South Bend 18S 17J lever set (LS) adj. 5p The Studebaker grade 323 pocket watch #533688, impressive nickel full plate movement with screw-down gold jewel settings (GJS) and a lattice design damascene pattern, single sunk (SS) porcelain enamel dial with bold fancy Arabic numbers, red Arabic 5 minute markers and a black-marked subsidiary seconds register has a faint hairline between the center post and seconds bit, purple steel spade & whip style hands, re-cased into a heavy smooth polish yellow gold filled (YGF) screw back & bezel (SB&B) case with a classic sculpted pendant supporting a slightly recessed crown, a large French-style bow and a glass crystal, case is showing light normal wear with a small patch of notable scuffing on the back cover and a bit of brass starting to show on the frame & bow, measures approx. 53mm in diameter x 72mm in length x 18mm thick (crystal included). An attractive, high quality railroad grade South Bend from the early 1900s in excellent+ overall condition!
- Year Made: 1908-1909
- Company:
South Bend
-
Movement Size:
0318S
- Jewels: 1117J
- Setting/Movement Type:
lever set
- Adjustments: 5 positions
- Model/Grade: The Studebaker grade 323
- Serial #: 533688
- Movement Finish: nickel
- Movement Details: gold jewel settings (GJS), screw-down jewel settings
- Dial Material: porcelain enamel
- Hand Style:
spade & whip
- Case Style:
SB&B
-
Case Material:
Gold Filled - Yellow
- Case Details:
re-cased, French bow
-
Case Width/Diameter:
53mm (2.09 inches)
-
Case Length, bow included:
72mm (2.83 inches)
-
Case Thickness:
18mm (0.71 inches)
- Crystal Material: glass
- Condition:
Excellent +
-
Gender:
Gentlemen's
The South Bend Watch Company was in business from 1902 until 1929. Originally the
Columbus Watch Co.out of Columbus, Ohio, the company was purchased by members of the
Studebaker family in 1902 and was moved to South Bend, Indiana. The watches produced under the South Bend name started their serial numbers after the end of the Columbus numbers, 380,500, and the company produced approximately 900,000 watches before it succumbed to the downturn of the Depression and closed in 1929.
As an additional resource, we've posted a
Serial Number Production List which includes information for South Bend serial numbers and dates of manufacture.
The NAWCC also has a
comprehensive article about the company; additional information may also be found on
Wikipedia.
This watch is in good running condition, unless otherwise noted in the description. This means that on receipt, pending any item-specific running conditions noted in the description, you can expect the watch to be winding and setting properly and to run smoothly while keeping reasonable time. We consider "reasonable time" to meet these basic guidelines:
- Railroad Grade Watches will be keeping +/- 5 minutes per day
- Pocket and Wrist Watches with 15 or more jewels will be keeping +/- 10 minutes per day
- All key wind watches and watches with 14 or fewer jewels will be keeping +/- 15 minutes per day
The above guideline is the lowest standard in which we would ship out a watch, however in most cases, you will see much better timekeeping. Most of our watches have been in storage for many years, so if you plan on carrying/wearing them everyday, you should consider having them cleaned and oiled soon, and then once a year thereafter to keep them in top running condition. If the watches will be for occasional use or display, they should be cleaned and serviced every 3 to 5 years depending on use.
As of September 11th, 2025, we are not offering a cleaning and service option through PM Time Service. While we do hope to offer this again in the future, we are unfortunately unable to meet customer requests for watch servicing at this time. Please note that, unless otherwise mentioned within the "Full Description" tab, this watch is being sold in good running condition and is ready to wear or carry on arrival.
This watch comes complete with an appropriate, intact glass crystal; however, on request PM Time Service can replace the current crystal on this pocket watch for you. We offer a number of new and vintage crystal choices for pocket watches; you can select your desired choice from the dropdown menu below.
Please note that the average turnaround time for all pocket watch crystal replacements will be two days from the placement of the order.
Contact us with any further questions or for an estimate on any shipping delays.
Please note: if you add this watch with a crystal and/or band exchange option to your
shopping cart but later change your mind on the crystal and/or band selection type, you'll need to remove the watch from the cart in order to make a new selection. Once that is done, you can return to this page and add that new crystal and/or band combination to the cart. We apologize for the limitations to our system that prevent you from making that change within the shopping cart.
This is considered a "railroad-grade" pocket watch. To be a railroad-grade watch, the following criteria must be met:
- be 16S or 18S
- have 17 or more jewels
- be lever set
- be in an open face case
- be adjusted to 5 or more positions.
- have easily-legible Arabic dial numerals
In order to ensure the accuracy of pocket watches used by railroad employees, with the ultimate goal of preventing train accidents, the General Railroad Timepiece Standards Commission published a set of guidelines for railroad companies and watch manufacturers in 1893. These guidelines, which specified the criteria for a railroad-grade watch, were prepared by Webb C. Ball, the general time inspector of North American railroads and founder of the Ball Watch Company.
For more information, visit this
Wikipedia article on railroad chronometers or this
Smithsonian National Postal Museum article on the influential train wreck tragedy that resulted in the establishment of railroad watch standards.
Our entire collection of such timepieces may also be viewed at our
Railroad Grade Watches category.
Unlike modern quartz watches, most vintage watches need daily winding in order to keep the watch functioning for timekeeping. Additionally, there are a number of different ways to set the time other than simply pulling the crown away from the watch body. We are happy to provide an overview of each of the different setting types on our
"How To Use" page, where we also provide information on proper winding techniques for each style and some suggestions for the proper long term care and storage of your watch.
For your gift giving convenience, please find a consolidated overview of the information on this item, with no reference to the price, on this
printer-optimized page.
