Rockford 18S 11J lever set (LS) transitional model pocket watch #61173, attractive nickel full plate movement with screw down jewel settings, a steel foot around the key wind post which can be used if desired instead of the pendant to wind the watch and a fancy bar-style damascene pattern, single sunk (SS) porcelain enamel dial with Roman numerals and a black-marked subsidiary seconds register is marked with jeweler's information "Joe Marx Central City, Colo.", dial does have a few small hairlines and a small expert repair near the edge at 5 o'clock, blue steel spade style hands, re-cased into a heavy Newport coin silver smooth polish hunting case (HC) with one side engraved with a large, simple design of a blank oval monogram shield surrounded by a flower, foliage and ribbon, reverse side is unengraved, unmarked white base metal (WBM) non-magnetic dust cover and a large heavy bow, case is showing normal even wear overall however there are shallow matching grooves on each side of the case that run parallel to the hinges, possibly from sitting in a display stand for an extended amount of time, along with a few small shallow dents on the bezels, measures approx. 58mm in diameter x 85mm in length x 20mm thick. A very heavy, attractive Rockford from the 1870s in excellent overall condition!
- Year Made: 1878-1879
- Company:
Rockford
-
Movement Size:
0318S
- Jewels: 1711J
- Setting/Movement Type:
lever set
- Serial #: 61173
- Movement Finish: nickel
- Movement Details: hunting case movement (HCM), transition model, screw-down jewel settings
- Dial Material: porcelain enamel
- Dial Details:
jeweler's mark, "Joe Marx Central City, Colo."
- Hand Style:
spade
- Case Style:
HC
-
Case Material:
Silver - Coin
- Case Details:
re-cased, Newport
-
Case Width/Diameter:
58mm (2.28 inches)
-
Case Length, bow included:
85mm (3.35 inches)
-
Case Thickness:
20mm (0.79 inches)
- Crystal Material: plastic
- Condition:
Excellent
-
Gender:
Gentlemen's
The Rockford Watch Company, located in Rockford, Illinois, was in business from 1873 until 1915 and produced approximately one million watches. Rockford produced a wide range of watch grades, including some very desirable high- and/or railroad-grade watches including a number of 24J, 25J and 26J models. Rockford also set themselves apart from other watch companies with the numerous variations of detailed movement damascene finishing options they offered.
As an additional resource, we've posted a
Serial Number Production List which includes information for Rockford 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 September 16th, 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 features a jeweler's mark, or name of the retailer that originally sold the watch, in addition to the name of the watch manufacturer. Jeweler's marks may be engraved or printed on the dial, case or movement, depending on the watch. See the Full Description for details specific to this piece.
The jewelers' mark was a pretty common practice during the early to mid-1900s, and does continue today. A jewelry shop would commission a small run of watches directly from a watch manufacturer, such as Hamilton, Illinois, etc., who would then add markings for that jeweler at the factory to the dial, movement and/or case. This would allow for the jeweler to offer a customized branding of a high quality watch without the prohibitive cost of directly manufacturing the watch components and assembly.
The most common example that most will recognize is with Tiffany & Co., which for a short time did manufacture their own watches but realized it was cost prohibitive for their label and transitioned to commissioning watches from high-end watch manufacturers instead. On many of their vintage watches, you'll see the "Tiffany & Co" markings on the dial, and occasionally also stamped on the movement and case, but additional markings on the movement will show Longines, International Watch Co., etc. to also indicate the manufacturing company.
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.
