Sunday Hunting

[musicguy]

Setting the time and winding right now ....

I am going to wear another Os Elgin today. This one is a 1899 grade 200 Private Label. This is not a rare watch the numbers say 2000
of them were made in two runs but I'm not so sure the second run was made. This is
the only grade 200 ever posted on this forum, and I have only seen one other so far from the first run.
Nicely finished with gold wheels and gold escape wheel, with raised gilded settings. With
frosted and demaskeened plates(my photos don't do it justice).

Rob

 

[Ethan Lipsig]

I just wound up this circa 1891-1893 Howard N-size Series VII. It is in a 14k E.H. & Co.-signed case that has a glass cuvette for displaying the decorated movement. The case has a beautiful, but undecipherable, monogram on one cover, and what appears to be date on the other cover, either 88 or 8-8-88.

 

[richiec]

Wore my 1847 M I Tobias to my sister in law's 80th birthday. Chris Radek fixed it so well it keeps time to within a minute a day and starts ticking on the first wind.

 

[musicguy]

Since I really like the 6 size high grade watches I figured this would be a nice Sunday to wear this watch.
Fairly low production(2,400) 1892 6s Elgin Grade 122 17j
The case is almost holographic in the way the hand engraving stands out.
Interestingly it was more expensive than the B W Raymond at the time(uncased).

Giving it a wind right now

 

[Marv]

All I can say is: WOW!

 

[Kenny S.]

I waited until Easter Sunday to post this beauty. My Waltham '88 21J Maximus. I know it doesn't have the correct Maximus dial, but it doesn't matter since it will never be sold as long as I'm alive. It is an heirloom to my grandson whose name is the same as the watch. The dial in my opinion makes the watch stand out. The pansies actually have rhinestones in the center, very unusual and beautiful.

 

[Marty101]

What a dial-!-thank you for making my day.

 

[Kenny S.]

What a dial-!-thank you for making my day.

Thank you Marty. It really is stunning. The picture doesn't do it justice as the cliche goes. The colors are so vibrant and deep, the flowers almost seem real. Almost certainly an O'hara dial, (unconfirmed) it is one of only a couple of "window" dials I have seen.

 

[Rick Hufnagel]

Simple but awesome today.

 

[Ethan Lipsig]

Today's hunter is this circa 1899 Model 1888 Riverside Maximus in a 14k Hayden Wheeler hunter case. This is a fairly scarce watch, but I am completely uncertain how many were made. I've checked five sources and gotten five different answers.

• 200 hunters & 200 OF, according to the 1980 Autry table
• 100 hunters & 200 OF, according to the reputedly more reliable 1985 Lindberg table
• 1551 hunters & 1551 OF, according the NAWCC serial number database
• 642 hunters & 642 OF, according to the Pocket Watch Database
• Around 700 total of hunters and OF according to my notes

I'd be grateful if any of you would let me know what the correct numbers were.

 

[Kenny S.]

I've checked five sources and gotten five different answers.

This is crazy.

I'd be grateful if any of you would let me know what the correct numbers were.

I too would be grateful Ethan, given that our watches are only 14 S/N's apart.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

I actually got dressed up today and went out to brunch with my brother and sister-in-law wearing a shirt, tie, vest, jacket, and slacks just so I could wear the watch out for a couple of hours; a Hamilton 935 18s watch which is cased in a H. Muhr and Sons GF 20 yr, box hinged HC, Excelsior # 112530 (not original). I got it about 4 years ago, and runs well after a new mainspring and service back then. Maybe I'll wear it for a few days more.
The case is also one of my favorites with the image of the swallow chasing a moth and also being well made and put together.

 

[Lee Passarella]

All these Sunday hunters are great! Happy Easter.

Me? I wore a Swiss-made (Cyma) half hunter from the 1920s. Lazy.

 

[DTSPatrick]

This is crazy.

I too would be grateful Ethan, given that our watches are only 14 S/N's apart.

I'd be grateful if any of you would let me know what the correct numbers were.

That is crazy. I didn’t know there was so much wiggle with this models production numbers. I have 2, both OF (sorry not a hunter for this thread): serials 6,525,682 and 7,003,969. maybe some other runs more than 14 serials apart will help shed light to the real figure.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

This Sunday I took out my 18s Hamiton 927 with a private label dial of Jeweler T. Lowery, of Colchester Illinois. The case appears to be brass and no markings outside of a serial number but has some great die-engraved detail including a raised relief image of an Irish setter on the rear cover. I haven't found any information on the jeweler T. Lowery who received the watch in 1911. Back then Colchester had a population of 1428 but has now shrunk to 1288. Visiting on Google Earth it looks like this small place has fallen on tough times.

 

[Ethan Lipsig]

The hunter I have out today is a circa 1887 Waltham 5-minute repeater/chronograph in a massive 14k rose gold, box-hinged case. Despite having a 14-size movement, the cased watch is about the same diameter as a 16-size watch, 53mm. It weights a hefty 162 grams. The watch has a 17-jewel 3/4 plate movement.

My taste usually runs to very thin watches, not ones like this Waltham that are about 18mm thick. This photo shows the Waltham besides the other watch that's ticking away in my study today, an 18k Haas Neveux that's 4-5mm thick.

As far as I know, Waltham was the only US manufacturer that made repeating watches. I understand that it made 1250-1350, of which 250 also had chronographs or rattrapantes. So this Waltham is a fairly scarce watch.

 

[Kenny S.]

I honestly never tire of looking at your collection Ethan. That one is stunning!

 

[Paul Sullivan]

Hamilton 937 #7247 in a large (2 3/8"), heavy, Fahy's No. 1 coin silver case. The watch and movement together come in at a hefty 8.3 oz, making it the largest and heaviest in my collection.
I lug it around on a heavy wallet chain.

 

[Ethan Lipsig]

In post #110, I showed my circa 1899 Model 1888 Riverside Maximus hunter. Today's hunter is my circa 1902 Model 1899 Riverside Hunter. When I bought the Riverside Maximus, it was in a lovely 25-year Philadelphia W.C.Co. case, the original case as far as I know. Because I dislike gold-filled cases, I bought a model 1899 Waltham Royal that was in a lovely 14k Solidarity case. I moved the Riverside Maximus into the Royal's case, and vice versa. I then gave the Royal to a watch collector friend. The result is very pretty, though not the original combination.

 

[Lee Passarella]

I wore one of my recent acquisitions. I like these Columbus named watches. The movements are kind of spiffy, I think. This is probably from 1902, a year before the Studebakers bought Columbus.
Now I'll have to hold back a little so I can take care of utilities, dinner, gas for the car, and such.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

An early Hamilton 933 18s, 16j watch dating from 1893 in it's original Duebe,r gold filled, ornate die-engraved, hunter case.
In wonderful condition when purchased 5 years ago it looks new.

 

[Jerry Treiman]

This one came out to enjoy the sunlight today. It is a 16-size 23-jewel Howard bridge model, made for them by Waltham in 1904. It went to their agents, Hayden W. Wheeler, who cased the watch in a 14K case of their own manufacture and it was presented to its proud owner as an anniversary gift in 1905.

 

[Ethan Lipsig]

Out for air today is my circa 1897 Elgin Grade 155 hunter. Like Jerry's watch in post #122, this watch is in a 14k Hayden Wheeler case. Grade 155 is one of Elgin's so-called lace doily movements, not as elegant as Jerry's Waltham-Howard bridge movement, but much flashier.

 

[Jerry Treiman]

For this Sunday I am wearing the twin to last Sunday’s watch. ... not an identical twin but perhaps a fraternal twin. Both watches appear to have been delivered to Howard from Waltham on the same day - January 29, 1904 - but apparently followed slightly different paths afterwards. This is an excerpt from the E. Howard ledgers.


H834036 (last Sunday’s watch) was finished with 21 jewels and cased and dialed as most of those sold by H.W. Wheeler were. However, today’s watch, H834035, appears to have not sold immediately after transfer to their Boston office. It was up-jeweled to 23-jewels by the addition of Waltham’s new jeweled mainwheel, adorned with fancy-damaskeened winding wheels, given the new-style double-sunk dial that Keystone was using for the watches that they sold (as opposed to those sold by HWW), and placed in a gold Keystone case.


side-by-side --

 

[Clint Geller]

Out for air today is my circa 1897 Elgin Grade 155 hunter. Like Jerry's watch in post #122, this watch is in a 14k Hayden Wheeler case. Grade 155 is one of Elgin's so-called lace doily movements, not as elegant as Jerry's Waltham-Howard bridge movement, but much flashier.

View attachment 652318 View attachment 652320 View attachment 652315 View attachment 652321 View attachment 652317 View attachment 652322 View attachment 652316 View attachment 652312 View attachment 652313 View attachment 652314

And another stunning Ethan Lipsig case.

 

[DavidBerlin]

This is a great thread. I don't have a pic of the movement for this but this is the watch I wear when I wear a vest.

For my birthday, my Unk, who is most of the way to 90, sharp as a tack and mad as a hatter, bought me a big n tall Perry Ellis vest (I bought a Chinese vest from Amazon only to find, stupidly enough that the pockets were fake--no such issue on a nice well made vest) and this chain, from Swank, early 20th Century, 12KT gold filled. Unk adjusted the chain a little bit so it would work as an Albert chain with a drop.

I am left hand dominant which is why the chain and fob might look "backwards". Downthread I will post a pic of me dressed up and wearing it.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

On this rather chilly and rainy Sunday (up here in eastern MA anyway) I'm carrying a Hamilton 17j pendant set 975. I bought it as an uncased movement-only, 9 years ago yesterday. The serial number dates it to 1921, so it's just turned 100.

I'm not sure where I got the case (purchase or eviction of another movement) but it was in very good condition for a case warranted for only 5 years. The case has bee hive surrounded by "GUARANTEED 5- YEARS" and it's serial number on the inside of the dust cover. A look on the PWDB shows the Keystone Watch Case Co. as the maker. The "Bee Hive" trademark was issued to Keystone in 1900 then they altered it in 1905 and a new trade mark issued. So the case seems to predate the watch by at least 15 years, yet appears to have aged little (think Dorian Gray) over the past 100+ years.
For a case with such a thin gold skin I can find no brassing anywhere, and the mechanical condition and operation of the cover open it to a perfect 90 degrees. I checked inside the bezel (a first for me) and the numerals etched inside the rim matched the last four digits of the case.

This 975 is also one of the best timekeepers I have. I ran it last year for 37 days between November and December wearing it on and off during this time. Testing the watch years prior I knew the average positional errors and placed the watch at night to compensate for daily error. It gained just 2 seconds. Looking at the attached notes for the 974/975 they seem to have gone through many production changes over the years also.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

Sunday Hunting 00:00:01

Early first run Hamilton 925 (still with 931 Damaskeen pattern). The watch keeps great time after a bit of a clean and oil.

 

[Ethan Lipsig]

Today's watch is an interesting Illinois 21-jewel Grade 299 hunter. Illinois only made 900 21-jewel Grade 299 hunters. My circa 1905 hunter is one of a small number with striped damascening, #1,781,757.

I recased the movement, which I bought uncased, in a beautiful 14k gold multi-color boxed hinged Elgin Giant W.C.Co. case #466,259, engraved “B. Mijatovich,” who I haven't been able to identify. When I bought that case, it housed a medium-grade circa 1925 Grade 274 21-jewel Illinois Central movement with sun ray damascening and 3 adjustments, #4,645,601.



I bought my Grade 299 hunter movement because I collect scarce high-grade 12 and 13-size Illinois PWs and because it was a private label (dial only) of a prominent jeweler, J. Herbert Hall, in Pasadena, California, where I have lived for 42 years. I don't recall ever having seen another Pasadena jeweler private label PW. For more about J. Herbert Hall, see https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/i-got-...items-in-our-collections.167420/#post-1354736.

 

[musicguy]

Nice watches Paul and Ethan!

I've been wearing a 16s Hunting cased watch all week(posted earlier in another thread) and enjoying it
but it does take more effort pressing the crown and opening the lid vs the
open face I usually carry don't want to work too much harder. It's
keeping great time.

Rob

 

[Paul Sullivan]

My Hamilton 939,18s,17j, ser.no. 15043. A private label watch from Milwaukee jeweler Adam Bloedel and cased in a Fahy's Montauk, 15 yr. GF HC w/dust cover, #221036, along with original case paper. Additional screw marks indicated another movement(s) have spent time in the case over the years. It had been serviced and a new MS installed not long before the purchase and can still keeps a +/- well within RR standards.
Adam Bloedel was one PL jeweler whom I found quite a bit of information on also, and I've seen a few of his other appear on various auction sites.

 

[musicguy]

Nice!



Rob

 

[Old rookie]

I'll see Rob's nice and raise a very nifty!

 

[Paul Sullivan]

I got out this Hamilton 993 I got back in 2014 to tote around today. The Keystone Cyclone case though guaranteed for 10 years only, seems to have stood up well as it shows little or no wear, firm bow, and zero brassing. Two additional screw marks show the case has hosted at least one other movement.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

This Sunday I brought out my Hamilton 941 marked "The Banner Special" on the barrel bridge and PL dial signed "Sargent Bros., Jewelers & Optometrists, Crooksville OH." Serial no.161215 was finished 5/14/1902 and sold to wholesale jewelers Stein and Ellbogen, Chicago on 5/14/1902.
The lovely Dueber triple hinged coin silver case isn't original and the engraving on the dust cover, "P. Nant Dec. 25, 1900", predates the watch by two years.
Going through the the Hamilton ledgers and serial numbers, I found 71 "Banner Specials" in the 941 production runs though it does not mention them having a special pattern damaskeen like the ones made for Burr & Freer and others.

 

[Old rookie]

A very nice and very interesting watch.

 

[Rick Hufnagel]

Wanted to take something special out for the holiday.

Private label BWR #30158
A huge 6oz coin silver case by American watch co Waltham. Not original, but makes a good home for this early Elgin movement. Had some work done to the case a while back and now its good for another 3,000 miles.


Happy 4th!

 

[PatH]

The engraving inside the case was certainly a treat to see. Thanks for sharing, Rick!

 

[Paul Sullivan]

This Sunday I've brought out a model '92 A.W.W.Co. "Riverside" HC, serial no.7488127, made between 1899-1901and bought back in September 2017. It came in a Dueber 10k GF HC (engraved Peter Anderson on the dust cover) # 3193388 (NOT ORIGINAL).

The die engraved detail on the front and rear covers is visibly worn but the only brassing visible is on the case ring neck and bow. After having the watch serviced early 2018 I ran it for 39 days with an overall average error of +5 sec. per day.

 

[Old rookie]

That is one fine timepiece.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

Took my only 961 out to carry around this Sunday, a watch I bought eight years ago, and was my only Hamilton bridge model until purchasing a 960 last February. The triple hinged Wadsworth is in excellent condition with no brassing or marring with the exception of case ring where the back covers pry points are located. The watch was serviced a few months after I got it and keeps very good time.

 

[Ethan Lipsig]

Today's hunter is my pretty little 18k Series VI Howard G-size, which was what Howard called its version of a 6-size movement.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

Beautiful watch! I like the die engraved detail on the case, particularly the small circular patterns which remind me of nautilus fossils. I have an 18s GF C.W,C.Co. OF case with a similar pattern.
Then there is the ubiquitous swallow (a bird with a lot of symbolism) on the case back of which I have a few, including one chasing a fly. Outside of an eagle I have never seen any other type of bird on a case.

 

[Nathan Moore]

Beautiful watch! I like the die engraved detail on the case, particularly the small circular patterns which remind me of nautilus fossils. I have an 18s GF C.W,C.Co. OF case with a similar pattern.

Paul - In case you are curious, this engraving pattern is typically referred to as "Vermicelli" in original catalogs, named for the similar appearance to vermicelli noodles.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

Paul - In case you are curious, this engraving pattern is typically referred to as "Vermicelli" in original catalogs, named for the similar appearance to vermicelli noodles.

LOL! Thanks Nathan. I thought there was something else familiar with it.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

This Sunday I took out an 18s Hamilton GT 927 "Union Special" sold to H.F. Hahn Co. of Chicago in 1909. Hahn seems to have been one of the largest buyers of Union marked variants. This particular watch was from 200 consecutive 227s with "Union" in the item heading and all going to Hahn according to to ledger entries.

The watch is fully gilt trimmed, including screws and regulator parts though some GT screws are missing and have been replaced by nickel screws. The dial the movement came with was very poor and this replacement came from spares I have. The watch as purchased came in an old beat up Silverode case, and I replaced it with the one seen hear; a Keystone GF case with no marking except for the serial number and small stamps of the Keystone scales and company emblem. The die engraving is very good and I can't seen any brassing anywhere on the case or stem. The one issue is the cover hinge, which was somehow bent up a bit and effects the ease of closing.

 

[musicguy]

I like the watch, but I also like that dog engraving. Nice.


Rob

 

[Old rookie]

I like the dog too even if it isn't a terrier.

 

[Rick Hufnagel]

Today I am taking this Elgin 16s, grade 114 for it's first outing.


Oops, this is the Sunday hunting thread.... Here ya go!




Thrilled doesn't even begin to describe how excited it am to finally own one of these Muckle patent cases. Thanks to Dave for getting the case back to functioning and looking good!

Below is the obligatory action shot, coupled with the movement and case trademarks.

Have a good day everyone!

 

[Clint Geller]

I like the watch, but I also like that dog engraving. Nice.


Rob

So you like dog engravings on watchcases, do you Rob? How does this one strike you? The 18K case is by J. M. Harper. The movement is a 17 jewel first run E. Howard & Co. Model 1858 Type C divided plate keywind (a.ka., "Series I"), SN 269, assembly number 19, with a unique glass enamel dial. This movement originally was intended to be SN 119, the nineteenth Howard divided plate keywind movement, but it was held back when Howard bought out Charles Rice's interest in the watchmaking operation and a new barrel plate with the "E. Howard & Co." name was prepared to replace the original "Howard & Rice" barrel plate.