Description:
Elgin 16S 7J grade 291 pocket watch #18690531, handsome nickel split plate movement with an elaborate concentric circle damascene pattern, double sunk (DS) porcelain enamel dial with fancy Arabic numbers, red Arabic 5 minute markers, a black-marked subsidiary seconds register and a gold, red & black Pontiac emblem over the center post, dial has a few faint hairlines, blue steel spade & whip style hands, classic Elgin white base metal (WBM) screw back & bezel (SB&B) smooth polish case with a thick glass crystal and a heavy bow, case is showing normal moderate wear with some spots of discoloration on the back, frame & bow along with a few light scratches on the glass crystal, we can exchange that with a new plastic crystal at no charge on request, measures approx. 50mm in diameter x 69mm in length x 12mm thick (crystal included). An attractive triple signed Elgin from the early 1900s, a great find for the Pontiac enthusiast, in excellent overall condition!
Item Specifics:
Logo Info:
On all but a few of the advertising logos, mainly Packard from the Hamilton company and Studebaker from South Bend, the logos would have been commissioned through a professional dial company after they left the factory to have the logo applied. For instance, a car dealership might have them added as a promotion, a motorcycle club would have ones done for each of their members, etc.
On the watch/logo combinations that may not match up on a timeline (the watch was made prior to the automobile company being formed, for instance), what we understand could have happened is, say for a car club, the members would need to provide their own watch to which the emblems would be added. Someone might have wanted a Harley logo on "Grandpa Bob's" old pocket watch, and would have had the dial pulled from that. Other than the Packard/Hamilton & Studebaker/South Bend arrangements, it was a free-for-all on the pairings and you could find just about any combination of manufacturer with the different logos.
We do also have a pretty good selection of the vintage dials that have emblems on them, but that are not attached to a watch yet. Often in the past, a customer would want a watch without the advertising, so we would just pull the printed dial and replace it with a similar-style plain dial, then set the printed one aside. If you have something specific you are looking for, please drop us a note to see if we have anything in our stock that might work for you.
For guides on how to wear and care for your vintage watches and watch accessories, check out the PM Time Service reference pages at:
www.pmtime.com/POP_REF_PAGES.html
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