In the aftermath of the Great Kipton Trainwreck of 1891, Webb C. Ball was called upon to develop a nationwide standard for railroad timepieces. In addition to this role, he was also an accomplished jeweler and watch designer. He developed dials, cases, and movements of ingenious design and held numerous patents. In the years after developing the railroad timepiece standards, Ball worked with several watch companies including Hamilton, and Waltham, to develop a special series of railroad grade pocket watches.  Today, these Ball watches remain a significant part of American and horologic history. Because so few of these watches have survived, coupled with often low production numbers (around 200,000 total among all watch companies), they are some of the…

The ability to observe the machinery of time in motion, more than one hundred years after its manufacture, is an amazing experience. But, because dust and debris are an ever-present threat to the precision-crafted parts of a pocket watch’s movement, this type of observation isn’t always possible or practical. Fortunately, several watch manufacturers, to demonstrate the inner workings of their movements, developed what is known as a “salesman display case.”  These cases were specially constructed with a second crystal on the case back rather than a solid back. These were demonstration models and thus were not made available to the public for purchase. Around the turn of the century, it was essential to protect the watch’s movement from dust…

The rich legacy of ancient Rome has remained an inspiration, generation after generation in the Western world. The Roman’s stories, language, and exploits left an indelible mark and a sense of ancient nostalgia that has survived and even flourished in an ever-changing global society. It is no surprise then that the Elgin Nation Watch Company tapped into this ancient sentimentalism when they named one of their finest designs “Veritas.” It’s Latin, the ancient language of Rome, and it means “truth.”  And like Rome of old, the Elgin Veritas was highly successful and enjoyed widespread name recognition during the 20th century. The Veritas design was built for the greatest speed, longest runs, and the most trying tasks of burden. It…

How many machine marvels of a hundred years or more ago have you held the palm of your hand and felt their beating heart, one tick at a time? How many mechanical wonders of the bygone era of the 19th and early 20th century have you encountered that continue to function a century or more beyond their making?  Unlike the silicon chips of today, the mechanical movements of pocket watches from centuries before our time bestows upon us the ingenuity of humanity in a way that we can more easily visualize and, thus, understand. There’s a distinct pleasure in gazing upon the finely crafted parts of a movement and knowing each component’s exact purpose and function. It’s an elegant…

From its inception in 1892, the Hamilton Watch Company was focused on delivering high-quality watches for the railroad industry. Then, in 1893, under the guidance of Webb C. Ball, a new standard was adopted for railroad timepieces by the U.S. Government. The specifications were as follows: “Open-faced, size 18 or 16, have a minimum of 17 jewels, adjusted to at least 5 positions, keep time accurately to within a gain or loss of only 30 seconds a week, adjusted to temperatures of 34 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, have a double roller, steel escape wheel, lever set, micrometric regulator, winding stem at 12 o’clock, grade on the backplate, use plain Arabic numbers printed bold and black on a white dial,…

We are rolling into beautiful springtime, and hope is in the air. Looking ahead to better times, I’m reminded of our country as it emerged victorious from the ravages of World War II, stronger than ever. Winston Churchill understood our strength of will and spoke of it in 1945, “America at this moment, stands at the summit of the world.”  The Hamilton Grade 950Bmovement replaced the venerable Hamilton Grade 950 movement that had been in production for nearly forty years. The two movements are similar in appearance, but the 950B featured a superior balance design, hairspring, cap jewels, and mainspring barrel. This high-end movement also featured solid gold train wheels and rhodium plating on the main plate and bridges. The…

Buying and selling American pocket watches is a serious business. I’m continually scouring the market for the best preserved and most interesting pocket watches I can find. Then setting to work cleaning, lubricating and adjusting the time to offer them for sale.  Don’t get me wrong: my work is also a source or joy and, on occasion, fun. Like when this 18k gold 1886 Elgin came into my possession.  On one hand, it’s a typical example of its type - one of fifty thousand dead nuts reliable Elgin pocket watches that left the Illinois watchmaker’s factory gates 134 years ago. On the other hand, it’s housed in an 18k solid gold hunter case. It's a hand engraved masterpiece that somehow survived the Depression…

Have a close look at this perfectly preserved size 16 Waltham pocket watch. It’s hard to believe it’s 134 years old. True story! This stunning timekeeper left Waltham’s fabled factory in 1886, the same year Karl Benz patented the gas-powered automobile, Dr. John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola and President Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty. The movement dates back even further; Waltham launched the design in 1872. Thanks to the temporal engine’s precision, reliability and price, Waltham became the preeminent supplier of railroad pocket watches for America’s enormous, ever-expanding railway network, not to mention railroads in some 50 other countries.  Waltham didn’t just make millions of railroad pocket watches. The company kicked out the jams with hugely expensive, limited edition…

As we head towards the conclusion of our presidential election, we can see echoes of the rough and tumble politics of the past. This Waltham Model 1883 was born in 1903, when Republican Teddy Roosevelt was heading towards election. Democrats accused Roosevelt of being "spasmodic, erratic, sensational, spectacular, and arbitrary." Sound familiar?  Then, as now, luxury timepieces sold well - even as the race centered on the economy’s effect on the working and middle class. There's no getting around it: this Waltham Model 1883 is the very essence of an upper class gentlemen’s pocket watch. You might even call it the Rolex President of its day.  A simple glance tells us that the Waltham is no bare bones minimalist railroad…

As the weather turns colder, as we look hopefully towards a COVID-free future, many of us turn to the past for solace. We take comfort in the continuity of history, knowing that we’ve come through tough times before, both individually and as a nation.  American pocket watches connect us with our collective history. For me, and maybe you, they hearken back to a time of optimism, grit and ingenuity, when the United States led the world in the mass production of quality timepieces.   But it’s not about wallowing in misty-eyed nostalgia. Part of the pleasure of owning a fully functional and beautifully preserved American pocket watch comes from knowing that it was born in times of trouble and strife,…