South Bend 16S 21J adj. 8p Studebaker pocket watch #1200442, beautiful nickel 3-finger bridge-plate movement with bold red ruby jewels, raised screw-down jewel settings and a bar-style damascene pattern, mint off-white metal dial with fancy Arabic-style numbers similar to Gothic, an imitation double-sunk (DS) depressed line bounding the inner portion of the dial, a subsidiary seconds register and is marked "Studebaker", blue steel spade & whip style hands, handsome white base metal (WBM) Adams-model screw back & bezel (SB&B) case with an anti-magnetic friction-fit dust cover, the smooth polish case has a braided-design engraved deeply on the bezels, the back is engraved with a detailed scene of an elk buck standing in grass with mountains in the background, laurel engraved fancy shoulders, pendant and hinged bow, thick glass crystal, case is showing only light normal wear overall however there are a number of short, moderate scratches on the interior frame and dust cover, likely from opening the friction fit section of the case to reveal the movement, measures approx. 52mm in diameter x 67mm in length x 14mm thick (crystal included). It is possible that the material used to finish the dial was a luminious paint that has lost the glow affect; in sunlight and indoor lighting, it appears off-white however in the lightbox as we were taking photos, there was a very faint green tint, similar to what we note on the inserts of vintage luminous hands. A high grade South Bend from the 1920s in excellent+ condition!
Year Made: 1927-1928
Company: South Bend
Movement Size:
04 16S
Jewels: 07 21J
Setting/Movement Type:
pendant set
Adjustments: 8 positions
Model/Grade: Studebaker
Serial #: 1200442
Movement Finish: nickel
Movement Details: 3-finger bridge layout
Dial Material: metal
Dial Color: ivory/off-white
Dial Details: marked Studebaker
Hand Style:
spade & whip
Case Style:
SB&B
Case Material:
Base Metal - Silver/White
Case Details: Adams-model
Case Width/Diameter:
52mm (2.05 inches)
Case Length, bow included: 67mm (2.64 inches)
Case Thickness: 14mm (0.55 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.
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 February 28th, 2021, 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.
Crystal Option:
Keep existing crystal
New plastic crystal (+$15.00)
New old stock (NOS) glass crystal (+$45.00)
Please note: if you add this watch with a crystal exchange option to your
shopping cart but later change your mind on the crystal selection type, you'll need to remove the watch from the cart in order to make a new crystal selection. Once that is done, you can return to this page and add that new combination to the cart. We apologize for the limitations to our system that prevent you making that change from the shopping cart directly.
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.
And, if you are interested in this watch without the current advertising dial, please
drop us a note as well. On wrist watches, we can give you a quote on what the current charge to re-finish the dial would be (typically it will run $35 to $75 depending on the dial style). On American-make pocket watches, we may have a replacement dial in stock and could exchange the current dial with an unmarked dial for a small fee. Most European-make watches would need to have the dial refinished to remove the emblem.
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.
