Pocket Watches

GEMOLOGICAL INSURANCE APPRAISERS HAS A LONG HISTORY OF APPRAISING AND HANDLING AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN POCKET WATCHES FROM SIMPLE DRESS WATCHES TO COMPLICATED PATEK PHILIPPE.

lIST OF POCKET WATCHES WE WORK WITH:
Audemars Piguet,  Baume et Mercier,  Ball Watch Company,  Bedat & Co,  Bell & Ross, Blancpain,  Abraham-Louis Breguet, Breguet (watch), Breitling,  Bulgari,  Louis Cartier, Cartier SA,  Chronoswiss ,  Corum,  Roger Dubuis,  Ebel,  Elgin National Watch Company, Charles Frodsham,  Girard-Perregaux,  Glashütte Original,  Gruen Watch Co.,  Hamilton Watch Company,  Hublot,  Illinois Watch Company,  International Watch Company,  Invicta Watch Group,  Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jules Jurgensen,  A. Lange & Söhne,  Longines,  Mido,  Movado, Franck Muller,   Omega SA,  Panerai,  Patek Philippe & Co.,  Piaget SA,  Rolex,  Tudor,  Ulysse Nardin,  Universal Geneve,  Vacheron Constantin,  Valjoux,  Waltham Watch Company,  Webb C. Ball,  Zenith.

AMERICAN RAILROAD WATCHES

The first American passenger railroad engine rolled down the tracks of the Baltimore & Ohio Company in 1830. Shortly thereafter when passenger service was placed on a schedule a reliable watch realizes as a requirement by the railroad men. Over the years the watch companies specialized in providing accurate railroad watched to meet this new need.

There are over three hundred and fifty different railroad pocket watched that were made between 1866 and 1969 when the last railroad watch was made in the U.S. This does not include the numerous varieties of dials and cases used on the railroad watches. Not all of the over one thousand American railroad combines in business from 1830 to 1969 approved all of these watches for their use.

This does not include the numerous varieties of dials and cases used on the railroad watches. Not all of the over one thousand American railroad companies in the business from 1830 to 1969 approved all of these watches for their use. Many railroad companies were specific in identifying only those watches that they wanted their personnel to use.  Some companies were vague in their regulations specifying, “Any watch that keeps the correct time” or any 17 jewel watch. “Some railroads had no regulations on watches, leaving it up to the employee as to the watch he wanted to buy or use.

Most all of the railroad watches that were produced were made with gold filled cases. Gold had always been relatively expensive, so the price of an all solid gold watch case was out of the reach of these working men.

Generally before 1893 the definition of a railroad watch was very vague.

On April 19, 1891 there was a disastrous head-on collision between two trains of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway near Kipton, Ohio.

Thereafter watch requirements, regulation and inspection systems were more stringent.

In 1893 new railroad watch standards were adopted.

1893 RAILROAD WATCH STANDARDS

1. Must be 18 or 16 size.
2. Have a minimum of 17 jewels.
3. Be adjusted to 5 positions. (A sixth was added later).
4. Keep time plus or minus 30 seconds per week.
5. Be adjusted to temperature 40 to 95 degrees F.
6. Must have a double roller.
7. Must be lever set.
8. Winding stem at 12 o’clock.
9. Must have a plain Arabic dial with heavy hands.

Many railroads established complex watch requirements and inspections systems. Mr. Webb C. Ball of the Ball Watch Company, Cleveland, Ohio contributed more than any other man to establish the requirement and rate of proficiency of watches used on over fifty-four railroad companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The first railroad watched were size 18 and then later size 16 become popular.  In the early 1920s the size 18 started to be phased out.