Another obsession . . . Vintage timepieces.
For style and quality of construction few,
if any, watches available today can match those produced from the early to mid
1900s. Below are a few of the watches in my collection. They all run and are
frequently worn. Though quartz watches undoubtedly are more accurate than these
timepieces (with the possible exception of a properly adjusted Bulova Accutron), I find
satisfaction knowing that these watches were produced during a period when
quality and precision were not simply terms used by the advertising department.
Pictured below are some of the more interesting watches in my collection …
Pocket watches
Agassiz - 17 jewel, 10 kt. Gold
filled case, cased and timed in the U.S. by Longines.
Hamilton
Railroad - 992 movement, 21 jewel, adjusted to 5
positions, Montgomery dial, circa 1929 (#2372466).
Wrist watches
Hamilton
“Whitney” - 19 jewel, circa 1936. Less than 1000
produced. This watch is beautifully inscribed: "Col. P.D. Shingleton, Act.
A.G. of W. Va., 1933-1935, From Officers of W. Va. N.G." Interestingly, according to measurement by Geiger-Martin Counter, the old radium filling of hands and numerals was still radioactive!
This caused me to research the issue of radium used in clocks and watches. What
I found was somewhat disturbing and led me to have the dial and hands re-done to eliminate the radium.
Follow this link for more information about radium and watch collecting.
Hamilton
“Driver’s” watch (19 jewel, flexible lugs) and Bulova
“Selfwinding” (17 jewel). Both watches were purchased at a tag sale at an
embarrassingly low price.
Two
Hamilton Masterpiece “Thin-o-Matics” These watches are two of my favorites. Both are 17 jeweled movements and self-winding. The one on the left is 14K gold,
while the one on the right is 10K gold-filled. What sets it apart is its
embossed inscription on the reverse signifying that it was a presentation piece
given in appreciation by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft to an employee for a
quarter century of service. Obviously little worn, it has a beautiful Pratt
& Whitney Dependable Engines with eagle logo and the date presented, March
24, 1968.
Waltham, circa 1927-30.
This 7-jewel watch was bought at an estate sale for $10. After I succeeded in destroying the movement trying to get it to run (!), I was incredibly fortunate to
locate an identical replacement movement at a local flea market for another $10 (it was one of two watches in the entire place -- go figure). This time, after cleaning and lubricating the movement I was successful in my attempts to get it to come back to life.
The result: A beautiful watch -- one that Bogie would surely appreciate! (With suitable apologies to Longines . . .)
Two relatively unknown brands: Orator chronograph (17 jewels ["Rubis"], circa 1940s-1950s) and a vintage Cyma (15 jewels, circa 1920s).
One day during winter I wore the Orator to work. When I arrived home I noticed it was gone! I was frantic.
I went back to work the next day and I looked all over my office and checked with lost and found but it was nowhere to be found.
To say I was depressed would be to understate the obvious! This is a wonderful old watch.
So I went back to where I parked, which, coincidently, was where I parked the day before.
I happened to look down before getting into my vehicle and there it was, face down on the hard packed snow of the parking lot.
The pin holding the strap to the watch had come out and it must have gently slid off my wrist to the ground.
I had missed running over it by less than a foot! It wasn't without damage as the chronograph no longer finctioned.
The story has a happy ending, though, because all it took to get back to (or be better than) before was a trip to my local watchmaker. The Cyma was an inexpensive purchase made during the Spring of 2002. I bought it because it is a nice representation of an early watch by a respected, but not well-known, brand.
