How to wear the Double Albert Pocket Watch Chain
Similar to the Single Albert, the Double Albert watch chains have been a traditional staple in Europe for centuries, but have only recently been introduced here.  Named for Queen Victoria's love, Albert, this chain measures 17 inches in length, with TWO high quality, 360 degree swivels at either end of the watch chain, a standard Spring Ring in the center, offset by a gentleman's T-Bar, or toggle, also set in the center of the length of chain.  This watch chain makes a very definite and striking appearance when you want to display perhaps multiple fobs or your initial shield, or Pen Knife.  Made especially by Old Father Time, the chains are a beautiful beveled curb link in the perfect weight.  Al elegant example of Victorian gentlemen's attire.
Price: $1,325.00

What is the design on the dust cover of the watch?

Longines, Omega and other Universal Exhibitions Medals Universal Exhibitions were World's fairs originating in the French tradition of national exhibitions, a tradition that culminated with the French Industrial Exposition of 1844 held in Paris. This fair was soon followed by other national exhibitions in continental Europe, and eventually the United Kingdom. Many of the dust covers on the Longines Pocket Watches from the 1900s exhibit the Universal Exhibitions Awards Medals. Longines won a record of ten Grand Prix and 28 Gold Medals, more than any other watch manufacturer! These include 1885 Grand Prix in Antqerp; 1897 in Brussels; 1889, 1900 & 1925 in Paris; 1906 in Milan; 1914 in Genoa; 1914 in Philadelphia; and 1926 & 1929 in Barcelona. Though Longines and Omega dominated the Medals, there were others that were awarded with the Universal Exhibition Medals.

Price: $825.00

Chatelaine
An ornamental clasp worn at a woman's waist, attached to a belt or girdle, with a hook-plate from which are suspended several (usually five, but up to nine) short chains terminating with rings or swivel catches to which are attached various small objects for daily household use.

Early examples had attached a seal and a watch; later, more articles were added, e.g. keys, watch keys, etui, pomander, scissors, thimble case, bodkin case, household notebook in a metal case, small purse, penknife, pin-cushion, and tape measure, as well as sometimes a gridle book, cameo, charm, and pendants.

Some chatelaines made for men were longer and were worn suspended at each thigh to conceal the openings on breeches; early examples held a watch, seals, and charms, but after c. 1800 they were simpler and no longer held a watch. Some chatelaines had two suspensory chains, joined at the belt by a short chain.

Chatelaines were made of gold, silver, pinchbeck, cut steel, and later polished steel, and were ornamented with enameling, beads, beaded tassels, and sometimes medaillons of wedgwood's jasper; they very rarely had a gemstone.
Price: $2,250.00

Stem-wind, Lever-Set Movements
Mandatory for all railroad watches after roughly 1908, this kind of pocket watch was set by opening the crystal and bezel and pulling out the setting-lever (most hunter cases have levers accessible without removing the crystal or bezel), which was generally found at either the 10 or 2 o'clock positions on open-faced watches, and at 5:00 on hunting cased watches. Once the lever was pulled out, the crown could be turned to set the time. The lever was then pushed back in and the crystal and bezel were closed over the dial again. This method of time setting on pocket watches was preferred by American and Canadian railroads, as lever setting watches make accidental time changes impossible. After 1908, lever setting was generally required for new watches entering service on American railroads.

Montgomery Dial
About 1904 the Montgomery dials began to appear on some RR watches. The distinguishing feature of the Montgomery dial is that each minute is numbered around the hour chapter. The five-minute divisions are in red, and the true Montgomery dial has the number "6" inside the minute register. These dials are favored by the railroad men.

Price: $1,325.00

14. Rare 24 Jewel Illinois Bunn Special Railroad Pocket Watch
U.S.; Illinois; Railroad; Man’s; Serial# 1,538,555; C. 1902
CASE: The yellow gold-filled, 18-size, No. 978,528, open face case features machined decorations and is signed C. W. Co. 25-Years.
DIAL: This white Porcelain, double sunk dial displays gothic numerals, spade hands and is signed Illinois.
MOVT: This 24-jewel, lever-set, No. 1,538,555 movement is adjusted with lever escapement is nickel with a full plate layout and is signed Bunn Special.
C 4 (The case is in good condition)
D 3 (The dial is in very good condition)
M 3 (The movement is in very good condition)
R 8 (Rarity on a scale of #1 being very common to #10 being extremely rare)
Experts Opinion: 24-ruby jewels Bunn Special. These are slowly disappearing from the market!  TE

Stem-wind, Lever-Set Movements
Mandatory for all railroad watches after roughly 1908, this kind of pocket watch was set by opening the crystal and bezel and pulling out the setting-lever (most hunter cases have levers accessible without removing the crystal or bezel), which was generally found at either the 10 or 2 o'clock positions on open-faced watches, and at 5:00 on hunting cased watches. Once the lever was pulled out, the crown could be turned to set the time. The lever was then pushed back in and the crystal and bezel were closed over the dial again. This method of time setting on pocket watches was preferred by American and Canadian railroads, as lever setting watches make accidental time changes impossible. After 1908, lever setting was generally required for new watches entering service on American railroads.

Price: $1,425.00

Up/Down Wind Indicator
Some of the highest quality pocket watches were equipped with a "wind-indicator" also called an "up-down indicator". The up-down indicator is a small dial indicating the amount of "power reserve" left in the wound mainspring. Most up-down indicators have a scale that points to zero when the watch is fully wound and then gradually indicates to a higher number as the watch runs down. This can be thought of as the number of hours that have elapsed since the watch was last wound.
You should always stop winding when the needle on the indicator reaches zero. On most watches, it's possible to wind a little past the zero mark, but the spring was "set-up" to provide the best time-keeping by stopping at zero. Similarly, you should wind the watch before it drops below the 30 mark to keep it operating in the "middle of the mainspring".

Adjustment
Watch adjustment is the process of correcting those errors in the watch that cause variation in time keeping. These include temperature influences, variation in driving power and position of the watch with respect to mechanism such as pendant up or dial up.

Watches with better calibre movements will have been adjusted at the factory for a number of positions. The usual array of positions include a subset of the following positions:
1. Dial up 2. Dial down 3. Bow up 4. Bow down (Not required by Railroad) 5. Bow left 6. Bow right

These positional adjustments are intended to insure that the watch is just as realiable and accurate regardless of the position in which it is stored or used.

In addition to positional adjustments, the watch may also be adjusted for Temperature(heat/cold). Temperature affects different elements in different ways. Heat will cause some metals to expand faster than others, and cold may cause some metals to contract more than others. A watch that is adjusted to temperatures will usually include some combination of metals that allow the watch to maintain its proper functionality within a larger range of temperatures than one that is not adjusted for temperature.

Another type of adjustment is Isochronism. As a typical watch spring unwinds the pressure it exerts on the wheels of the movement reduces. This has the potential to create a difference in the operating speed of a fully wound watch versus the same watch in an nearly fully unwound state. Adjustments for isochronism attempt to compensate for this potential by maintaining the same pressure from the spring throughout most of the operating range of the watch. This sort of adjustment was generally seen only on the finest railroad grade watches of the 20th century.

Jewel Count
Jewels are used as bearings to reduce metal-to-metal contacts which produce friction and wear. They improve the performance and accuracy of the watch and materially proglong its usefulness. The materials used for making watch jewels are diamonds, sapphires, rubies and garnets. The diamond is the hardest but is seldom used except for cap jewels. The sapphire is the next hardness and is the most commonly used because of its fine texture. Garnets are softer than than sapphires and rubies.

Price: $2,250.00

Hunter Cases
A hunting case covers the face of the watch consealing the dial. The case is opened by pressing the stem or the crown of the watch. Hold the watch in your right hand with the bow between the index finger and thumb. Press on the pendant-crown with the right thumb to release the cover exposing the face. When closing, do not SNAP the cover. Press the crown to move the catch in, close the cover, then release the crown. This will prevent wear on the rim and catch.

Stem Wind/Stem Set Movement
Stem-wind, stem-set movements did away with the watch key which was a necessity for the operation of any pocket watch up to that point. The crown of the watch is pulled out a short distance allowing the hands to be turned to set the watch. The crown is pressed back into place and is turned to wind the watch.

Jewel Count
Jewels are used as bearings to reduce metal-to-metal contacts which produce friction and wear. They improve the performance and accuracy of the watch and materially prolong its usefulness. The materials used for making watch jewels are diamonds, sapphires, rubies and garnets. The diamond is the hardest but is seldom used except for cap jewels. The sapphire is the next hardness and is the most commonly used because of its fine texture. Garnets are softer than than sapphires and rubies.

Adjustment
Watch adjustment is the process of correcting those errors in the watch that cause variation in time keeping. These include temperature influences, variation in driving power and position of the watch with respect to mechanism such as pendant up or dial up.

Watches with better calibre movements will have been adjusted at the factory for a number of positions. The usual array of positions include a subset of the following positions:
1. Dial up 2. Dial down 3. Bow up 4. Bow down (Not required by Railroad) 5. Bow left 6. Bow right

These positional adjustments are intended to insure that the watch is just as realiable and accurate regardless of the position in which it is stored or used.

In addition to positional adjustments, the watch may also be adjusted for Temperature(heat/cold). Temperature affects different elements in different ways. Heat will cause some metals to expand faster than others, and cold may cause some metals to contract more than others. A watch that is adjusted to temperatures will usually include some combination of metals that allow the watch to maintain its proper functionality within a larger range of temperatures than one that is not adjusted for temperature.

Another type of adjustment is Isochronism. As a typical watch spring unwinds the pressure it exerts on the wheels of the movement reduces. This has the potential to create a difference in the operating speed of a fully wound watch versus the same watch in an nearly fully unwound state. Adjustments for isochronism attempt to compensate for this potential by maintaining the same pressure from the spring throughout most of the operating range of the watch. This sort of adjustment was generally seen only on the finest railroad grade watches of the 20th century.

Price: $3,250.00

Movement Adjustment
Watch adjustment is the process of correcting those errors in the watch that cause variation in time keeping. These include temperature influences, variation in driving power and position of the watch with respect to mechanism such as pendant up or dial up.

Stem-wind, Lever-Set Movements
Mandatory for all railroad watches after roughly 1908, this kind of pocket watch was set by opening the crystal and bezel and pulling out the setting-lever (most hunter cases have levers accessible without removing the crystal or bezel), which was generally found at either the 10 or 2 o'clock positions on open-faced watches, and at 5:00 on hunting cased watches. Once the lever was pulled out, the crown could be turned to set the time. The lever was then pushed back in and the crystal and bezel were closed over the dial again. This method of time setting on pocket watches was preferred by American and Canadian railroads, as lever setting watches make accidental time changes impossible. After 1908, lever setting was generally required for new watches entering service on American railroads.

Hunter Cases
A hunting case covers the face of the watch concealing the dial. The case is opened by pressing the stem or the crown of the watch. Hold the watch in your right hand with the bow between the index finger and thumb. Press on the pendant-crown with the right thumb to release the cover exposing the face. When closing, do not SNAP the cover. Press the crown to move the catch in, close the cover, then release the crown. This will prevent wear on the rim and catch.
Price: $4,350.00

Pair Case
Higher end early verge fusee watches were often in a pair case. Pair case refers to when a pocket watch is placed within another case (nesting), therefore two cases.

Verge Fusee Escapement
Used in antique spring-powered mechanical watches and clocks, a fusee is a cone-shaped pulley with a helical groove around it, wound with a cord or chain which is attached to the mainspring barrel. Fusees were used from the 15th century to the early 20th century to improve timekeeping by equalizing the uneven pull of the mainspring as it ran down. The mainspring is coiled around a stationary axle (arbor), inside a cylindrical box, the barrel. The force of the spring turns the barrel.

Key-wind/Key-set Movements
The very first pocket watches up until the third quarter of the 19th century had key-wind and key-set movements.  A watch key was necessary to wind the watch and to set the time.  This was usually done by opening the case back and putting the key over the winding-arbor (which was set over the watch's winding-wheel, to wind the mainspring) or by putting the key onto the setting-arbor, which was connected with the minute-wheel and turned the hands.  Some watches of this period had the setting-arbor at the front of the watch, so that removing the crystal and bezel was necessary to set the time. 

This watch includes a reproduction of the correct size key, it is not the original.

Price: $725.00

Verge Fusee Escapement
Used in antique spring-powered mechanical watches and clocks, a fusee is a cone-shaped pulley with a helical groove around it, wound with a cord or chain which is attached to the mainspring barrel. Fusees were used from the 15th century to the early 20th century to improve timekeeping by equalizing the uneven pull of the mainspring as it ran down. The mainspring is coiled around a stationary axle (arbor), inside a cylindrical box, the barrel. The force of the spring turns the barrel.

Key-wind/Key-set Movements
The very first pocket watches up until the third quarter of the 19th century had key-wind and key-set movements.  A watch key was necessary to wind the watch and to set the time.  This was usually done by opening the case back and putting the key over the winding-arbor (which was set over the watch's winding-wheel, to wind the mainspring) or by putting the key onto the setting-arbor, which was connected with the minute-wheel and turned the hands.  Some watches of this period had the setting-arbor at the front of the watch, so that removing the crystal and bezel was necessary to set the time. 

This watch includes a reproduction of the correct size key, it is not the original.

Price: $925.00

Verge Fusee Escapement
Used in antique spring-powered mechanical watches and clocks, a fusee is a cone-shaped pulley with a helical groove around it, wound with a cord or chain which is attached to the mainspring barrel. Fusees were used from the 15th century to the early 20th century to improve timekeeping by equalizing the uneven pull of the mainspring as it ran down. The mainspring is coiled around a stationary axle (arbor), inside a cylindrical box, the barrel. The force of the spring turns the barrel.

Key-wind/Key-set Movements
The very first pocket watches up until the third quarter of the 19th century had key-wind and key-set movements.  A watch key was necessary to wind the watch and to set the time.  This was usually done by opening the case back and putting the key over the winding-arbor (which was set over the watch's winding-wheel, to wind the mainspring) or by putting the key onto the setting-arbor, which was connected with the minute-wheel and turned the hands.  Some watches of this period had the setting-arbor at the front of the watch, so that removing the crystal and bezel was necessary to set the time. 

This watch includes a reproduction of the correct size key, it is not the original.

Price: $1,625.00

Verge Fusee Escapement
Used in antique spring-powered mechanical watches and clocks, a fusee is a cone-shaped pulley with a helical groove around it, wound with a cord or chain which is attached to the mainspring barrel. Fusees were used from the 15th century to the early 20th century to improve timekeeping by equalizing the uneven pull of the mainspring as it ran down. The mainspring is coiled around a stationary axle (arbor), inside a cylindrical box, the barrel. The force of the spring turns the barrel.

Key-wind/Key-set Movements
The very first pocket watches up until the third quarter of the 19th century had key-wind and key-set movements.  A watch key was necessary to wind the watch and to set the time.  This was usually done by opening the case back and putting the key over the winding-arbor (which was set over the watch's winding-wheel, to wind the mainspring) or by putting the key onto the setting-arbor, which was connected with the minute-wheel and turned the hands.  Some watches of this period had the setting-arbor at the front of the watch, so that removing the crystal and bezel was necessary to set the time. 

This watch includes a reproduction of the correct size key, it is not the original.

Pair Case
Higher end early verge fusee watches were often in a pair case. Pair case refers to when a pocket watch is placed within another case (nesting), therefore two cases.

Price: $1,875.00

Guilloché (or guilloche) is a decorative engraving technique in which a very precise intricate repetitive pattern or design is mechanically engraved into an underlying material. Specifically, it involves a technique of engine turning, using a machine of the same name, also called a rose engine lathe. This improved upon the more time-consuming practice of making similar designs by hand and allowed for greater delicacy, precision, and closeness of the line, as well as greater speed.

Verge Fusee Escapement
Used in antique spring-powered mechanical watches and clocks, a fusee is a cone-shaped pulley with a helical groove around it, wound with a cord or chain which is attached to the mainspring barrel. Fusees were used from the 15th century to the early 20th century to improve timekeeping by equalizing the uneven pull of the mainspring as it ran down. The mainspring is coiled around a stationary axle (arbor), inside a cylindrical box, the barrel. The force of the spring turns the barrel.

Key-wind/Key-set Movements
The very first pocket watches up until the third quarter of the 19th century had key-wind and key-set movements.  A watch key was necessary to wind the watch and to set the time.  This was usually done by opening the case back and putting the key over the winding-arbor (which was set over the watch's winding-wheel, to wind the mainspring) or by putting the key onto the setting-arbor, which was connected with the minute-wheel and turned the hands.  Some watches of this period had the setting-arbor at the front of the watch, so that removing the crystal and bezel was necessary to set the time. 

This watch includes a reproduction of the correct size key, it is not the original.

Price: $1,575.00

Hunter Cases
A hunting case covers the face of the watch concealing the dial. The case is opened by pressing the stem or the crown of the watch. Hold the watch in your right hand with the bow between the index finger and thumb. Press on the pendant-crown with the right thumb to release the cover exposing the face. When closing, do not SNAP the cover. Press the crown to move the catch in, close the cover, then release the crown. This will prevent wear on the rim and catch.

Stem-wind, Lever-Set Movements
Mandatory for all railroad watches after roughly 1908, this kind of pocket watch was set by opening the crystal and bezel and pulling out the setting-lever (most hunter cases have levers accessible without removing the crystal or bezel), which was generally found at either the 10 or 2 o'clock positions on open-faced watches, and at 5:00 on hunting cased watches. Once the lever was pulled out, the crown could be turned to set the time. The lever was then pushed back in and the crystal and bezel were closed over the dial again. This method of time setting on pocket watches was preferred by American and Canadian railroads, as lever setting watches make accidental time changes impossible. After 1908, lever setting was generally required for new watches entering service on American railroads.

Price: $3,550.00

Hunter Cases
A hunting case covers the face of the watch concealing the dial. The case is opened by pressing the stem or the crown of the watch. Hold the watch in your right hand with the bow between the index finger and thumb. Press on the pendant-crown with the right thumb to release the cover exposing the face. When closing, do not SNAP the cover. Press the crown to move the catch in, close the cover, then release the crown. This will prevent wear on the rim and catch.

Stem-wind, Lever-Set Movements
Mandatory for all railroad watches after roughly 1908, this kind of pocket watch was set by opening the crystal and bezel and pulling out the setting-lever (most hunter cases have levers accessible without removing the crystal or bezel), which was generally found at either the 10 or 2 o'clock positions on open-faced watches, and at 5:00 on hunting cased watches. Once the lever was pulled out, the crown could be turned to set the time. The lever was then pushed back in and the crystal and bezel were closed over the dial again. This method of time setting on pocket watches was preferred by American and Canadian railroads, as lever setting watches make accidental time changes impossible. After 1908, lever setting was generally required for new watches entering service on American railroads.

Price: $2,550.00

Hunter Cases
A hunting case covers the face of the watch concealing the dial. The case is opened by pressing the stem or the crown of the watch. Hold the watch in your right hand with the bow between the index finger and thumb. Press on the pendant-crown with the right thumb to release the cover exposing the face. When closing, do not SNAP the cover. Press the crown to move the catch in, close the cover, then release the crown. This will prevent wear on the rim and catch.

Stem-wind, Lever-Set Movements
Mandatory for all railroad watches after roughly 1908, this kind of pocket watch was set by opening the crystal and bezel and pulling out the setting-lever (most hunter cases have levers accessible without removing the crystal or bezel), which was generally found at either the 10 or 2 o'clock positions on open-faced watches, and at 5:00 on hunting cased watches. Once the lever was pulled out, the crown could be turned to set the time. The lever was then pushed back in and the crystal and bezel were closed over the dial again. This method of time setting on pocket watches was preferred by American and Canadian railroads, as lever setting watches make accidental time changes impossible. After 1908, lever setting was generally required for new watches entering service on American railroads.

Paillard Patent
During the mid 1880's a series of patent's for non magnetic alloys for balance springs and balances were granted to Charles-Auguste Paillard who had experimented with gold and palladium alloys. Pocket watches marked "Paillard’s patent" were made by the “Non-Magnetic Watch  Co. of America” from 1887

Price: $2,350.00

Quarter Hour Repeater
The quarter repeater strikes the number of hours, and then the number of quarter
hours since the last hour.  The mechanism uses 2 chimes of different tones.  The
low tone usually signals the hours, and the high tone the quarter hours.  As an
example, if the time is 2:45, the quarter repeater sounds 2 low tones and after a
short pause 3 high ones: "dong, dong, ding, ding, ding".  Alternatively, some use a
pair of tones to distinguish the quarter hours: "dong, dong, ding-dong, ding-dong,
ding-dong"

Verge Fusee Escapement
Used in antique spring-powered mechanical watches and clocks, a fusee is a cone-shaped pulley with a helical groove around it, wound with a cord or chain which is attached to the mainspring barrel. Fusees were used from the 15th century to the early 20th century to improve timekeeping by equalizing the uneven pull of the mainspring as it ran down. The mainspring is coiled around a stationary axle (arbor), inside a cylindrical box, the barrel. The force of the spring turns the barrel.

Key-wind/Key-set Movements
The very first pocket watches up until the third quarter of the 19th century had key-wind and key-set movements.  A watch key was necessary to wind the watch and to set the time.  This was usually done by opening the case back and putting the key over the winding-arbor (which was set over the watch's winding-wheel, to wind the mainspring) or by putting the key onto the setting-arbor, which was connected with the minute-wheel and turned the hands.  Some watches of this period had the setting-arbor at the front of the watch, so that removing the crystal and bezel was necessary to set the time. 

This watch includes a reproduction of the correct size key, it is not the original.

Pair Case
Higher end early verge fusee watches were often in a pair case. Pair case refers to when a pocket watch is placed within another case (nesting), therefore two cases.

Price: $12,300.00

Verge Fusee Escapement
Used in antique spring-powered mechanical watches and clocks, a fusee is a cone-shaped pulley with a helical groove around it, wound with a cord or chain which is attached to the mainspring barrel. Fusees were used from the 15th century to the early 20th century to improve timekeeping by equalizing the uneven pull of the mainspring as it ran down. The mainspring is coiled around a stationary axle (arbor), inside a cylindrical box, the barrel. The force of the spring turns the barrel.

Key-wind/Key-set Movements
The very first pocket watches up until the third quarter of the 19th century had key-wind and key-set movements.  A watch key was necessary to wind the watch and to set the time.  This was usually done by opening the case back and putting the key over the winding-arbor (which was set over the watch's winding-wheel, to wind the mainspring) or by putting the key onto the setting-arbor, which was connected with the minute-wheel and turned the hands.  Some watches of this period had the setting-arbor at the front of the watch, so that removing the crystal and bezel was necessary to set the time. 

This watch includes a reproduction of the correct size key, it is not the original.

Price: $22,050.00

Hack feature—found on military watches, a mechanism that stops the second hand while the watch is being set. This enables watches to be synchronized to the precise second. This is now a very common feature on many watches.
Price: $700.00