Found an Old Pocketwatch

Shakakka

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May 11, 2017
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Did an old corner of an old town here on Long Island this weekend, and came up with this cool brass(?) pocketwatch.

Not sure when it was made, but it's from The E. Ingraham Company in Bristol Connecticut, and the patent says 1907.

What are those graduations on the back from S |||||||||||| E ? Is that to get a compass bearing?

IMG_4812.JPGIMG_4818.JPGIMG_4820.JPG
 

Upvote 21
i think there was a lever that you could adjust the speed a little.. if the watch was a little fast or slow
 

Nice find shakakka, those are always fun to dig! I bet it was silver plated judging from what's left..but I could be wrong. Congrats..Ddf
 

Time Goes So Fast!

The Scale is a Regulator "S" Slow to "F" Fast.
It is used to adjust the speed of the Watch.
The speed may have to be adjusted due to Atmosphere and Temperature.

Watch Regulator.JPG

Which way to turn the regulator?


Turning the disc rotates the snail cam which causes the lever to move, but at first glance the letters "F" and "S" might not show clearly which way to turn the cam. This is easy to work out by remembering that moving the curb pins towards the stud makes the free part of the balance spring longer and the watch run slower, and moving the curb pins away from the stud has the opposite effect. Looking at the red arrows in the picture you can see that turning the adjuster counter-clockwise towards the "F" causes the snail cam to move the regulator lever towards the spring, which moves the curb pins away from the stud, making the effective length of the balance spring shorter and the watch run faster. The marks on the disc are simply there for visual reference, they are not calibrated and variations in timing are done by experiment, moving the lever slightly and seeing how much effect this has on the timekeeping, usually with the aid of a timing machine.
 

The Scale is a Regulator "S" Slow to "F" Fast.
It is used to adjust the speed of the Watch.
The speed may have to be adjusted due to Atmosphere and Temperature.

Very cool, thanks for the info! While I'm no watch expert, I'm pretty sure this thing is past adjustment at this point. :tongue3:
 

Neat Find.
I have still only dug pieces of Pocket Watch, Hope my First is GOLD or Silver but I will gladly take brass.
Thanks for posting.
 

Thats a very nice relic!!!
 

Keep the watch Shakakka if you choose to, Reason? After all these years detecting, I may have dug a dozen or two, sometimes just the outer rim, all of them "Toasted", but, had I kept them all, and cleaned them up as well as I could, what a VERY cool display say in a frame they would of made. Each one of course, if they could talk, might of had a fine story to tell. Pocket watches were personal items, and any and all displayed together, would of made for a really good "Show & Tell" item.
 

I'm sure that made your day. Thanks for sharing.
 

The Scale is a Regulator "S" Slow to "F" Fast.
It is used to adjust the speed of the Watch.
The speed may have to be adjusted due to Atmosphere and Temperature.

Which way to turn the regulator?


Turning the disc rotates the snail cam which causes the lever to move, but at first glance the letters "F" and "S" might not show clearly which way to turn the cam. This is easy to work out by remembering that moving the curb pins towards the stud makes the free part of the balance spring longer and the watch run slower, and moving the curb pins away from the stud has the opposite effect. Looking at the red arrows in the picture you can see that turning the adjuster counter-clockwise towards the "F" causes the snail cam to move the regulator lever towards the spring, which moves the curb pins away from the stud, making the effective length of the balance spring shorter and the watch run faster. The marks on the disc are simply there for visual reference, they are not calibrated and variations in timing are done by experiment, moving the lever slightly and seeing how much effect this has on the timekeeping, usually with the aid of a timing machine.

That's why I enjoy this site! It's always sooo educational! Thanks for that info!

Now, if I can just knock the rust off my mainspring.....:tongue3:
 

my grandfather worked on the railroad for 30 plus years, he always wore overalls and always had his pocket watch attached and hidden in its place. between them and his hat and red wing boots, He was a bigger than life man to me. love pocket watches and still looking for my first one.
 

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