Columbus 18S 16J lever set (LS) adj. hunting case movement (HCM) Railway King pocket watch #224263, beautiful 2-tone nickel full plate movement with screw-down gold jewel settings, micrometric regulator with a gold finish endcap ring and an elaborate concentric circle engraved damascene which is accented with multiple gold-flashed concentric circle accents, mint porcelain enamel dial with an imitation double-sunk (DS) line in the center, roman numerals, red 5 minute markers and a depressed seconds register, blue steel fleur de lis style hands, re-cased into a handsome yellow gold filled (YGF) hinge back & bezel (HB&B) case with elaborate floral engraving on the bezels, center of the back cover is smooth polish with a large engraving of a rose (or similar) flower, coin edge frame and large heavy bow, case does not have a dust cover, case is showing normal even wear overall with even smoothing to the engraving but no brass, there is a small dent on the frame and adjacent back cover at 7 o'clock, measures approx. 55mm in diameter x 80mm in length x 20mm thick (crystal included). An impressive, attractive high quality vintage watch from the 1890s in excellent condition!
- Year Made: 1892-1893
- Company: Columbus
-
Movement Size:
0318S
- Jewels: 1216J
- Setting/Movement Type:
lever set
- Adjustments: 1-3 positions
- Model/Grade: Railway King
- Serial #: 224263
- Movement Finish: 2-tone
- Movement Details: 2-tone, screw-down gold jewel settings (GJS), micrometric regulator
- Dial Material: porcelain enamel
- Dial Details: imitation DS line
- Hand Style:
fleur de lis
- Case Style:
HB&B
-
Case Material:
Gold Filled - Yellow
-
Case Width/Diameter:
55mm (2.17 inches)
-
Case Length, bow included: 80mm (3.15 inches)
-
Case Thickness: 20mm (0.79 inches)
- Crystal Material: plastic
- Condition:
Excellent
-
Gender:
Gentlemen's
The Columbus Watch Company, out of Columbus, Ohio, was in business from 1874 until 1902. Columbus produced a wide range of watch grades with a large number of high grade watches for railroad service. One of the original founders of the company, Dietrich Gruen, was a leading innovator during the early years of the company, patenting many new and updated modifications to the movements that eventually allowed for smaller, and thinner, watches across the industry.
The company manufactured almost 400,000 watches before it was sold and renamed the
South Bend Watch Company. Additionally, in 1894, Gruen founded a new company, the
Gruen Watch Company which went on to make some of the earliest "thin-model" pocket watches and helped to usher in the age of the wrist watch.
As an additional resource, we've posted a
Serial Number Production List which includes information for Columbus 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.
We do have a professional watchmaker that does all of our cleaning and repair work for us. To have your watch serviced before shipping, simply add this
Cleaning/Service Agreement to your shopping basket. The cleaning and timing service is $95, and depending on the time of the year, has a turnaround time of 1 to 3 weeks.
Please note that we provide this service in addition to the listed purchase price of our watches. If you do purchase this option and later decide to return the watch, this fee is non-refundable.
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; as this watch is currently offered at our
Etsy Store, please message us on Etsy when purchasing this item to request a new crystal.
Please note that the average turnaround time for all pocket watch crystal replacements will be two days from the placement of the order; wrist watches will typically also take two days, however we do not carry every model of crystal in stock and there may be a delay of up to seven business days as we order the correct item from our supplier.
Contact us with any further questions or for an estimate on any shipping delays.
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.
