Thank you so much for this video. I have an 1896 Elgin I inherited from my great grandpa. I never knew how to set the watch . It is a lever-set watch, and your video taught me how to set it.
Great video! I love your appreciation for the beauty and craftsmanship that went into these watches. I have an Elgin made in 1896 that I love. I also love it for the time period it was made in. I don't feel right leaving the house without it.
Wow - I had the full Proustian experience watching that! My grandad had an old metal cigarbox that contained the vestiges of three or four old broken pocket watches, together with thousands of tiny cogs, springs and screws. It was my favourite thing to play with when I visited him as a child. Watching you take those magnificent timepieces apart I could practically feel the ridges on the edges and the fluting of the crown. Gave me goose-bumps. Also, if you ever visit London you absolutely must go to to the Greenwich observatory and museum - apart from visiting a place where Isaac Bloody Newton used to work, they have the actual bona fide Harrison clocks there! You'd love it.
Oh my, Pocket Watches! Just discovered your channel and then I find this. I won't carry anything but a Pocket Watch and it took me years to find somebody who could repair the watches I inherited from Great-Grandfather and Grandfather. I wouldn't dare actually carry them, except for some silly special event, but yeah, good to see somebody else appreciate them. Oh, and setting the regulator, I got to see the repair on my GGF's watch. The guy put it on a stand, with a microphone, so he could hear the ticks, then showed me how the rate changed when the watch was horizontal versus vertical, and asked how I wanted it set. If I dared wear it, it would be in a vest, so would be vertical, so that's where he fine tuned it. That one is a Waltham from about 1905.
Just super, Fran. I worked as a parts counter an for a watch parts and jewelry supplier many decades ago. The partnership included a full time watchmaker, who trained me in doing minor work on all watches, but my apprenticeship was in working on pocket watches. Thanks for your interest and your explanation of setting and correcting or adjusting the time.
I have my great-grandfather’s pocket Elgin (1896). I just started binging all information I can find about them in the last 24 hours. I always watch Fran’s new videos, but UA-cam just realized I’d want to see this now. It doesn’t run currently but I’m getting it serviced now. I was tempted to learn and get all the tools to do it myself. Fran, I looked up your serial in pocketwatchdatabase and it’s called a Grade 279, model 5, class 9. Overland variation. 1904. Mine’s also a model 5, grade 150, class 7. 21 jewel. Pretty cool stuff!
Really enjoyable video. I recently purchased a 1917 Timothy Eaton railroad grade pocket watch with setting lever and 24 hour dial. It was certified for use on the Canadian rail. T. Eaton of course is the name of the store that sold it. The watch features a 21 jewel Gallet movement adjusted to 5 positions, and like your watches, very well decorated. I also have a 1960 Ball railroad watch with setting lever certified for use on American rail. Not as pretty as the T Eaton watch, but very accurate and gets the job done. Keep these videos coming.
I agree. My daily watch is my 21 jewel T. Eaton watch with Gallet movement made in 1917 and certified for use on the Canadian rail. It features a 24 hour dial with Roman numerals on a porcelain dial, Arabic 24 hr numbers inset of the Roman numerals. The case is gold engraved with floral design. I still wear my Omega Speedmaster Mark 4.5 on my wrist but only for the stop watch function and the day & date. The hour and minute hands are not set to the actual time so I must pull out my pocket watch when I need to know the time.
Dear Fran... 99.5 correct...very very respectable. a couple minor 'nomenclature' misinterpertations.. i did a 3 1/2 year apprenticeship with a 3rd gen watchmaker/jeweler... i'm not an expert..and i'm 'rusted'..i could have spent 20 years with my mentor and not got it all. However..ask me anything..glad to share..maybe via 'chat/talk'...it makes me happy to see someone still interested and appreciating this dying art form. p.s. that's called a 'swing-ring' case style..n safety pinion is threaded on center wheel so if mainspring breaks..it unscrews instead on stripping gears..'full back plate' as opposed to 'skeletonized'. Thanks for your vid/blog...2 thumbs up. etc etc etc...i 'run' on......tick tock.
Deeremeyer1, sir I can only surmise from your long winded tirade that you can not read and understand simple English. Therefore that makes you a long winded ignorant moron. First you responded to someone who commented three years ago who is quite likely your elder and for all you know may no longer be alive so bite your tongue , second the man went to great length to explain that he was not an expert, and third he did tell her the very slight mistake she made in a kind informative manner. So next time , since you are a legend in your own mind as a mechanic I will put this in terms you might understand, make sure you don't put your mouth in gear before your brain is fully engaged, although I fear your brain might have a stripped gear or two. You sir are the only ego maniac here and I suspect the reason you have worked under so many "true professionals" is because you are too dense to be taught anything. Bragging about having so many jobs usually means you have been fired a lot. True experts don't go around bragging about how great they are, as their peers do it for them proclaiming them to be experts. They exercise humility, something you obviously know nothing about. Degrees are useless if you don't have the common sense to use them. I suspect the only reason you got them or even had a job or many jobs was because of programs set up for people like you and not because they were earned. As for these other countries you are spouting off about most of them offer excellent educations and have schools that far exceed ours and we hire their people here because they are brilliant unlike yourself and most of our labor pool. Thank You Sir.
I'm a Millennial who trusts my grandpa's watch more than 70 years ago. I'm so grateful for you. I've sent it in for cleaning this week because of you. I'm teaching my own son and daughter to appreciate this at a time and "leverset", which I DO need to tell this is a "Leverset" for them to have any idea what these kids are meant to do. We MUST catch up to what kids are saying or all this will be lost to the 'pretty' back workings and winding gear of the working of the watch.
thank you so much, this video helped me out alot. I wanted to give the pocket watch that my grandfather gave me to my son but I could not understand why it would not keep up time. Now because of you my son can pass down a piece of family history.
Thanks Fran for sharing your knowledge and passion for pocket watches. Your uncanny presentation was both interesting and informative. You’re a natural teacher! :)
I just found this and ....I never knew this was on the channel! Perfect timing ,I just started looking into these after 18 years of "thinking about " getting one. Very helpful !
Thank you for letting me know how the regulate my 1920 Elgin 17J pocket watch. It was easy to do. The winding crown was out of it's socket when I bought this watch as "broken for parts" A UA-cam video showed me how to fix that. And again easy to do. My hobby is antique clocks I have about a 100 of them that I made new looking again. I enjoy brining life back to the old clocks most of them needing bushings to make them strong running again. This is my first Pocket watch that I ever had, but after seeing pocket watch videos I realize I do not have the tools or fixtures to repair them like I do for clocks. So I will just stick to repairing clocks that I am comfortable with.
Very interesting video. Watching it once was all it took to send me into a pocket watch rabbit hole. I've since purchased my first and second pocket watches. A 16s Elgin 17j from 1918 and a 6s Waltham 7j 1873-6 dated to 1889. And, I'm on Ebay running on another tab hunting for a 3rd one. lol
Fran, Thank you for the excellent demonstration. I am especially impressed by your skill at closeup (macro) photography. I also have and love fine pocket watches and my favorite is an Illinois A. Lincoln railroad watch. You are right about the need for maintenance, and I have had to take my pocket watches apart to clean and oil them periodically. If I may offer a bit of information, I believe the lever-set design was a requirement for railroad certification. (My Illinois is RR certified.) The reason was to prevent one from accidentally mis-setting the time with the stem. Also "gold filled" refers to a thin layer of gold alloy laminated onto a base metal case. The gold alloy is still much thicker than gold plating. Gold filled cases are less expensive than those of solid gold alloy (and generally stronger since gold is a squishy metal), yet the gold is thick enough that it will not wear away in normal use. Please keep up your excellent work
Fran - I discovered your videos a few days ago and immediately fell in love! Lady nerds are the best!! And I know you'll appreciate a little tidbit of trivia I learned a number of years ago from an old-time watchmaker: The "Safety Pinion" is a very cool engineering feature, where the first small gear (the "pinion" gear) driven by the mainspring barrel is threaded to its shaft rather than hard-fused to it. Why? In the event the fully-wound mainspring would suddenly break, the large jolt of energy will unscrew the pinion gear rather than knock gear teeth out of the mechanism. Watchmaker just replaces the spring and screws the pinion gear back into position, instead of totalling out the gearwork of a fine watch. Just thought you'd enjoy knowing this!!
just inhariated 1901 family hairloom nowing little to nothing about pocket watches . learning about it and found this VERY informative and seems like souch a nice lady im not a internet coment person but i couldent believe somone thums down this video . its PERFECT even a recomindatin on a person that works on them .. in mass to boot im in maine ... thanks fran
Being a Chicago native and my late grandfather having been a watch and clock repairer from the 1930's until his passing in 1986 I have to mention that the G in Elgin in not pronounced as a guh sound but a J sound, with it being said as El-Jin. Named after the Chicago suburb the factory was originally set in as the National Watch Company when the factory opened in 1866 and renamed the Elgin National Watch Company in 1874. I went with my grandfather to the original Elgin plant in the early 1960's to buy some parts they were surplusing when they closed the Elgin plant leaving the Aurora, IL and Lincoln, NE plants opened. I believe the Elgin National Watch Company closed in the late 1960's but the name has been sold and resold many times, now being used on crap from China. My problem with a pocket watch is that wearing jeans at work in a factory I bang into things at hip level so I tend to damage them. Years ago before wrist watches most people had a vest or jacket with a watch pocket in it about midway between shoulders and waist. I only wear a watch at work to keep track of breaks and such, it sits on the table after work. After I got a metal banded wrist watch between the frame of my van and the positive terminal on the starter (yeah duh I forgot to disconnect the battery) and got a nasty burn from that, I quit wearing metal bands and with carrying a cell phone there is no need on a regular basis to wear a watch, pocket or wrist. Even the radio in my vehicle has the time so it's of no use to carry a pocket or wrist watch for me. I do have a single 18 size Elgin that was my grandfather's personal watch that he set all the clocks in the shop with after he set it's time to the church clock bells down the street from his shop in Roseland (neighborhood in Chicago)
@@shawnothan34 Fran is the second instance of of a person using the hard G in Elgin watches, I prefer the soft G myself. The soft G has always been used for Elgin boats AFAICS, LOL.
the more jewels in the watch the better? I have watched this video about 3 times now, find these little things absolutely fascinating. Really glad I found your youtube channel Fran :)
I agree with Joel. It is "J". (Phonetically, "ELJIN". Like the Elgin Pelican, street sweeper). Love your videos, Fran. You are so multi faceted. A Jewel, if you will. :-) Those watches are priceless. Mint.
Thanks for your informative video - I found this extremely helpful when needing to adjust my own pocket watch Your pocket is really nice and in great condition The workmanship that went into making these type of watches is astounding
Fran, the safety pinion is a small gear on the center wheel that takes power from the Mainspring barrel. If the Mainspring lots go then the energy reverses in direction and I Screws the small gear on the center wheel and prevents damage to the gear train. This is the function of the safety pinion
I have one of the last Illinois Bunn Specials made in 1926-1927 run right before they were sold to Hamilton. My case is bit more fancy with more engraving. Has served me well and keeps very accurate time. 16s, 19j, lever set, Railroad grade, and all the engraving inside is filled with a ruby red paint that matches the jewel color. I used it when I worked on a scenic railway in Virginia. An heirloom passed down from family who worked on C & O railroad. I have been its steward for some 30 years and I too am very fond of mechanical things.
Excellent and very helpful. Saved me a trip to a watchmaker. I have a number of railroad grade pocket watches and one was running a bit fast. Just adjusted it following your example so will see tomorrow if it was enough. I've enjoyed vintage pocket watches for many years, not only are they great tools they are fine art when you look at the movements. Thanks for the excellent video. I will have to find someone to service some of my watches and maybe some restoration but the prices in the Los Angeles area are more than the cost of a nice watch and finding someone who is competent on vintage watches is difficult.
Hey Fran just picked up a westclox pocket ben.Ibelive from the 1970s and may have over wond,played with the largest cog and got it to start ticking.used your vid to get it right and know working great thans a bunch Ray
The advantage of the lever-set method is that the watch can't be set accidentally in your pocket, that's why it was required on Railroad watches. a stem-set watch the stem can get pulled accidentally as you move around and then either the hands are stopped, or randomly moved, and you don't know what time it is. Railroad watches had to be accurate to within 30 seconds a week, having one accidentally thrown off was potentially disastrous, since it was the combination of accurate clocks, accurate schedules, and attentive crews that kept trains from running into each other on the tracks. Gold Filled isn't an alloy, it's plating. Two thin layers of gold on either side of a layer of brass (or other base metal) for strength then heated/pressed/rolled to the desired thickness, which also welded them together. Gold Filled is about 10% gold, which is much more than other plating methods. Often for watch cases, the outer gold layer was thicker than the inner layer, because they were (in theory, though often not in practice) guaranteed not to wear through for some period of time, and the inside gets essentially no wear where the outside is constantly being rubbed against something.... This is a great video, thank You. Now I want to know everything you've ever taught!
Fran, I just 'discovered' you! Happy to see a fellow (fellowette?) pocket watch enthusiast. Thanks for the tips on regulating. My personal collection has two favorites (among many others), an 1891 Elgin 16 size, open face, 15 jewels, with a 14K solid gold engraved case (128 years old!), and a 1894 American Waltham Watch Co. Ladies pocket watch, 7 jewels, 14K gold filled case (125 years old!) which is worn by my wife on a necklace chain. Both are absolute "MINT' condition, serviced by a master pocket watch restorer who accepts only one watch at at time by reservation only. Both watches are impressively accurate. I purchased the Elgin from the widow of the man who bought it new in 1891. I'll never part with any of these, as I feel it's American History... when they're gone - there'll never be any more. The most difficult aspect of my hobby is those who bring pocket watches to me, usually a long suffering heirloom, wanting them appraised. My first advice is to inform them of "expectations' while attempting to explain the word "GOLD" doesn't mean they're holding a fortune in their hands. That said, I truly love pocket watches and wear them virtually daily. They are great conversation starters! John
Hey Fran, I've been watching your electronics vids for years. I did not know you were into mechanical watches in the least bit. Just when I thought you couldn't get any more awesome... Keep up the amazing content! -Luis
Beautiful watches ! I have always been fascinated with mechanical watches! Especially the older watches. Amazing pieces and to me works of art. I can not help but think of the people who made them and used them in their day and all of the places they have been, the abuse they had to take on a daily basis being bounced around on horseback and continue to work with all of the fine and tiny inner workings ! Just amazing !
I have an Americal Waltham 1883 Movement in a beautiful case and I was wondering what the two (2) screws near the regulator arm are for. Are they at 90 deg to each other with one screwing down and the other screwing parallel to the movement. are these for regulating the beat error?
While the tension on the hairspring may or may not change as a result of moving the regulator lever, it is the change in effective operating length of the hairspring that gives change of rate. Excellent vid and you are very good at close observational work and demonstation and description of fine mechanism. Voice tone and pronunciation are just right, and edification of the student is assured.
I carry an 1886 Elgin that was my Great Grandfather’s when he worked for the railroad. It’s exactly 100 years older than me. Would Love to see more videos like this.
I used to have an Elgin Closed cover pocket watch which kept great time. It was a 17 jewelled piece. Someone liked it better and it vanished. It was a 24 karat gold inlayed cover too with white porcelain dial face. Love the T Shirt too-cool. Yep, they just don't make this quality stuff anymore. I know lots of folks who can't read an analog clock. Very cool and interesting video and I learned something too. Thanks Fran.
USWaterRockets Watches are ideally homeostatic, but I do think that in larger pocket watches that barometric pressure and temperature can slightly influence the period of the balance wheel, as does too much motion. I don't recommend jogging with it.
Fran is right. If you look at the balance wheel, you will notice that the rim has two gaps and is bi-metallic for temperature compensation. There are also little screws spaced around the rim to adjust for position errors. Finally, most good watches use the Breguet balance (hair) spring. This is wound with the outermost turn rising out of the plane of the spring and passing over the rest of the turns. This makes the balance isochonous. That is, itmaintains a constant rate in spite of changes in amplitude as the spring winds down.
Many of the higher-end watches were adjusted to 5 or more positions (different orientations) to ensure accuracy no matter how it was carried. Occasionally one "position" would also be temperature variation of some sort.
I just received my Great Grandfathers watch from 1899. Hampden Watch Co. 23 jewel lever watch. It works. Once i learned how to set the time and wind it. Great video. Thanks.
I recently purchased a 1904 NY Standard pocket watch as my first pocket watch, and I am in love with it. It is relatively accurate, but it does turn out about two minutes slow over the course of an hour, and I was wondering how I might be able to fix that. Wonderful video! Thanks!
Great video and very informative on the essential practical level. I have a 1926 Hamilton that my grandmother gave grandpa as a wedding gift in 1933 and another, almost identical, Hamilton. (I don't know why. Having another seemed a good idea at the time. Both are 992 railroad grade watches. One was beginning to lag a little and you have now saved me a trip to a repairman. I have a few watchmaker tools I picked up at an estate sale so having the very fine screwdriver was not a problem. I carry one of them with me every day. I also have a 1930's Wittnauer wristwatch, but I just prefer to carry the pocket watch.
After watching this it suddenly dawned on me that my dad has his father's pocket watch.... so I ran to check it out, and it's a Santa Fe Express with an Illinois movement. I'm a wrist watch collector, and know nothing about pocket watches, so I don't know if there's anything special about his dad's watch... but now I want to get it running, even if for anything to make a desk clock out of it with the hanging case it has. Do you know anything about Santa Fe Express watches?
I initially read the title as "Setting and Regurgitating Pocket Watches". I own a couple of antique clocks with spring balancers, one of which I guess is worn out as it's never worked since I got it and the other one which I screwed up when I was younger. I recently got it in my head to try and figure out how to fix them (the latter belonged to my mom and she'd probably be pretty excited if she saw it working again), and while this isn't exactly the same thing, I figure it can't hurt to know. Thanks for the learnings!
I think this is the second time I've watched this video. After going through a few cheap modern pocket watches I finally acquired an older pocket watch. It's running a little fast. I think I'm hooked. I might have to acquire a few more, and start wearing vests so I can carry them properly. I usually have stuff in both front pants pockets that might scratch a watch.
Hey Fran. I’ve just started enjoying pocket watches; purchased an Elgin 16s 15 jewel off of ebay, nothing fancy. I tried to contact Paul Bubb to have it serviced. I don’t know if he’s no longer doing the work, but I received no reply. Do you know of any other horologists? Thanks
This was fascinating. I`ve always loved watches and anything mechanical, I never new a girl that was interested in the mechanical aspect of them nor one interested in pocket watches. I always enjoy your videos and look forward to the next.
Hey Fran, I've got a couple pocket watches that are accurate to within six seconds a month, one is a grade 161 Elgin and the other is a Illinois 23J Illinois Bunn special. Really amazing how well they function.
I could be wrong, I am not a watchmaker, but I was told once that 17 jewels were all that were needed for a watch that was made to be wound regularly. The 21 jewels were necessary for those later watches that had "self-winding" mechanisms needing the extra fine bearing surfaces for that function. Of course in that day a common salesman's trick was to sell a non self-winding watch at a higher price by counting the zircons of the outside trim as part of the "jewel" count to make the customer think it was the more expensive "21 jewel" he was getting at a bargain price. At my division at Hughes Aircraft we got into digital watches at the very beginning because of a contract with Timex for a crystal controlled electronic drive component we made for their analog watches made to compete with the then famous "Astronaut approved" Bulova Accutron. We were driven out of the business quite quickly by Asian made knock-offs partly because we were told to be competitive in that price range we had to have "water-resistant" cases. The knock-offs were not, but sold for just under our lowest cost versions. These were the days when folk would by anything with an LED display just because it was the latest and greatest, despite having to push a button to see the time. Pocket watches were better in that it only involved one hand to bring it into view.
You are more or less correct about the jewels. After 21 (or sometimes 23) jewels, extra jewels like diamonds were sometimes added as cap jewels, mostly for decoration.
Hopefully it's never too late to make a comment! A 17 jewel watch is considered to be "fully jeweled". That means that the entire gear train (except the mainspring barrel) and escapement are jeweled. However, only the balance wheel has cap jewels. The next step is 19 jewels which add jewels to the mainspring barrel. After that is 21 jewels, which adds cap jewels to the escape wheel. The odd jewel count is the one roller jewel on the roller table of the balance assembly. This jewel engages the pallet fork momentarily at the relaxed point of the balance swing. The minimum jewel count for a watch that could be considered "decent" is 7 jewels. You can get good performance from a 7j watch although it will wear quickly if it's not maintained regularly. I would think jeweling the escape wheel (9j) would be minimum, but for some reason you rarely see that.
Nice video. I don't have a pocket watch but always wanted one. I see many 16s watches, how much smaller are those? Plus the brands are Hampton, Waltham and so on. Which is a good brand,if we're to get one and how much should I spend? The watches you have are beautiful, especially the Illinois. 18s seems to be a size I would like,but can't find working ones.
As a very young child I remember sitting next to my watchmaker grandfather as he worked on watches. All the very fine tools and even the the small container of whale oil for oiling the fine parts. He even had a tiny lathe to turn replacement parts he couldn't find. After he past away I would watch one of my uncles do the same. Now days my cousin has the tools and still does it now and then as a hobby.
Good video Fran! You are like a dream come true. A nice girl who likes pocket watches. I have been on a watch kick since I was a kid. Have went overboard the last year or so. Have my grandfather's 1916 Elgin that is running fine. Also have collected a couple of Illinois, Hamilton and Waltham pocket watches as well as some vintage Hamilton wristwatches. Have been tinkering, cleaning and regulating them as well. Hard for most people to believe in this electronic age that something mechanical and over one hundred years old can be so accurate.
Great to watch, thank you! I started out with Waltham and Elgin USA made pocket watches. Lately I’m into English pocket watches of the late 1700s to mid-1800s... fascinating and very beautifully decorated movements and cases :-)
Thank you so much, you were very helpful. I just bought a 1945 Hamilton 992B pocket watch which is running a little slow. I now know what it needs to run on time, thanks to you.
Nice! I currently wear a Tissot half-hunter (not antique) which I bought back around the '80s or early '90s. After a recent servicing, it tends to run about 1-2 minutes slow: unfortunately, the regulator has no F/S markings, so I'm not sure which way it should be nudged. Is there an industry standard that I can trust to tell which way is which? Interestingly, that little mini-pocket above your front trouser pocket was originally intended for a watch pocket; it looks a little too small for that watch, though.
Unfortunately no, some are clockwise to make faster, others are counterclockwise. Usually (but still not always), movements from the same manufacturer are the same. Looking at a few photos of Tissot pocket watch movements, they all were clockwise to make faster. If you can find an image of a movement that looks similar to yours with the F/S or A/R markings, then go by that. Otherwise, just try one direction and let it run for a day or two, you'll figure out whether you were correct.
I have a modern Hamilton wristwatch with a Swiss movement. At first it was losing 30 seconds per day, so I had it adjusted by a jeweler. Now it gains only a few seconds per week! I love winding it up each day. I love to listen to it tick. I love the sapphire crystal that never gets scratched. And I LOVE never having to change its battery. Daily winding is not as much of a hassle as changing a battery once a year! It's my only real luxury item. It was NOT cheap, but it's really worth it to me. It's a treasure.
Very cool collection. My dad recently gave me my grandfather's Hamilton Bradford B wristwatch that was made in 1960 or '61. He got it for 25 years with Wyman Gordon operating the huge drop forge at the Ingalls Shepard division in Harvey Illinois. It has the 22 jewel caliber 770 movement and still keeps amazing time to this day. It cost $150 in 1960, which would be like $1200 today. Of course, if you did buy a watch just like it today, it would cost much more than that.
Nice video. FYI that "spring thing" on the regulator is referred to as a "whip". Gotta love classic American pocket watches. I'm a sucker for any Bunn Special watches -- craftsmanship at its finest.
*Hi Fran :) Looks like you have a rare example of an 8 Hz beating escapement pocket watch movement there. Notice how fast and how far the swing of the ballance wheel is ? Usually they are 4 Hz escapements that beat 4 times per second. However I think yours is going 8 times or "swings" a second. This makes the movement's overall chronology much more accurate that the average watch.*
How would a pocket watch be opened if you cannot find a little dent where the back is snapped open? I have a smiths pocket watch and for a long time it has been a very fast ticker and I have always wondered how it get it open.
Fran I was really surprised when you were showing how to wear a pocket watch then didn't put it in the watch pocket on your jeans! I've been using my Dad's Great Grandpa's 1889 Elgin. I've always heard it called El' jin.
I love antique pocket watches and clocks, i have a few pocket watches and clocks from the 1920s to 1940s, i look at them with much interest especially the ones from th 20s the history of the people that have been and gone before you owned them, i always wonder what were they like etc one of my pocket watches has been through several generations of my family you see the photos of olden days where thay have the watch your holding on thier waist coat its amazing, so much history in these old clocks.
Fran, I waited and waited for you to get out a signal generator, scope and some other toys then compare to a modern watch to set your regulator. The old and the new would have been compelling Maybe next time?
Good ol' inka (inca?) block Timex(8-). Nobody would work on the old Timex but Timex themselves. I've had a couple of the 'ol "gear shifters" over the years. Railroaders liked 'em because there was little danger of the stem being pulled out by accident. That could mess up a railroader's day(8-). I once got a pocket watch real cheap because it wouldn't stay running. It'd tick off a few clicks and stop. I opened it and found the hair spring was kinda wadded up...magnetized...the loops were rubbing on each other...no wonder it didn't wanna run. Well...that's easy enough to fix...with a Weller 100/140 watt soldering gun. Pull the trigger and wave the soldering gun around pretty close to the watch... sort of a circular pattern that takes the gun a little farther away all the time...and be at least 3 feet away when you release the trigger. You can time it all thusly...buy the time the tip heats up and that little bit of flux starts smoking, be about 3 feet from the watch and shut off the gun. I think there is a God though(8-). Someone gave some mortal a recipe for a non ferrous alloy to make balance springs. The non magnetic watch was born(8-). I kinda like the chain type lanyards to hang a watch from...but that's just me. any "life line" is a good one(8-). Oh...hmmm...I see why 'yer packin' that one in THAT pocket. That tiny little watch pocket ya got there on them jeans...Don't you feel cheated?!?!?
I have n 1874 Elgin #18 key wound that I love. As a cabinetmaker, in dust, I have to have my watch cleaned once a year. It always comes back running good but I have to regulate it eventhough the repairman set it with a beat timer.. Once I get it regulated this watch keeps Perfect time and only has to set it about once a month
Beautiful movement and the quality of work is amazing on these. Mesmerizing to watch. Another great and informative video. The balance is like a little heart beating in there. So many awesome things are lost to modern digital devices. Not that they're bad, just well, boring I guess ;-) Anyway, thanks!
Well how many attempts at regulating did it take and what accuracy did you achieve? And That small pocket watch you don’t prefer probably fits perfectly in that jeans watch pocket you don’t use. Enjoyed the vid. I just caught the watch collecting “bug”. Is there an antidote to this addiction?
I loved this video on your pocket watches. I recently just bought my first Waltham pocket watch. I was wondering if you can tell me the model and grade of your Elgin pocket watch?. Keep the pocket watch vids coming. Thanks
I was wondering if its possible to adjust any mechanical pocket watch? Mine is loosing 4 seconds every 5 hours. It is not the cheapest one out there. But my 15£ german mechanical watch keeps time much better. Is it true that in general mecanical watches varies with 1 minute in 24 hours?
I’ve always found you to be a very beautiful and also incredibly informative lady. I’m glad that you make your videos. I always enjoy them and we really like the same things so I have yet to find one that bores me. Keep doing what you do, thank you for this video. I just got the same watch you did in the video so I look forward to fiddling with it.
You can get a cheap skeleton sealed pocket watch and learn and enjoy the movement to get hooked. You can see the escapement turn, see the mainspring slowly unravel inside its little cylinder so you know it's time to wind it a little at least. The second hand in the center is a neat "complication" compared to having it below. You can see the second hand gear below all the others and watch it turn with the second hand through the back window. Hmmm... I'm switching to a cloth fob just because that chain makes contact with the watch all the time. The fob thing applies to cameras as well. There is a reason even the cheapest camera has a strap on it. If you don't wear your camera on a strap, you'll remember after the camera (or watch) hits the ground and you'll never forgive yourself.
Kudos for giving some truly excellent advice on how to open and close watch cases. There's too many people who inadvertently break the winding stem in swing-out cases like your Illinois, or don't take care when screwing back the front bezel of a watch and end up cross-threading it. But I'm afraid there's a handful of points that could be improved. In no particular order: 1. You make it sound like the safety pinion is related to the "closed" construction of the Elgin and the disassembly process, but in fact it's a device to protect the watch if the mainspring breaks. The mainspring is the strong spring that powers the watch. Back in the day it was the part most prone to breaking, and when it did so it spun out violently. The point of the safety pinion disconnects the mainspring from the rest of the mechanism in order to prevent damage to the gears. 2. What you term the "closed" construction of your Elgin watch is what's called full-plate construction, which is the original watch layout and dates back to the 1500s. (Actually earlier, since it was borrowed from clocks.) The thinner styles like your Illinois are more modern, but they date back to the late 1700s (look up "Jean-Antoine Lépine" for more detail). Both styles were made simultaneously for about 150 years. In the 19th century, most English watches were full-plate, most Swiss watches were cutout bridges, and American watches were a mix. 4. Elgin's full plate watches date back well beyond the 1890s. They made their first full plate watches in late 1860s, kept on making these in large numbers as late as the 1910s, and they still sold a few as late as the early 1930s. There made various refinements along the way. 5. But also all through this time and into the 1960s Elgin also made thinner watches, more similar to the Illinois that you illustrate. 6. Before 1920 or so, American watches generally left the factory without cases. Watch dealers bought watch mechanisms and cases from different companies, and put them together for sale to customers. So your 1904 Elgin can be found in either style of case that you illustrate in the video. 7. 20 seconds a day isn't bad for a watch of this vintage, but to put this in perspective, American watch companies made millions of watches for railroad use that were required to be accurate within 30 seconds a week, and regularly inspected to make sure they did. This is mostly a function of how much work the watch company put into fine-tuning ("adjusting") the watch. That's what the "Adjusted" marks mean on your watches; the finest watches had markings like "Adjusted in five positions, temperature and isochronism"; the middle-of-the-road ones just "Adjusted" like yours; and the most affordable ones didn't say anything. I'll close with a fun historical note. The original patents for the regulators in these two watches can be found online: www.google.com/patents/US61867 www.google.com/patents/US157021
I've got my Grandfather's 1926 Illinois 12s 17 jewel. I just had it serviced. But it seems to be fast... very fast. I'll have to give this a try. Thanks.
I don’t remember when I first watched this, but it kindled a little fire in me back then and I’m now applying to watchmaking schools. Thanks, Fran!!
The algorithm suggested this timeless video today Fran. I've been a subscriber for a number of years.
Cheers!
Thank you so much for this video. I have an 1896 Elgin I inherited from my great grandpa. I never knew how to set the watch . It is a lever-set watch, and your video taught me how to set it.
Great video!
I love your appreciation for the beauty and craftsmanship that went into these watches.
I have an Elgin made in 1896 that I love. I also love it for the time period it was made in. I don't feel right leaving the house without it.
Wow - I had the full Proustian experience watching that! My grandad had an old metal cigarbox that contained the vestiges of three or four old broken pocket watches, together with thousands of tiny cogs, springs and screws. It was my favourite thing to play with when I visited him as a child. Watching you take those magnificent timepieces apart I could practically feel the ridges on the edges and the fluting of the crown. Gave me goose-bumps.
Also, if you ever visit London you absolutely must go to to the Greenwich observatory and museum - apart from visiting a place where Isaac Bloody Newton used to work, they have the actual bona fide Harrison clocks there! You'd love it.
Oh my, Pocket Watches! Just discovered your channel and then I find this. I won't carry anything but a Pocket Watch and it took me years to find somebody who could repair the watches I inherited from Great-Grandfather and Grandfather. I wouldn't dare actually carry them, except for some silly special event, but yeah, good to see somebody else appreciate them.
Oh, and setting the regulator, I got to see the repair on my GGF's watch. The guy put it on a stand, with a microphone, so he could hear the ticks, then showed me how the rate changed when the watch was horizontal versus vertical, and asked how I wanted it set. If I dared wear it, it would be in a vest, so would be vertical, so that's where he fine tuned it. That one is a Waltham from about 1905.
Just super, Fran. I worked as a parts counter an for a watch parts and jewelry supplier many decades ago. The partnership included a full time watchmaker, who trained me in doing minor work on all watches, but my apprenticeship was in working on pocket watches. Thanks for your interest and your explanation of setting and correcting or adjusting the time.
The world needs more like Fran. Thanks for sharing your info.
I have my great-grandfather’s pocket Elgin (1896). I just started binging all information I can find about them in the last 24 hours. I always watch Fran’s new videos, but UA-cam just realized I’d want to see this now. It doesn’t run currently but I’m getting it serviced now. I was tempted to learn and get all the tools to do it myself.
Fran, I looked up your serial in pocketwatchdatabase and it’s called a Grade 279, model 5, class 9. Overland variation. 1904. Mine’s also a model 5, grade 150, class 7. 21 jewel. Pretty cool stuff!
Really enjoyable video. I recently purchased a 1917 Timothy Eaton railroad grade pocket watch with setting lever and 24 hour dial. It was certified for use on the Canadian rail. T. Eaton of course is the name of the store that sold it. The watch features a 21 jewel Gallet movement adjusted to 5 positions, and like your watches, very well decorated. I also have a 1960 Ball railroad watch with setting lever certified for use on American rail. Not as pretty as the T Eaton watch, but very accurate and gets the job done. Keep these videos coming.
Damn fine piece of vintage engineering, makes you look classy popping out a ticking masterpiece instead of looking at a phone screen!
I agree. My daily watch is my 21 jewel T. Eaton watch with Gallet movement made in 1917 and certified for use on the Canadian rail. It features a 24 hour dial with Roman numerals on a porcelain dial, Arabic 24 hr numbers inset of the Roman numerals. The case is gold engraved with floral design. I still wear my Omega Speedmaster Mark 4.5 on my wrist but only for the stop watch function and the day & date. The hour and minute hands are not set to the actual time so I must pull out my pocket watch when I need to know the time.
@@coffeeisgood102😅😅😅iiiii I iii😮😢😢y
Fran, you collect such cool stuff! Thanks for sharing yet another one of your passions with us.
Enjoyed your video and like your sense of humor, "Not built to scale". Your scale looks perfect to me Fran.
Dear Fran...
99.5 correct...very very respectable.
a couple minor 'nomenclature' misinterpertations..
i did a 3 1/2 year apprenticeship with a 3rd gen watchmaker/jeweler...
i'm not an expert..and i'm 'rusted'..i could have spent 20 years with my mentor and not got it all. However..ask me anything..glad to share..maybe via 'chat/talk'...it makes me happy to see someone still interested and appreciating this dying art form. p.s. that's called a 'swing-ring' case style..n safety pinion is threaded on center wheel so if mainspring breaks..it unscrews instead on stripping gears..'full back plate' as opposed to 'skeletonized'.
Thanks for your vid/blog...2 thumbs up. etc etc etc...i 'run' on......tick tock.
Deeremeyer1, sir I can only surmise from your long winded tirade that you can not read and understand simple English. Therefore that makes you a long winded ignorant moron. First you responded to someone who commented three years ago who is quite likely your elder and for all you know may no longer be alive so bite your tongue , second the man went to great length to explain that he was not an expert, and third he did tell her the very slight mistake she made in a kind informative manner. So next time , since you are a legend in your own mind as a mechanic I will put this in terms you might understand, make sure you don't put your mouth in gear before your brain is fully engaged, although I fear your brain might have a stripped gear or two. You sir are the only ego maniac here and I suspect the reason you have worked under so many "true professionals" is because you are too dense to be taught anything. Bragging about having so many jobs usually means you have been fired a lot. True experts don't go around bragging about how great they are, as their peers do it for them proclaiming them to be experts. They exercise humility, something you obviously know nothing about. Degrees are useless if you don't have the common sense to use them. I suspect the only reason you got them or even had a job or many jobs was because of programs set up for people like you and not because they were earned. As for these other countries you are spouting off about most of them offer excellent educations and have schools that far exceed ours and we hire their people here because they are brilliant unlike yourself and most of our labor pool. Thank You Sir.
I'm a Millennial who trusts my grandpa's watch more than 70 years ago. I'm so grateful for you. I've sent it in for cleaning this week because of you. I'm teaching my own son and daughter to appreciate this at a time and "leverset", which I DO need to tell this is a "Leverset" for them to have any idea what these kids are meant to do. We MUST catch up to what kids are saying or all this will be lost to the 'pretty' back workings and winding gear of the working of the watch.
thank you so much, this video helped me out alot. I wanted to give the pocket watch that my grandfather gave me to my son but I could not understand why it would not keep up time. Now because of you my son can pass down a piece of family history.
Thanks Fran for sharing your knowledge and passion for pocket watches. Your uncanny presentation was both interesting and informative. You’re a natural teacher! :)
I just found this and ....I never knew this was on the channel! Perfect timing ,I just started looking into these after 18 years of "thinking about " getting one. Very helpful !
I am continually amazed at the range of your skill set.
I mean, it was a watch and some screws and a tumbler bolt. She wasn't etching gears to make a new pocket watch.
Thank you for letting me know how the regulate my 1920 Elgin 17J pocket watch. It was easy to do.
The winding crown was out of it's socket when I bought this watch as "broken for parts" A UA-cam video showed me how to fix that. And again easy to do. My hobby is antique clocks I have about a 100 of them that I made new looking again. I enjoy brining life back to the old clocks most of them needing bushings to make them strong running again. This is my first Pocket watch that I ever had, but after seeing pocket watch videos I realize I do not have the tools or fixtures to repair them like I do for clocks. So I will just stick to repairing clocks that I am comfortable with.
It's keeping time... accurately... and it's 110 years old. Amazing.
I have a century old alarm clock that still keeps time too, albeit not perfectly. It's really interesting to think about
Great video - beautiful watches! And, congratulations on hitting Hack-A-Day with this one.
When she says at 14:35 “iddinit pretty” God it melts my little heart ❤️ she is definitely my youtube girl crush right now
Nice video. The town in Illinois where the watches and watch cases came from is pronounced El- Gin, as in Gin-and-tonic.
Fran, there are many machinist sites on UA-cam that give one a strong appreciation of the accuracy and finish of the machining process.
Very interesting video. Watching it once was all it took to send me into a pocket watch rabbit hole. I've since purchased my first and second pocket watches. A 16s Elgin 17j from 1918 and a 6s Waltham 7j 1873-6 dated to 1889. And, I'm on Ebay running on another tab hunting for a 3rd one. lol
Fran, Thank you for the excellent demonstration. I am especially impressed by your skill at closeup (macro) photography. I also have and love fine pocket watches and my favorite is an Illinois A. Lincoln railroad watch. You are right about the need for maintenance, and I have had to take my pocket watches apart to clean and oil them periodically.
If I may offer a bit of information, I believe the lever-set design was a requirement for railroad certification. (My Illinois is RR certified.) The reason was to prevent one from accidentally mis-setting the time with the stem.
Also "gold filled" refers to a thin layer of gold alloy laminated onto a base metal case. The gold alloy is still much thicker than gold plating. Gold filled cases are less expensive than those of solid gold alloy (and generally stronger since gold is a squishy metal), yet the gold is thick enough that it will not wear away in normal use.
Please keep up your excellent work
Fran - I discovered your videos a few days ago and immediately fell in love! Lady nerds are the best!! And I know you'll appreciate a little tidbit of trivia I learned a number of years ago from an old-time watchmaker: The "Safety Pinion" is a very cool engineering feature, where the first small gear (the "pinion" gear) driven by the mainspring barrel is threaded to its shaft rather than hard-fused to it. Why? In the event the fully-wound mainspring would suddenly break, the large jolt of energy will unscrew the pinion gear rather than knock gear teeth out of the mechanism. Watchmaker just replaces the spring and screws the pinion gear back into position, instead of totalling out the gearwork of a fine watch. Just thought you'd enjoy knowing this!!
just inhariated 1901 family hairloom nowing little to nothing about pocket watches . learning about it and found this VERY informative and seems like souch a nice lady im not a internet coment person but i couldent believe somone thums down this video . its PERFECT even a recomindatin on a person that works on them .. in mass to boot im in maine ... thanks fran
Being a Chicago native and my late grandfather having been a watch and clock repairer from the 1930's until his passing in 1986 I have to mention that the G in Elgin in not pronounced as a guh sound but a J sound, with it being said as El-Jin. Named after the Chicago suburb the factory was originally set in as the National Watch Company when the factory opened in 1866 and renamed the Elgin National Watch Company in 1874. I went with my grandfather to the original Elgin plant in the early 1960's to buy some parts they were surplusing when they closed the Elgin plant leaving the Aurora, IL and Lincoln, NE plants opened. I believe the Elgin National Watch Company closed in the late 1960's but the name has been sold and resold many times, now being used on crap from China.
My problem with a pocket watch is that wearing jeans at work in a factory I bang into things at hip level so I tend to damage them. Years ago before wrist watches most people had a vest or jacket with a watch pocket in it about midway between shoulders and waist. I only wear a watch at work to keep track of breaks and such, it sits on the table after work. After I got a metal banded wrist watch between the frame of my van and the positive terminal on the starter (yeah duh I forgot to disconnect the battery) and got a nasty burn from that, I quit wearing metal bands and with carrying a cell phone there is no need on a regular basis to wear a watch, pocket or wrist. Even the radio in my vehicle has the time so it's of no use to carry a pocket or wrist watch for me. I do have a single 18 size Elgin that was my grandfather's personal watch that he set all the clocks in the shop with after he set it's time to the church clock bells down the street from his shop in Roseland (neighborhood in Chicago)
Thank you! It bothered me as well, I grew up in Elgin, IL where the factory was. I have an older pocket watch of theirs as well, beautiful pieces!
@@shawnothan34 Fran is the second instance of of a person using the hard G in Elgin watches, I prefer the soft G myself. The soft G has always been used for Elgin boats AFAICS, LOL.
Yes I live near Elgin.....and it’s gin sounds like the drink 🍹 gin
Fran pronounces Elgin properly, period!
@@rupertmcnaughtdavis3649 No.
the more jewels in the watch the better? I have watched this video about 3 times now, find these little things absolutely fascinating. Really glad I found your youtube channel Fran :)
For great accuracy you want 17 to 23 jewel pocket watches, any more than 23 jewels is usually bragging rights. Check ou Illinois Bunn Special watches.
Great Video Fran! Hello to a fellow "old soul"
Wonderful! Very interesting and I could listen to your very calming voice all day
My father found his grandfather's pocket watch. Looks very similar to the 1904 Elgin you showed. I'm so excited! Thank you for this video.
I love these pocket watches I feel like they have a soul.
I agree 100%
NOXISUM
Agreed, no two exactly alike.
NOXISUM me too, and when you have a pocket watch from the 19th century compared to a new quartz watch, it’s like a grandfather and a newbirn
They have the sole of the maker 😁
It’s been a while since I’ve watched a Fran Video - As usual very educational - just getting into pocket watches - thanks
I agree with Joel. It is "J". (Phonetically, "ELJIN". Like the Elgin Pelican, street sweeper).
Love your videos, Fran. You are so multi faceted. A Jewel, if you will. :-) Those watches are priceless. Mint.
Thanks for your informative video - I found this extremely helpful when needing to adjust my own pocket watch Your pocket is really nice and in great condition The workmanship that went into making these type of watches is astounding
Fran, the safety pinion is a small gear on the center wheel that takes power from the Mainspring barrel. If the Mainspring lots go then the energy reverses in direction and I Screws the small gear on the center wheel and prevents damage to the gear train. This is the function of the safety pinion
I have one of the last Illinois Bunn Specials made in 1926-1927 run right before they were sold to Hamilton. My case is bit more fancy with more engraving. Has served me well and keeps very accurate time. 16s, 19j, lever set, Railroad grade, and all the engraving inside is filled with a ruby red paint that matches the jewel color. I used it when I worked on a scenic railway in Virginia. An heirloom passed down from family who worked on C & O railroad. I have been its steward for some 30 years and I too am very fond of mechanical things.
Excellent and very helpful. Saved me a trip to a watchmaker. I have a number of railroad grade pocket watches and one was running a bit fast. Just adjusted it following your example so will see tomorrow if it was enough. I've enjoyed vintage pocket watches for many years, not only are they great tools they are fine art when you look at the movements. Thanks for the excellent video. I will have to find someone to service some of my watches and maybe some restoration but the prices in the Los Angeles area are more than the cost of a nice watch and finding someone who is competent on vintage watches is difficult.
Hey Fran just picked up a westclox pocket ben.Ibelive from the 1970s and may have over wond,played with the largest cog and got it to start ticking.used your vid to get it right and know working great thans a bunch Ray
The advantage of the lever-set method is that the watch can't be set accidentally in your pocket, that's why it was required on Railroad watches. a stem-set watch the stem can get pulled accidentally as you move around and then either the hands are stopped, or randomly moved, and you don't know what time it is. Railroad watches had to be accurate to within 30 seconds a week, having one accidentally thrown off was potentially disastrous, since it was the combination of accurate clocks, accurate schedules, and attentive crews that kept trains from running into each other on the tracks.
Gold Filled isn't an alloy, it's plating. Two thin layers of gold on either side of a layer of brass (or other base metal) for strength then heated/pressed/rolled to the desired thickness, which also welded them together. Gold Filled is about 10% gold, which is much more than other plating methods. Often for watch cases, the outer gold layer was thicker than the inner layer, because they were (in theory, though often not in practice) guaranteed not to wear through for some period of time, and the inside gets essentially no wear where the outside is constantly being rubbed against something....
This is a great video, thank You. Now I want to know everything you've ever taught!
that's called a pin set watch an was normally used on watches over seas (swiss watches were well known them)
You are a master and I can understand the adjustment of a watch by your video. I may never need to do it, but I now know I can.
Very delicately.
I too have , and enjoy, several old pocket watches. The oldest is from 1877. Love them. What have you made your fobs from?
Fran, I just 'discovered' you! Happy to see a fellow (fellowette?) pocket watch enthusiast. Thanks for the tips on regulating. My personal collection has two favorites (among many others), an 1891 Elgin 16 size, open face, 15 jewels, with a 14K solid gold engraved case (128 years old!), and a 1894 American Waltham Watch Co. Ladies pocket watch, 7 jewels, 14K gold filled case (125 years old!) which is worn by my wife on a necklace chain. Both are absolute "MINT' condition, serviced by a master pocket watch restorer who accepts only one watch at at time by reservation only. Both watches are impressively accurate. I purchased the Elgin from the widow of the man who bought it new in 1891. I'll never part with any of these, as I feel it's American History... when they're gone - there'll never be any more. The most difficult aspect of my hobby is those who bring pocket watches to me, usually a long suffering heirloom, wanting them appraised. My first advice is to inform them of "expectations' while attempting to explain the word "GOLD" doesn't mean they're holding a fortune in their hands. That said, I truly love pocket watches and wear them virtually daily. They are great conversation starters! John
Hey Fran, I've been watching your electronics vids for years. I did not know you were into mechanical watches in the least bit.
Just when I thought you couldn't get any more awesome...
Keep up the amazing content!
-Luis
Beautiful watches !
I have always been fascinated with mechanical watches!
Especially the older watches.
Amazing pieces and to me works of art.
I can not help but think of the people who made them and used them in their day and all of the places they have been, the abuse they had to take on a daily basis being bounced around on horseback and continue to work with all of the fine and tiny inner workings !
Just amazing !
I have an Americal Waltham 1883 Movement in a beautiful case and I was wondering what the two (2) screws near the regulator arm are for. Are they at 90 deg to each other with one screwing down and the other screwing parallel to the movement. are these for regulating the beat error?
While the tension on the hairspring may or may not change as a result of moving the regulator lever, it is the change in effective operating length of the hairspring that gives change of rate. Excellent vid and you are very good at close observational work and demonstation and description of fine mechanism. Voice tone and pronunciation are just right, and edification of the student is assured.
Fantastic! I have had a shot adjusting my mechanical wrist watching using some software that will measure the distance between the sound of the ticks.
I carry an 1886 Elgin that was my Great Grandfather’s when he worked for the railroad. It’s exactly 100 years older than me. Would Love to see more videos like this.
I used to have an Elgin Closed cover pocket watch which kept great time. It was a 17 jewelled piece. Someone liked it better and it vanished. It was a 24 karat gold inlayed cover too with white porcelain dial face. Love the T Shirt too-cool. Yep, they just don't make this quality stuff anymore. I know lots of folks who can't read an analog clock. Very cool and interesting video and I learned something too. Thanks Fran.
Do environmental factors change the accuracy of the watch regulation? Temperature, humidity, orientation, vibration, etc?
USWaterRockets Watches are ideally homeostatic, but I do think that in larger pocket watches that barometric pressure and temperature can slightly influence the period of the balance wheel, as does too much motion. I don't recommend jogging with it.
thanks. That seems logical. What do you use when you're riding your bike? Your streets look rough!
Fran is right. If you look at the balance wheel, you will notice that the rim has two gaps and is bi-metallic for temperature compensation. There are also little screws spaced around the rim to adjust for position errors. Finally, most good watches use the Breguet balance (hair) spring. This is wound with the outermost turn rising out of the plane of the spring and passing over the rest of the turns. This makes the balance isochonous. That is, itmaintains a constant rate in spite of changes in amplitude as the spring winds down.
Many of the higher-end watches were adjusted to 5 or more positions (different orientations) to ensure accuracy no matter how it was carried. Occasionally one "position" would also be temperature variation of some sort.
I just received my Great Grandfathers watch from 1899. Hampden Watch Co. 23 jewel lever watch. It works. Once i learned how to set the time and wind it. Great video. Thanks.
I recently purchased a 1904 NY Standard pocket watch as my first pocket watch, and I am in love with it. It is relatively accurate, but it does turn out about two minutes slow over the course of an hour, and I was wondering how I might be able to fix that. Wonderful video! Thanks!
The watch needs to be professionally cleaned (by a horologist) and adjusted.
Great video and very informative on the essential practical level. I have a 1926 Hamilton that my grandmother gave grandpa as a wedding gift in 1933 and another, almost identical, Hamilton. (I don't know why. Having another seemed a good idea at the time. Both are 992 railroad grade watches. One was beginning to lag a little and you have now saved me a trip to a repairman. I have a few watchmaker tools I picked up at an estate sale so having the very fine screwdriver was not a problem. I carry one of them with me every day. I also have a 1930's Wittnauer wristwatch, but I just prefer to carry the pocket watch.
Delightful video. Thanks for posting Fran.
After watching this it suddenly dawned on me that my dad has his father's pocket watch.... so I ran to check it out, and it's a Santa Fe Express with an Illinois movement.
I'm a wrist watch collector, and know nothing about pocket watches, so I don't know if there's anything special about his dad's watch... but now I want to get it running, even if for anything to make a desk clock out of it with the hanging case it has.
Do you know anything about Santa Fe Express watches?
Fascinating video - thank you for making and posting this!
Greetings from Phoenix, AZ.
I initially read the title as "Setting and Regurgitating Pocket Watches".
I own a couple of antique clocks with spring balancers, one of which I guess is worn out as it's never worked since I got it and the other one which I screwed up when I was younger. I recently got it in my head to try and figure out how to fix them (the latter belonged to my mom and she'd probably be pretty excited if she saw it working again), and while this isn't exactly the same thing, I figure it can't hurt to know. Thanks for the learnings!
I think this is the second time I've watched this video. After going through a few cheap modern pocket watches I finally acquired an older pocket watch. It's running a little fast. I think I'm hooked. I might have to acquire a few more, and start wearing vests so I can carry them properly. I usually have stuff in both front pants pockets that might scratch a watch.
I actually just started to learn to work on vintage pocket watches. Great video Fran.,
Hi Fran! Great video. Do you have some recommendation for someone that can do a full cleaning and oiling of an old Elgin?
Hey Fran. I’ve just started enjoying pocket watches; purchased an Elgin 16s 15 jewel off of ebay, nothing fancy.
I tried to contact Paul Bubb to have it serviced. I don’t know if he’s no longer doing the work, but I received no reply.
Do you know of any other horologists? Thanks
This was fascinating. I`ve always loved watches and anything mechanical, I never new a girl that was interested in the mechanical aspect of them nor one interested in pocket watches. I always enjoy your videos and look forward to the next.
EEVBlog sent me over, I love this video and hope you have many more about the watches, they look awesome.
Hey Fran,
I've got a couple pocket watches that are accurate to within six seconds a month, one is a grade 161 Elgin and the other is a Illinois 23J Illinois Bunn special.
Really amazing how well they function.
I could be wrong, I am not a watchmaker, but I was told once that 17 jewels were all that were needed for a watch that was made to be wound regularly. The 21 jewels were necessary for those later watches that had "self-winding" mechanisms needing the extra fine bearing surfaces for that function. Of course in that day a common salesman's trick was to sell a non self-winding watch at a higher price by counting the zircons of the outside trim as part of the "jewel" count to make the customer think it was the more expensive "21 jewel" he was getting at a bargain price.
At my division at Hughes Aircraft we got into digital watches at the very beginning because of a contract with Timex for a crystal controlled electronic drive component we made for their analog watches made to compete with the then famous "Astronaut approved" Bulova Accutron. We were driven out of the business quite quickly by Asian made knock-offs partly because we were told to be competitive in that price range we had to have "water-resistant" cases. The knock-offs were not, but sold for just under our lowest cost versions. These were the days when folk would by anything with an LED display just because it was the latest and greatest, despite having to push a button to see the time. Pocket watches were better in that it only involved one hand to bring it into view.
I enjoyed my time with Fran.
You are more or less correct about the jewels. After 21 (or sometimes 23) jewels, extra jewels like diamonds were sometimes added as cap jewels, mostly for decoration.
Hopefully it's never too late to make a comment! A 17 jewel watch is considered to be "fully jeweled". That means that the entire gear train (except the mainspring barrel) and escapement are jeweled. However, only the balance wheel has cap jewels. The next step is 19 jewels which add jewels to the mainspring barrel. After that is 21 jewels, which adds cap jewels to the escape wheel. The odd jewel count is the one roller jewel on the roller table of the balance assembly. This jewel engages the pallet fork momentarily at the relaxed point of the balance swing. The minimum jewel count for a watch that could be considered "decent" is 7 jewels. You can get good performance from a 7j watch although it will wear quickly if it's not maintained regularly. I would think jeweling the escape wheel (9j) would be minimum, but for some reason you rarely see that.
@@halnwheels YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT...
Nice video. I don't have a pocket watch but always wanted one. I see many 16s watches, how much smaller are those? Plus the brands are Hampton, Waltham and so on. Which is a good brand,if we're to get one and how much should I spend? The watches you have are beautiful, especially the Illinois. 18s seems to be a size I would like,but can't find working ones.
As a very young child I remember sitting next to my watchmaker grandfather as he worked on watches. All the very fine tools and even the the small container of whale oil for oiling the fine parts. He even had a tiny lathe to turn replacement parts he couldn't find. After he past away I would watch one of my uncles do the same. Now days my cousin has the tools and still does it now and then as a hobby.
Good video Fran! You are like a dream come true. A nice girl who likes pocket watches. I have been on a watch kick since I was a kid. Have went overboard the last year or so. Have my grandfather's 1916 Elgin that is running fine. Also have collected a couple of Illinois, Hamilton and Waltham pocket watches as well as some vintage Hamilton wristwatches. Have been tinkering, cleaning and regulating them as well. Hard for most people to believe in this electronic age that something mechanical and over one hundred years old can be so accurate.
Great to watch, thank you! I started out with Waltham and Elgin USA made pocket watches. Lately I’m into English pocket watches of the late 1700s to mid-1800s... fascinating and very beautifully decorated movements and cases :-)
Thank you so much, you were very helpful. I just bought a 1945 Hamilton 992B pocket watch which is running a little slow. I now know what it needs to run on time, thanks to you.
It also likely needs a service by a professional such as myself.
Nice! I currently wear a Tissot half-hunter (not antique) which I bought back around the '80s or early '90s. After a recent servicing, it tends to run about 1-2 minutes slow: unfortunately, the regulator has no F/S markings, so I'm not sure which way it should be nudged. Is there an industry standard that I can trust to tell which way is which?
Interestingly, that little mini-pocket above your front trouser pocket was originally intended for a watch pocket; it looks a little too small for that watch, though.
Unfortunately no, some are clockwise to make faster, others are counterclockwise. Usually (but still not always), movements from the same manufacturer are the same. Looking at a few photos of Tissot pocket watch movements, they all were clockwise to make faster. If you can find an image of a movement that looks similar to yours with the F/S or A/R markings, then go by that. Otherwise, just try one direction and let it run for a day or two, you'll figure out whether you were correct.
I have a modern Hamilton wristwatch with a Swiss movement. At first it was losing 30 seconds per day, so I had it adjusted by a jeweler. Now it gains only a few seconds per week! I love winding it up each day. I love to listen to it tick. I love the sapphire crystal that never gets scratched. And I LOVE never having to change its battery. Daily winding is not as much of a hassle as changing a battery once a year!
It's my only real luxury item. It was NOT cheap, but it's really worth it to me. It's a treasure.
Very cool collection. My dad recently gave me my grandfather's Hamilton Bradford B wristwatch that was made in 1960 or '61. He got it for 25 years with Wyman Gordon operating the huge drop forge at the Ingalls Shepard division in Harvey Illinois. It has the 22 jewel caliber 770 movement and still keeps amazing time to this day. It cost $150 in 1960, which would be like $1200 today. Of course, if you did buy a watch just like it today, it would cost much more than that.
Nice video. FYI that "spring thing" on the regulator is referred to as a "whip". Gotta love classic American pocket watches. I'm a sucker for any Bunn Special watches -- craftsmanship at its finest.
Nice video but I have to ask where you got those fabric fobs? I got the cotton string material part.. Thanks in advance
*Hi Fran :) Looks like you have a rare example of an 8 Hz beating escapement pocket watch movement there. Notice how fast and how far the swing of the ballance wheel is ? Usually they are 4 Hz escapements that beat 4 times per second. However I think yours is going 8 times or "swings" a second. This makes the movement's overall chronology much more accurate that the average watch.*
This was a very relaxing video. I wonder if youve done anything on old gear, lever, pendulum driven grandfather clocks.
How would a pocket watch be opened if you cannot find a little dent where the back is snapped open? I have a smiths pocket watch and for a long time it has been a very fast ticker and I have always wondered how it get it open.
Fran I was really surprised when you were showing how to wear a pocket watch then didn't put it in the watch pocket on your jeans! I've been using my Dad's Great Grandpa's 1889 Elgin. I've always heard it called El' jin.
Hi Fran...I'm very impressive in the way you handle those fine watches...the mechanisms etc....👍💯
I love antique pocket watches and clocks, i have a few pocket watches and clocks from the 1920s to 1940s, i look at them with much interest especially the ones from th 20s the history of the people that have been and gone before you owned them, i always wonder what were they like etc one of my pocket watches has been through several generations of my family you see the photos of olden days where thay have the watch your holding on thier waist coat its amazing, so much history in these old clocks.
Fran, I waited and waited for you to get out a signal generator, scope and some other toys then compare to a modern watch to set your regulator. The old and the new would have been compelling
Maybe next time?
Really good vid and you speak so softly, it's like listening to a story :-) thank you.
Good ol' inka (inca?) block Timex(8-). Nobody would work on the old Timex but Timex themselves.
I've had a couple of the 'ol "gear shifters" over the years. Railroaders liked 'em because there was
little danger of the stem being pulled out by accident. That could mess up a railroader's day(8-).
I once got a pocket watch real cheap because it wouldn't stay running. It'd tick off a few clicks and stop.
I opened it and found the hair spring was kinda wadded up...magnetized...the loops were rubbing on
each other...no wonder it didn't wanna run. Well...that's easy enough to fix...with a Weller 100/140
watt soldering gun. Pull the trigger and wave the soldering gun around pretty close to the watch...
sort of a circular pattern that takes the gun a little farther away all the time...and be at least 3 feet
away when you release the trigger. You can time it all thusly...buy the time the tip heats up and that
little bit of flux starts smoking, be about 3 feet from the watch and shut off the gun. I think there is
a God though(8-). Someone gave some mortal a recipe for a non ferrous alloy to make balance springs.
The non magnetic watch was born(8-).
I kinda like the chain type lanyards to hang a watch from...but that's just me. any "life line" is a good
one(8-). Oh...hmmm...I see why 'yer packin' that one in THAT pocket. That tiny little watch pocket
ya got there on them jeans...Don't you feel cheated?!?!?
I have n 1874 Elgin #18 key wound that I love. As a cabinetmaker, in dust, I have to have my watch cleaned once a year. It always comes back running good but I have to regulate it eventhough the repairman set it with a beat timer.. Once I get it regulated this watch keeps Perfect time and only has to set it about once a month
Beautiful movement and the quality of work is amazing on these. Mesmerizing to watch. Another great and informative video. The balance is like a little heart beating in there. So many awesome things are lost to modern digital devices. Not that they're bad, just well, boring I guess ;-) Anyway, thanks!
Well how many attempts at regulating did it take and what accuracy did you achieve?
And
That small pocket watch you don’t prefer probably fits perfectly in that jeans watch pocket you don’t use.
Enjoyed the vid. I just caught the watch collecting “bug”. Is there an antidote to this addiction?
I loved this video on your pocket watches. I recently just bought my first Waltham pocket watch. I was wondering if you can tell me the model and grade of your Elgin pocket watch?. Keep the pocket watch vids coming. Thanks
I am in Rockford Illinois. Not too far from Elgin. Are there a lot of great Pocket Watch repair people in that town?
I was wondering if its possible to adjust any mechanical pocket watch? Mine is loosing 4 seconds every 5 hours. It is not the cheapest one out there. But my 15£ german mechanical watch keeps time much better.
Is it true that in general mecanical watches varies with 1 minute in 24 hours?
I’ve always found you to be a very beautiful and also incredibly informative lady. I’m glad that you make your videos. I always enjoy them and we really like the same things so I have yet to find one that bores me. Keep doing what you do, thank you for this video. I just got the same watch you did in the video so I look forward to fiddling with it.
You can get a cheap skeleton sealed pocket watch and learn and enjoy the movement to get hooked. You can see the escapement turn, see the mainspring slowly unravel inside its little cylinder so you know it's time to wind it a little at least. The second hand in the center is a neat "complication" compared to having it below. You can see the second hand gear below all the others and watch it turn with the second hand through the back window. Hmmm... I'm switching to a cloth fob just because that chain makes contact with the watch all the time. The fob thing applies to cameras as well. There is a reason even the cheapest camera has a strap on it. If you don't wear your camera on a strap, you'll remember after the camera (or watch) hits the ground and you'll never forgive yourself.
i have a old hamilton pendant set pocket watch , the pendant pulls out but won't set time but runs well do you have some ideas ?
Thanks for the video. I just adjusted my 17 jewel Delsky ladies pendant watch. So tiny compared to your pocket watches.
Kudos for giving some truly excellent advice on how to open and close watch cases. There's too many people who inadvertently break the winding stem in swing-out cases like your Illinois, or don't take care when screwing back the front bezel of a watch and end up cross-threading it.
But I'm afraid there's a handful of points that could be improved. In no particular order:
1. You make it sound like the safety pinion is related to the "closed" construction of the Elgin and the disassembly process, but in fact it's a device to protect the watch if the mainspring breaks. The mainspring is the strong spring that powers the watch. Back in the day it was the part most prone to breaking, and when it did so it spun out violently. The point of the safety pinion disconnects the mainspring from the rest of the mechanism in order to prevent damage to the gears.
2. What you term the "closed" construction of your Elgin watch is what's called full-plate construction, which is the original watch layout and dates back to the 1500s. (Actually earlier, since it was borrowed from clocks.) The thinner styles like your Illinois are more modern, but they date back to the late 1700s (look up "Jean-Antoine Lépine" for more detail). Both styles were made simultaneously for about 150 years. In the 19th century, most English watches were full-plate, most Swiss watches were cutout bridges, and American watches were a mix.
4. Elgin's full plate watches date back well beyond the 1890s. They made their first full plate watches in late 1860s, kept on making these in large numbers as late as the 1910s, and they still sold a few as late as the early 1930s. There made various refinements along the way.
5. But also all through this time and into the 1960s Elgin also made thinner watches, more similar to the Illinois that you illustrate.
6. Before 1920 or so, American watches generally left the factory without cases. Watch dealers bought watch mechanisms and cases from different companies, and put them together for sale to customers. So your 1904 Elgin can be found in either style of case that you illustrate in the video.
7. 20 seconds a day isn't bad for a watch of this vintage, but to put this in perspective, American watch companies made millions of watches for railroad use that were required to be accurate within 30 seconds a week, and regularly inspected to make sure they did. This is mostly a function of how much work the watch company put into fine-tuning ("adjusting") the watch. That's what the "Adjusted" marks mean on your watches; the finest watches had markings like "Adjusted in five positions, temperature and isochronism"; the middle-of-the-road ones just "Adjusted" like yours; and the most affordable ones didn't say anything.
I'll close with a fun historical note. The original patents for the regulators in these two watches can be found online:
www.google.com/patents/US61867
www.google.com/patents/US157021
I've got my Grandfather's 1926 Illinois 12s 17 jewel. I just had it serviced. But it seems to be fast... very fast. I'll have to give this a try. Thanks.