Elgin 18S 15J G.M. Wheeler grade 44 pocket watch #3665609, attractive nickel full plate movement with screw-down jewel settings and a mixed bar & wavy circle damascene pattern, single sunk (SS) porcelain enamel dial with Roman numerals, red Arabic 5 minute markers, a black imitation double sunk line and a black-marked subsidiary seconds register has a faint hairline near 5 o'clock, blue steel spade style hands, gorgeous smooth polish Fahy's coin silver screw back & bezel (SB&B) case inlaid with an amazing gold steam engine with a car, engine has been engraved to show the details of the cattle guard, wheels, etc., the case around the gold scene has also been hand engraved to accent the locomotive, with billows of smoke coming from the stack, the train tracks and bits of fauna & background mountains or hills, coin edge bezels, an extra heavy large bow and a unique inscription on the interior of the back case that reads:
- "To General Custer From The Michigan Brigade Ride You Wolverines"
- (under the inscription is a small engraved pair of crossed swords)
While we can confirm that this watch has been in the collection of a private collector here in the Denver area for the last 30-40 years, we unfortunately do not have any provenance for the watch prior to that. As such, we are selling this watch with the incredible gold inlay as the primary focus and are treating the Custer inscription as a novelty.
Case is showing light normal wear with very little smoothing to the various engravings and a few small nicks & scratches on the bow, measures approx. 56mm in diameter x 81mm in length x 21mm thick (crystal included). A very attractive, high quality Elgin from the 1890s, an interesting conversation piece for both the railroad and the General Custer enthusiast in excellent+ overall condition with a case that must be seen to be appreciated fully!
- Year Made: 1890-1891
- Company:
Elgin
-
Movement Size:
0318S
- Jewels: 1315J
- Setting/Movement Type:
pendant set
- Model/Grade: G.M. Wheeler grade 44
- Serial #: 3665609
- Movement Finish: nickel
- Movement Details: screw-down jewel settings
- Dial Material: porcelain enamel
- Dial Details:
imitation double sunk (DS) accent line
- Hand Style:
spade
- Case Style:
SB&B
-
Case Material:
Solid Gold - Yellow, Silver - Coin
- Case Details:
Fahy's, inscription, decorative gold-inlay, General Custer inscription
-
Case Width/Diameter:
55mm (2.17 inches)
-
Case Length, bow included:
81mm (3.19 inches)
-
Case Thickness:
21mm (0.83 inches)
- Crystal Material: plastic
- Condition:
Excellent +
-
Gender:
Gentlemen's
The Elgin watch company, out of Elgin, Illinois, was in business from 1864-1964, and while active, was the largest-producing American watch company, manufacturing an estimated half of all pocket watches ("dollar" watches not included). By 1956 they had produced over 55 million pocket and wrist watches.
As an additional resource, we've posted a
Serial Number Production List which includes information for Elgin serial numbers and dates of manufacture.
The NAWCC also has a
comprehensive article about the company; additional information may also be found on
Wikipedia.
You may browse all of our men's pocket watches from this manufacturer at our
Vintage Men's Elgin Pocket Watches category.
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 12th, 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 plastic 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.
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.
