not matter how old or young someone is, it's always
nice to buy your own pocket watch. I would guess you can go two
ways. You can buy a Gentlemans watch, or maybe one that could
have been used on the Railroads. We call these so called
railroad watches Standard watches.

I love and collect both types.

I just pulled out a few and took this photo
The three on top are 12 Size Gentlemans Watches Waltham, Elgin, and Hamilton.
The three on the bottom row are 16 Size and 18 Size Standard Watches
and the same companies Waltham, Elgin, and Hamilton.
These are just examples because Illinois, Rockford, Howard and
others also made fantastic watches.

I believe all of these are reasonably priced.




Or you can buy an old 18 size Key wind watch from the 19th century.
I really like those too.






Rob

 

[mikeflstfi]

Ive started to think i need to buy my first pocket watch. At 66 years old, thats kind of silly, but im sure ill leave it to one of my kids. Ive never dealt with any pocket watches other then my grandfathers, which is nothing great and im sure the cost to repair it would ought weigh the cost of buying one in working order. My question is about what brand and style? Yep its all a matter of opinion, but like clocks, so many different choices out there, and everyone has their opinion on whats best. I could pick clock makers that i like, but ive yet to see a Gustav Becker pocket watch. lol.
Id just like to hear opinions on what others tend to like and why. I would prefer american made, but thats not set in stone.

For what it's worth, I'm 55 and just bought my first pocket watch. Since it's all subjective, just finding something that ties it to an interest you have might help. I like trains, railroads, railroad history, and discovered that there was a thing called railroad timekeeping and that led me to Standard pocket watches and the one that I bought (Elgin BW Raymond Grade 571). If I had a pocket watch that was handed down in my family, I'd have started there because of the history and the sentimental value.

 

[topspin]

My suggestion -

Just search on ebay for "pocket watch". Maybe set a Min spend of (say) $30, to remove some of the clutter. What you should get back is a random assortment of thousands of watches from all over the world. Page after page after page. You are sure to see something that catches your eye.

Note: This is not a good way to choose a first watch. Rather, this is just a way to get a feel for what's out there, so you can focus your search on whichever type of watches best meets your requirements.

On the MB here we all collect different things, in different ways, for different reasons. Some of us have multiple sub-collections. There is no best watch, no best thing to collect, and no right number of watches to have in a collection.

 

[Christopher Burris]

my grandfathers, which is nothing great

I would start by learning everything I could about your Grandfather's watch. The wear on the case is from his hands and daily use and I bet it was very important to him. I know repairing it might be more than it's worth, but a running watch is more likely to be treasured and kept in a nice place when inherited by others.

Please fill us in on your grandfather's watch, would love some pictures. Learning about it, might give you a direction for your first purchase.

Chris

 

[demoman3955]

I would start by learning everything I could about your Grandfather's watch. The wear on the case is from his hands and daily use and I bet it was very important to him. I know repairing it might be more than it's worth, but a running watch is more likely to be treasured and kept in a nice place when inherited by others.

Please fill us in on your grandfather's watch, would love some pictures. Learning about it, might give you a direction for your first purchase.

Chris

grandfathers pocket watch

While looking at clock posts i also started looking at pocket watch posts, and remembered i have my grandfathers watch, which has never worked for me, so i thought id post pics of it. It looks a lot simpler then the ones on others posts. More modest i guess you could say. Im 64, and my...

mb.nawcc.org

 

[Bila]

That McKinley is a nice watch to start a Collection, as well as a nice piece to treasure as it belonged to your Grandfather, not a great resale value in it, but well worth fixing I reckon

 

[demoman3955]

That McKinley is a nice watch to start a Collection, as well as a nice piece to treasure as it belonged to your Grandfather, not a great resale value in it, but well worth fixing I reckon

yeah, after i went back and looked at the old post, i think im going to see about getting it worked on. Value to me dosent matter. I have a lot of old clocks, and its never about what they are worth, its about the maker, and the looks. I worked 50 years of my life, and that was about money, so now my hobbies arent about money. as for collecting pocket watches, im not really into that, but i did find myself getting drawn into it a bit. I do go to a lot of estate sales and have passed up pocket watches, but i think im going to at least start looking. I like most anything thats old. lol

 

[demoman3955]

For what it's worth, I'm 55 and just bought my first pocket watch. Since it's all subjective, just finding something that ties it to an interest you have might help. I like trains, railroads, railroad history, and discovered that there was a thing called railroad timekeeping and that led me to Standard pocket watches and the one that I bought (Elgin BW Raymond Grade 571). If I had a pocket watch that was handed down in my family, I'd have started there because of the history and the sentimental value.

ive been into clocks from about 5 years old thanks to my dad. Im 66 and always liked them but never really could afford to buy high dollar clocks. I like all different makers and styles, so have a lot of different ones now. I like seth thomas clocks, and spotted a few pocket watches made buy them, and seem to want to stray in that direction if i buy another pocket watch. Then again, i dont plan on collecting pocket watches, and im really fighting the urges im having now. lol

 

[Kent]

demoman3955:

To add to the good information posted by the others:

Please excuse me if I repeat some of what you already know, it's easier for me this way. Checking the references listed in the Hampden Watch Co. Encyclopedia article (and looking at your pictures), Hampden movement serial number 3,320,440 can be seen to be
a 16-size,
model 5,
Wm McKinley grade,
Adjusted to Temperature and three positions,
pendant-set (to be confirmed),
open-face movement,
having 17 jewels,
and a Starwheel Patent Regulator.
The movement is fitted with a single-sunk, Roman dial having a R5MT (Red 5 Minute Track).
It was built in about 1915, give or take a year or so.

You can see a brief catalog description of the 17-jewel Wm McKinley grade, along with a picture and where it fits in Hampden's line of model 5 16-size movements, on page 6 of the 1926 Otto Young & Co. Jewelry Catalog, shown below.

Your Watch Case is gold-filled and was made by the Illinois Watch Case Co.

Unless you know that it has been properly cleaned and oiled within the last few years, you should have the watch serviced before running it very much. It may be helpful for you to read the Encyclopedia article on Watch Service and its related links, especially the one to the message board thread on the subject. The Encyclopedia article on Choosing a Pocket Watch Repair Person may be useful as well.

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 - or as far back as you can go, including (and clearly identifying) what you can guess. 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.

Unfortunately, many of the links in our Encyclopedia articles were disrupted when we changed to the current version of our Message Board and its been a long process getting them all reinstated. So, if you come across a broken link, please report it here.

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

Good luck,

 

[demoman3955]

demoman3955:

To add to the good information posted by the others:

Please excuse me if I repeat some of what you already know, it's easier for me this way. Checking the references listed in the Hampden Watch Co. Encyclopedia article (and looking at your pictures), Hampden movement serial number 3,320,440 can be seen to be
a 16-size,
model 5,
Wm McKinley grade,
Adjusted to Temperature and three positions,
pendant-set (to be confirmed),
open-face movement,
having 17 jewels,
and a Starwheel Patent Regulator.
The movement is fitted with a single-sunk, Roman dial having a R5MT (Red 5 Minute Track).
It was built in about 1915, give or take a year or so.

You can see a brief catalog description of the 17-jewel Wm McKinley grade, along with a picture and where it fits in Hampden's line of model 5 16-size movements, on page 6 of the 1926 Otto Young & Co. Jewelry Catalog, shown below.

Your Watch Case is gold-filled and was made by the Illinois Watch Case Co.

Unless you know that it has been properly cleaned and oiled within the last few years, you should have the watch serviced before running it very much. It may be helpful for you to read the Encyclopedia article on Watch Service and its related links, especially the one to the message board thread on the subject. The Encyclopedia article on Choosing a Pocket Watch Repair Person may be useful as well.

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 - or as far back as you can go, including (and clearly identifying) what you can guess. 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.

Unfortunately, many of the links in our Encyclopedia articles were disrupted when we changed to the current version of our Message Board and its been a long process getting them all reinstated. So, if you come across a broken link, please report it here.

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

Good luck,

View attachment 754372

I dont believe the thing has run even sense my dad got it from his dad, so getting it fixed will be in order. I am wondering what types of chains were used back in this time period? Its not had one as long as ive seen it, but it would be cool to get the right chain for it. At my age i tend to drop stuff.

 

[Kent]

...
I am wondering what types of chains were used back in this time period?
...

See the Watch Chain Encyclopedia article; especially the Reference section.

 

[Clint Geller]

Hi Demoman,

This may not be what you want to hear, but given that it costs $150 to $200 to clean and service an antique mechanical watch nowadays, unless you have your own watchmaking skills and equipment, or you plan to acquire them, it doesn't make sense, in my opinion, to collect "cheap" pocket watches at all. If you do, the majority of the money you invest may ultimately end up in watchmakers' pockets if you intend to keep your watches in running order.

This being the case, you would be well advised to make fewer, wiser purchases. How would you do this? Well, first of all, this website is a treasure trove of information for new collectors. Endeavor to take full advantage of it. Beyond that, invest in some books. Books are cheap, whereas the mistakes, which they may help you to avoid, can be expensive. Books can also help you to decide what kinds of watches you want to collect. I strongly advise you to identify one or two achievable collecting goals early on and to focus on them. You can always redefine your goals and shift or broaden your focus later on. And finally, and at least as importantly, get to know other collectors with similar focuses and seek to develop mentorship relationships with at least two or three, because there are some kinds of important collecting information that aren't written down anywhere and which you can only really get through personal connections. 66 is not too late to start. A good first step in this direction would be for you to join the NAWCC, if you haven't already.

Good luck! You will find that most of us here are happy to help.

 

[demoman3955]

Hi Demoman,

This may not be what you want to hear, but given that it costs $150 to $200 to clean and service an antique mechanical watch nowadays, unless you have your own watchmaking skills and equipment, or you plan to acquire them, it doesn't make sense, in my opinion, to collect "cheap" pocket watches at all. If you do, the majority of the money you invest may ultimately end up in watchmakers' pockets if you intend to keep your watches in running order.

This being the case, you would be well advised to make fewer, wiser purchases. How would you do this? Well, first of all, this website is a treasure trove of information for new collectors. Endeavor to take full advantage of it. Beyond that, invest in some books. Books are cheap, whereas the mistakes, which they may help you to avoid, can be expensive. Books can also help you to decide what kinds of watches you want to collect. I strongly advise you to identify one or two achievable collecting goals early on and to focus on them. You can always redefine your goals and shift or broaden your focus later on. And finally, and at least as importantly, get to know other collectors with similar focuses and seek to develop mentorship relationships with at least two or three, because there are some kinds of important collecting information that aren't written down anywhere and which you can only really get through personal connections. 66 is not too late to start. A good first step in this direction would be for you to join the NAWCC, if you haven't already.

Good luck! You will find that most of us here are happy to help.

no i dont plan on getting too into pocket watches. my thing has been clocks for as long as i can remember. I do know the cost of repairs because its the same whether a clock or a watch. My priority is going to be my grandfathers pocket watch. I do hit a lot of estate sales because ive been buying and selling antiques for at least 40 years, and ive never really looked at the pocket watches, but i may try to get a bit more knowlage about them and what to look for. I hate passing up a bargan. lol

 

[gmorse]

Hi demoman,

I hate passing up a bargan

With some more knowledge you can avoid 'bargains' which are actually money wasters.

Regards,

Graham

 

[demoman3955]

Hi demoman,


With some more knowledge you can avoid 'bargains' which are actually money wasters.

Regards,

Graham

well i say bargains because most estate sale people in my area have no clue about clocks and watches. from time to time i get great deals.