Washington Watch Company (Montgomery Ward)

[Gordian]

Question: Did Illinois Watch Co. produce an 18s, full plate, key wind/set pocket watch for the Washington Watch Company? I can not find one listed in Shughart under the usual models: Army & Navy, Liberty Bell, Lafayette, & Senate.

TIA

 

[ben_hutcherson]

For what it's worth-

This came from my junk drawer, but sure looks like an Illinois to me(and the serial number is correct)

View attachment 4414

 

[Fred Hansen]

No, the first 16 and 18 size Washington Watch Co. signed Illinois watches were produced in about 1902 (around 1.6 million serial number) and Illinois was no longer making keywind watches at this time.

The 18 size line of Washington Watch Co. watches were ...

"Lafayette" - 24 jewel
"Army & Navy" - originally 19 jewel, later 21 jewel
"Senate" - 17 jewel
"Liberty Bell" - originally 15 jewel, later (and most) 17 jewel
"Potomac" - 17 jewel

... and these were all nickel finish stemwind watches.

Now some early model 18 size Illinois movements were signed "Washington" or "Washington, P&K", but I've never seen any evidence these were made for Montgomery Ward.

 

[Gordian]

Thanks fellows. For what it is worth, this was the ebay ad that tweeked my attention. http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180601788148&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

It does have a double sunk dial, marked Washington Watch Co. And the movement is signed Washington Watch Co. I cannot make out much of the other imprint. The serial number appears to be 37773??

Any possibility it is a Swiss fake?

Gord

 

[ben_hutcherson]

Ooops, I missed the "key wind" statement in your original post.

As for the watch in question:

It looks a whole lot to me like a Waltham model 1877. I held my English market '77 up next to the screen, and see a lot of similarities. So, it could be a private label '77. It could also be a Swiss fake, although the gold balance would make me lean away from that. I'd be curious to have the full serial number, as well as to see other(far more educated) opinions.

 

[Gordian]

Thanks Ben. I am leaning toward fake. I copied the image to my photo processing software and the serial number looks like 5 numbers: 37773. Also, unless it was a very poor quality image, the engraving appears to be done by hand. So, it could be a Washington Watch Co. dial, on an unmarked mechanism that has been doctored to match. Guess we will never know.

Here is a processed image. The movement reads only The Washington Watch ... there is some smaller engraving further on. The serial number appears to be 5 digits, 3777(?)

Gord

 

[terry hall]

As an opinion... based on case... movement appearance, and mostly the dial itself...

swiss fake.

 

[Gordian]

You are probably correct Terry. But it rather stumps me as to why they would create a fake using the Washington logo on a key wound watch. Apparently, Montgomery watches were all stem wind.

I just find the watch so unusual as to be interesting.

Regards.

 

[Larry Treiman]

Why should that stump you? That Swiss fake came along years before Montgomery Ward created the Washington Watch Company private label for their house brand. Swiss fake makers liked to choose American-sounding names for their creations and "Washington" would seem to qualify as about as American-sounding as one could come up with!

Larry

[EDIT] For an interesting article on the Washington Watch Company and insight on the related "fact scrambling," see the article titled (appropriately) "The Washington Watch Company" by the late A. E. Mathews in the April 1973 NAWCC BULLETIN (Vol. XV, No. 9, Whole Number 163, pp. 194ff.). Back numbers are accessible to members here on the MB.

LT

 

[Kevin W.]

Many people now are surprised about fakes.I wonder how many actually knew these were fakes back in their time.Likely not the average person would know.