I’ve always been fascinated by watches. Not the electronic ones, but the mechanical ones. The little mechanisms inside them are a wonder and the skill and craftsmanship it takes to build one is a rare talent.
I am fortunate to have my grandfather’s railroad pocket watch. He was an engineer on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and used this watch every day. The requirements for accuracy are obvious, and this watch has dual hour hands so that it does not need to be reset when traveling between time zones. In fact, this watch is lever set, meaning that the crystal must be removed and a small lever pulled out to allow the watch to be set – this prevents accidental changes to the setting while winding the watch. Railroad engineers can’t afford for their watches to be wrong – disaster could be the result and sadly this has happened more than once.
I’ve begun the restoration process on this watch, and all that remains at this point is to have the movement itself cleaned, oiled, and adjusted. A family heirloom if there ever was one.
Dave will service this movement for me, and I will personally deliver the watch into his hands. I can’t bring myself to ship it, because no amount of insurance would ever replace this watch if it were lost – there isn’t another one like it in the world. This one was my Grandfather’s watch.
I met Dave and picked up the watch, and it is keeping perfect time – serviced and ready for the next century.
Here are some photos for you.
