The oldest watch we have ever made available to buy, this Elgin pocket watch is in a good case and has a good Albert chain too.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
From the serial number on the movement we can accurately date this watch to being made in 1888. There is a very useful site here that helps with American pocket watches.
CONDITION
American pocket watches of this era are nice – partly because of the engineering, and partly because of the price. They were made in larger quantities than their Swiss competitors, using more of a production line system, which kept prices down then and still makes them affordable now. This Elgin pocket watch has the 108 movement, of which Elgin made 11,000 of them. It has a 3/4 plate which is nicely decorated, and has micro adjustment to fine tune the timing. It is running well. The case appears to be silver, but is not hallmarked. The case is made by Dueber of Ohio, who were only in business from 1873 to 1890. The case has been cleaned of any tarnish, and the case back features an engraving of a stag. The engraving is slightly rubbed, but the back unclips nicely, revealing the dust cover, before you get to the movement. The crown it a little worn, which is to be expected, but is still fully operational. The front also hinges, to reveal the dial. The dial is clean and does have some hairline cracks but no chips. The hands are blued and very straight. The glass is scratched and chipped, but not too badly. The 24″ Albert chain is stamped 0.925, which is sterling standard silver, but the fob is not stamped and appears to be plated. Combined with the case there is quite a lot of silver here, but this is way too nice to smelt.
This watch will be supplied with a presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.
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SIZE
Width with crown 66.5 mm (not including the bow)
Width without crown 51.9 mm
Case Thickness 17.7 mm
Total weight including the chain 218g
All sizes are approximate.
Included with this watch is a 1 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
