Gallet Pocket Watch Serial Numbers

  1. Pocket Watch Case Serial Numbers
  2. Gallet Pocket Watch Serial Numbers And Value

Contents This page is not intended to be a comprehensive reference of watch movements, of which there are many thousands. It is a small selection of often unidentified old movements that I have been able to positively identify. I don't intend to show movements with their makers names on them, because they are already identified. The idea of this page is to try to identify otherwise unknown movements found in the type of watches that I collect, which are principally Great War era men's wristwatches with 12 or 13 ligne movements.

Illinois pocket watch serial numbers

It is often difficult to identify movements from the shape of the top plates or bridges alone. Although some movements such as the IWC calibre 64 leap out to the experienced eye, other are less easy because of similarities between the products of different manufactures, and manufacturers altering bridge shapes for different customers. In fact, the apparently huge variety of Swiss watches is explained by this phenomenon: once the basic layout in a round movement of the barrel, train wheels, escapement and balance was arrived at, there was little scope, let alone need, to change it. Manufacturers altered the appearance of their movements by changing the top plates, but the basic layout remained much the same.

Bestfit 1965 ETA 715 and Eterna 710 The keyless work under the dial that handles stem winding and setting is often said to be the 'fingerprint' of a movement. For example, The Bestfit Book includes the diagram shown here of the parts of the keyless work of ETA calibre 715 and Eterna 710. The most significant part for identification is the largest part, the cover plate. This has an integrated detent spring which holds the setting lever in either the winding or setting position. This cover is called the 'setting lever spring' in Swiss parts lists, with the generic part No. 445, or 'set bridge' in American parlance. The other two parts shown are the setting lever and the yoke that moves the sliding pinion.

These are smaller, simpler, and less easy to identify with certainty. The setting lever spring was an evolution of the earlier simple cover plate that simply kept all of the parts of the keyless work in place. Stem set keyless work needs a detent to hold the crown in the winding or setting position.

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In early stem wound and set watches the usual Swiss 'positive' set keyless work (in contrast to American or negative set) incorporates this detent as part of the mechanism, usually a notch on the yoke, whereas in later watches it is integrated into the cover plate as in this watch. The long thin arm acts as a spring, the two notches at the end serve as detents that hold the setting lever in either its usual winding position or in the hand setting position when the crown and stem are pulled out. It is not known exactly when this modification to the cover plate was introduced, but it seems to have been in the late 1920s or early 1930s, and it might have been Eterna who introduced it. If you have any knowledge about this, please let me know. Once this system had been introduced it was quickly taken up by other manufacturers.

By the time the Bestfit and other similar movement identification books were introduced, which seems to have begun in the 1940s, most of the watches current at that time had cover plates with integral detent springs. The fingerprints in the Bestfit book can be used to easily identify these movements. Movements from the 1920s or earlier, with cover plates that don't have integrated detent springs, don't generally appear in the Bestfit or similar books and are therefore harder to identify. The cover plates are often just as unique, it's just that by the time the Bestfit books were introduced, watches with such movements were considered 'obsolete'. I began this page to try to identify movements like this. By looking at trademarks on plates, apparently different movements with the same keyless work, and other sleuthing, some progress has been made.

There is a long way yet to go. Measuring Movements. Official Catalogue of Swiss Watch Repair Parts - how to measure movements The first step in identifying a movement is to determine its size in lignes. The image here from the 'Official Catalogue of Swiss Watch Repair Parts' issued by the Watchmakers of Switzerland in 1948 shows how movements are measured for diameter D and height H. Note that the diameter D is taken from the part of the movement immediately below the widest part of the bottom plate.

This is an important dimension because it determines the size of the hole in the case or carrier ring that the movement is to be put into. The widest part of the movement above D forms a flange that stops the movement dropping straight though the case or carrier ring. The flange must be there but its diameter is not important. If the movement is not round but is rectangular or barrel (tonneau) shaped then you need to measure its two principal axes, the width D as shown in the image and also its length on the horizontal axis. Swiss movement sizes are usually given in lignes. A ligne is 1/12 of an old French inch and is about 2.256mm. Measure the diameter in millimetres and then use the calculator below to convert this into lignes.

References such as the Bestfit Catalogue list movements grouped into half lignes, or occasionally quarter lignes. The calculator below returns the ligne size to half a ligne, e.g. 12½ or 13 ligne. The quarter ligne sizes are usually very few for men's size watches and are tacked on to the end of the half ligne sections, for a small lady's watch movement you might need the quarter size.

Movement diameter (mm): Photographing Movements When taking pictures of a movement top plate or bottom plate, always make sure that the camera is directly above the movement so the shot is not oblique, and that the pendant or crown and winding stem at the top, in the 12 o'clock position. This is how movements are shown in the reference books. If you send an image that is not in this orientation it is really difficult to find a match amongst the hundreds of possible. For some easy to follow tips on taking good close up photographs of watches and movements click on this link.

Back to the of the page. Beguelin & Cie SA, Damas and Tramelan. Military movement: Click to enlarge The first movement pictured here, which I have titled 'BTCo. Military movement' is from a trench watch with a black dial and fixed wire lug nickel case made by Dennison. It has the British Army military property broad arrow or 'pheon' and a stores number on the case back.

This appears to be one of the watches officially issued to soldiers by the British Army beginning in 1917. It is slightly different from the group of movements in the section below; the click is different and the setting lever screw is in a slightly different place. But its similarity to the first of the movements in the group is obvious, the central bridge and the balance cock are very distinct shapes. The five movements shown in the group below all have identically located setting lever screws, and all but the first have identical clicks. In all of these movements the keyless work is identical, showing that they were all made by the one company. I have only shown the keyless work once, from the last watch in the group. The bottom plate of that watch carries the BTCo.

Logo for a positive identification, the only one of the group that does. Thanks to Owen Gilchrist for allowing me to photograph these movements.

The similarities between the movements are as striking as their differences. The more you look the more similarities you see; the jewel holes for the third, fourth and escape wheels are in the same places, the screws that secure the bridges and cocks are in the same places, the case screws that secure the movements into their cases are in the same places. But the shapes of the bridges and cocks are so different that you might never suspect that these are essentially identical movements, which is precisely what the manufacturers intended. The first movement in the group below has no brand name. The next is branded Rolco on the ratchet wheel, the same movement was also used in Marconi and Unicorn watches. The next two are branded Ingersoll, the first on the ratchet wheel, the second with Ingersoll 'Elite' engraved on the main cock and gold filled, and the next one with 16 jewels has no brand name on it. The final picture shows the bottom plate and keyless work, which is identical in all of these movements.

Electa Savonnette Movement 15 Jewels. Click image to enlarge The first movement shown here is a savonnette layout with the small seconds on the dial at 6 o'clock. It has 15 jewels, a split bi-metallic temperature compensated balance and Breguet overcoil balance spring.

In addition to the 15 jewel type, there was also a higher grade 17 jewel version with the jewels set in chatons, with adjuster with swan neck spring for precise adjustment of the regulator lever. The swan neck springs of the Reed adjuster of these movements are often broken. I am planning to make some of these swan neck springs to replace the ones that are missing from my movements - I don't expect that it will be a quick or easy exercise. I also have an indirect centre seconds version of this movement, with the seconds hand driven off the arbor of the third wheel by multiplier gearing. This is the bottom picture to the right.

A full explanation of the working of the centre seconds of this watch is given on the Watch Movements page. This movement was also available with or 'American system' keyless work. IWC Calibres 63 and 64. Click image to enlarge. Many of these calibre 63 and 64 movements were supplied to Stauffer & Co.

Of London who put them into wristwatch cases, and the movement in the picture is from one of these watches with a Borgel case. In this application they are made pin-set, that is they use a separate push piece to put the keyless work into the hand setting position, so were ideally suited to the Borgel case with its split stem which allowed the movement to screw into and unscrew from the case. Note that it is not the 'S&Co. Under a crown or ' PEERLESS' stamped on the movement underneath the balance which identifies this as an IWC movement - those are trademarks which belong to Stauffer, Son & Co.

And also appear on movements sourced by Stauffer from other manufacturers. I first identified the movement pictured as an IWC calibre 64 by comparing the shapes of the plates and bridges with diagrams in IWC ' Fournitures' catalogues, and the IWC museum have since confirmed that it is a genuine IWC calibre 64 movement listed in their records.

However, because it was supplied to Stauffer as a bare movement, IWC will not issue an 'extract from the archives' for the watch as they did not supply the case. There is more about IWC in general and the calibre 63 and 64 movements on my page. Back to the of the page. Stauffer Branded Eterna Movements. US Pat 24 May 1904, no setting lever screw. PAT 24 May 1904 These movements often bear a reference to a US patent 'U.S. PAT 24 May 1904' or 'U.S.

1904' (the stamp is poor in the P and it often looks like 'U.S. FAT 24 May 1904'). This is a reference to patent US 760647 for a negative set stem winding and setting mechanism (keyless work) granted to Sandoz on that date, which is a US version of Swiss patent CH 28243 that was granted to Sandoz in 1903. US Pat 24 May 1904, US PAT 24 MAY 1904. Tavannes 'Stayte' Brand. When this legend appears on the movement it shows that the keyless work was designed on the or 'American system' principles. These movements are seen with either normal or negative set mechanisms.

In Britain the negative set versions are usually in Dennison cases, which is not surprising given that the Dennison watch case company was set up to make cases for imported American Waltham movements. If negative set keyless work is present in one of these movements, the setting lever screw, which normally releases the stem, is not present and the legend 'U.S. PAT 24 May 1904' is stamped where the setting lever screw would be. The movement shown in the photograph above has a setting lever screw, which you can see just above the crown wheel, slightly off to the left towards the screw that holds the barrel bridge in place.

The barrel bridge shown in the picture on the immediate does not have a setting lever screw, which would be about where the '19' of the '1904' part of the legend is. I have inverted this photograph compared to the main one above to make the legend U.S.Pat.24 MAY.1904 the right way up. Back to the of the page. Movement from Georg Mallory's watch © Rick Reanier/Jochen Hemmleb, used with permission. Click image to enlarge.

This is another movement. The number 2 is my number, not the Fontainemelon calibre number which I have not yet discovered and which, given the early date of this movement, may never be discovered. This movement was identified by the Fontainemelon patent number 51482 stamped on the bottom plate under the dial (See entry above for explanation). Thanks to Marc for providing the photo. It is virtually identical to the Fontainemelon Movement 1 pictured above, apart from the shape of the centre bridge and the click that stops the ratchet wheel reversing. George Mallory's Watch George Mallory's Borgel wristwatch has the same Fontainemelon movement but with a higher degree of finish. The plates are decorated with and it has cap jewels for the pivots of the escape wheel as well as the balance.

The click is different from the movement shown in this section, but it is identical to the click on Fontainemelon 1. You can read more about Mallory and the watch. Back to the of the page. Fontainemelon movement 3. Click image to enlarge This is another movement by, identified by the William Tell mark of an arrow through an apple on the bottom plate under the barrel bridge.

The number 3 is my number, not the Fontainemelon calibre number which I have not yet discovered and which, given the early date of this movement, may never be discovered. The second picture shows the bottom plate, which is usually covered by the dial. The visible mechanism at the top is the keyless work that allows the watch to be wound and set by the crown. The shape of the cover plate work that holds the yoke and return spring in place is very distinctive. This movement is from a Borgel watch so it has a pin set mechanism for setting the hands. Instead of a setting lever, the steel part held in place by the setting lever screw and the screw with a large head on its left hand end is fixed, holding the short movement stem in place.

When pressed by the pin set the yoke pivots around the screw on its right hand end to move the sliding pinion down into the hand setting position. When the pin set is released the return spring pushes the yoke and the sliding pinion back into the winding position. If you have a movement like this, don't just look at the centre bridge because A. Schild made a movement with a very similar centre bridge which you can see.

Gallet pocket watch

Back to the of the page. Fontainemelon movement 4.

Click image to enlarge This is another movement by, identified by the William Tell mark of an arrow through an apple on the bottom plate under the barrel bridge and by the keyless work. The number 4 is my number, not the Fontainemelon calibre number which I have not yet discovered and which, given the early date of this movement, may never be discovered.

Pocket Watch Case Serial Numbers

The first image is a movement from a Borgel wristwatch, you can see the carrier ring around the movement. The two copper coloured pins sticking up from the bottom plate in the gaps between the bridges are the dial feet, the upper one is missing the screw that should hold it in position. The image of the bottom plate is from another movement with identical top bridges. The keyless work cover plate is the characteristic shape that identifies all these similar movements by Fontainemelon. This one is stamped with the B & Co. Mark with three stars, the trademark of Baume & Co., the longtime British agent for Longines.

Gallet chronograph watch

Obviously this movement has nothing to do with Longines and shows that Baume also imported watches with Fontainemelon movements. Back to the of the page. Click image to enlarge This is another movement by, identified by the keyless work. The number 5 is my number, not the Fontainemelon calibre number which I have not yet discovered and which, given the early date of this movement, may never be discovered. The shape of the cover plate over the keyless work that holds the yoke and return spring in place is very distinctive. This movement is from a Borgel watch so it has a pin set mechanism for setting the hands.

Instead of a setting lever, the steel part held in place by the setting lever screw and the screw with a large head on its left hand end is fixed, holding the short movement stem in place. When pressed by the pin set (red arrow) the yoke pivots around the screw on its right hand end to move the sliding pinion down into the hand setting position. The plate is marked Stewart Dawson & Co.

This business was established in London as a jewellery wholesale and retail business in about 1869 by David Stewart Dawson, later opening branches in Australia and New Zealand. The business was incorporated in London as Stewart Dawson & Co. Back to the of the page. Fontainemelon movement 6. Click image to enlarge This is another movement by, identified by the keyless work.

The number 6 is my number, not the Fontainemelon calibre number which I have not yet discovered and which, given the early date of this movement, may never be discovered. The shape of the cover plate over the keyless work that holds the yoke and return spring in place is very distinctive. This movement is from a Borgel watch so it has a pin set mechanism for setting the hands. Back to the of the page. Early Omega Keyless Work. Click image to enlarge This is an Omega movement from a wristwatch dated to circa 1914. The identification was a little tricky because the shapes of the top plates does not appear in any reference that I have access to.

Gallet Pocket Watch Serial Numbers And Value

Thanks to Tom at Gungadin Watches for the heads up on this watch, and for the photographs. The screw bezel swing ring case has London Assay Office import hallmarks for sterling 925 silver, with the date letter 't' for the years 1914/15. It also has the sponsor's mark SA of the Selling Agency, Omega's distributors in the UK at that time, a branch of Dimier Brothers. This suggested that the watch was an Omega, but the movement is not shown in any of my usual references. The definitive proof is found in the keyless work, the fingerprint of a movement.

I couldn't find anything like this in the Bestfit and Swartchild books, but the keyless work is so unusual with the intermediate wheel is attached to yoke that I managed to find a post which shows a repair to a watch clearly marked Omega which has the same keyless work.