Railroad Watches and Time Zones

Hello,Thank you for your interest in this event. Unfortunately, we have to cancel and will reschedule it in September. We are very sorry for the inconvenience.

<!–In general, war drives advancements in technology. The Civil War, for example, saw the development of the railroads and steam engines. The expansion of railroads and trains encouraged new opportunities in travel and trade. However, this expansion came at a cost due to the high frequency of train collisions because there was no standard time. In other words, if a train left "Location A" at 11 a.m., and another train left "Location B" at 11:30 a.m. but was actually 11 a.m., those two trains would eventually collide, killing hundreds of passengers. Therefore, the U.S. government contacted the Ball Watch company in Ohio to create standardized times for railroads.

Time zones were established in the United States on November 18, 1883. The motivation for standard time came from interstate trains, which had to coordinate when they would arrive and depart.

Join us on Thursday, August 16, at 6 p.m. as Robert “Bob” Connelly goes into more detail about railroad watches and timezones. At the end of Connelly’s presentation, please feel free to bring in one antique from your personal collection for a free verbal appraisal.

ADMISSION

ITEMS FOR THE PRESENTATION

CASE: Open Face

Hunting Case

ALL: Cases open two ways – screw off back or wedge open

The case may or may not be hinged

Some models may have a dust cover

MARKINGS: Any case marked with 10 years, 20 years, means the case is plated and warranted to last that number of years

AMERICAN: Gold cases are marked with the karat of gold.  Silver cases are marked sterling or coin.

FOREIGN: Cases are hallmarked or marked with the percentage of purity of the metal

SIZES:  18, 16, 12, 10 or 0, are the most common or popular watch sizes.  Size 18 is the largest (male) and a lady’s is normally 10 or smaller.

MOVEMENT: It should have a serial number.  This number can be used to find the history of the movement, mainly the year it was made.  The number of jewels may be marked on the movement, the higher the number the better the movement.  

RAILROAD: A railroad grade watch is required to have:

Minimum of 19 jewels (there are a few known exceptions)

Open Face Lever Set

18 or 16 size Double sunk face

Arabic numbers

Second bit (second hand)

COMPLICATIONS:  Calendar movement, sweep second hand, repeater, up & down indicator, moon phase, etc.

REFERENCE BOOK: Complete Price Guide to Watches by Cooksey Shugart Publications–>