My Pocket Watch Collection

Ok, this one is a bit unusual....

This is a Swiss-made keywind pocket watch, dating to the late 1800's. It measures just about 50mm in diameter. The movement has a lever escapement and either 11 or 15 jewels, and is marked "No. 171250" and "Compensation Balance". The case is hallmarked 0.800 silver, and the dust cover is marked "PATENT LEVER", "FULL JEWELLED", "Especially Examined" and "No. 171250".

What makes this watch so unusual, however, is the fact that it is a "true" 24-hour watch. The dial has continuous numbers from 1-24 (as opposed to simply a separate inner track of numbers from 13-24), and the hour hand actually take a full 24 hours to make one complete revolution around the dial. Setting the hour is fairly straightfoward (as long as I remember that 1:00 PM is 13, 2:00 is 14, etc.), but setting the minutes can be a bit tricky at times.

The person I bought this watch from called it a "railroad" watch, but I'm really not sure if iut was meant for railroad use, military use or something completely different. Perhaps it is simply a novely watch? Whatever the case, I like it!

Front Back Dial Dust Cover Movement

Back to My Pocket Watch Page

Return to Barry's Home Page