
Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
Elgin Pocket Watch Silverode Railway Working 7 Jewel, 1921
- Maker / attribution
- Elgin (maker)
- Date
- 1921
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- United States
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Materials / technique
- silver
- Dealer
- WatchMuseum.org shop
- Stock no.
- Product 2915
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 2915)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Elgin Pocket Watch Silverode Railway Working 7 Jewel (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by WatchMuseum.org shop (stock number Product 2915), this is a pocket watch by Elgin, made in United States, dated 1921. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: silver. The record is illustrated with 5 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — WatchMuseum.org shop
Step back in time with the exquisite Elgin Pocket Watch Silverode Railway Working 7 Jewel from 1921, a remarkable blend of history and craftsmanship that captures the essence of early 20th-century railway timekeeping. This vintage timepiece boasts a substantial 59mm silverode case, 20mm thick, lending it a weighty and durable presence complemented by a pristine plastic crystal. Despite a minor blemish and a small hand carving that could be polished, the watch remains in excellent condition, featuring a reliable 7-jewel movement that is still in working order. As part of the Grade 288, Model 5, Class 106 series, this watch is a rare find with an estimated production year of 1921 and only 3,000 pieces made. Bearing the serial number 23649821, it is the 221st of the 296 produced in its specific grade and model run, contributing to a total production of 531,800 watches. This piece comes from Rock N Gold Creations in San Diego, California, a trusted name with over 30 years of experience in the jewellery industry. The founder, a GIA graduate, ensures that all products meet GIA standards, and the company is renowned for winning numerous jewellery design competitions. Rock N Gold Creations is dedicated to providing quality custom jewellery, fine estate jewellery, and fine watches, making this Elgin pocket watch a timeless addition to any collection. This Elgin railway pocket watch from 1921 is a true vintage timepiece with a 59mm silverode case that is 20mm thick, making it a heavy and substantial watch with a clean plastic crystal. While there is a minor blemish on the case and a small hand carving that could be polished, overall the watch is in excellent condition and it features a 7-jewel movement that is in working order. The watch is part of the Grade 288, Model 5, Class 106 series and has an estimated production year of 1921, with only 3,000 made. The watch’s serial number is 23649821 and it is the 221st of the 296 made in this grade and model run. In total, there were 531,800 of these watches produced. You can trust in the quality of this watch as it comes from Rock N Gold Creations, located in San Diego, California with over 30 years of experience serving customers locally, nationally, and internationally. The founder is a GIA graduate, and the company adheres to GIA standards. At Rock N Gold Creations, they have won many jewellery design competitions and are passionate about providing quality custom jewellery, fine estate jewellery, and fine watches. Creator: Elgin Case Material: Silver Case Dimensions: Depth: 20 mm (0.79 in)Diameter: 59 mm (2.33 in) Style: Modern Place of Origin: United States Period: 1920-1929 Date of Manufacture: 1921 Condition: Good
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The pocket watch reached technical maturity and then began to give way to the wristwatch after the First World War. Complicated watches for collectors such as Henry Graves Jr. and James Ward Packard, railroad watches, and slim Art Deco dress watches are characteristic.
Read the period in the timelineMore pocket watches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
Atlas type guide
Railroad and railway watches
Timetables made accurate timekeeping a matter of safety. After a fatal collision at Kipton, Ohio, in 1891, American railroads adopted strict standards: open-face watches, lever setting, at least 17 jewels, adjustment to temperature and five positions, and a performance within 30 seconds a week, inspected regularly by approved watch inspectors. Waltham, Elgin, Hamilton, Illinois and Ball made railroad-grade watches in large numbers.
European railways issued service watches to guards, drivers and station staff, often engraved with the railway's initials and a staff number. Such watches link industrial timekeeping with the standardisation of time zones (Greenwich Mean Time adopted by British railways in 1847; North American standard time in 1883).
What to look for
- Open-face cases with the crown at 12 and lever setting under the bezel.
- Montgomery dials with every minute numbered, or bold Arabic numerals.
- 'Railroad grade', '21 Jewels', 'Adjusted 5 positions' on the movement.
- Railway initials and issue numbers engraved on the case back.
Dating clues
- American railroad standards: from 1891–93, revised c. 1908.
- Serial numbers of American makers allow dating to within a year.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Read next:Detached lever escapement
Related records
Wristwatches · 1920-1926?
Wristwatch by Elgin, United States, 1920-1926?
Työväenmuseo Werstas
Pocket Watches · c. 1871
Elgin pocket watch, Hunting Case Pocket Watch, circa 1871
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · 1930s
Elgin wristwatch, National Watch, 1930s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Pocket Watches · 1887
Elgin Antique Gold Filled Pocket Watch Gr 27 15 Jewel, 1887
WatchMuseum.org shop
Pocket Watches · c. 1900
Pocket watch by American Waltham Watch Company, United States, c. 1900
Science Museum Group, London
Pocket Watches · c. 1900
Pocket watch by Robt. H. und Bro. Ingersoll, United States, c. 1900
German Clock Museum
Pocket Watches · 1904
Pocket watch by American Waltham Watch Company and Dennison Watch Case Co, United States, 1904
Science Museum Group, London
Pocket Watches · c. 1905
Pocket watch by Brooklyn Watch Case Co. B. W. C., United States, c. 1905
German Clock Museum
