Railroad Watch Tip 3

Railroad pocket watches of old are treasures of unique craftsmanship. My uncle worked for the railroad in Illinois at the beginning of the 20th century, and my father was a watchmaker.

I remember seeing my uncle's watch, and I remember my father working with the special device attached to his glasses to magnify the tiny parts while repairing these fine timepieces!

In the late 1800s, the heyday of the railroad, literally hundreds of trains were managed by this quality timepiece, the railroad pocket watch. Because incorrect time would be disastrous to the railroads, American watchmakers had to meet the rigorous challenge of producing an amazingly reliable and accurate timekeeping machine.

They met the challenge. Indeed, a well cared-for railroad pocket watch from the 1800s can still be in good working order today, a tribute to its superior craftmanship.

Several factors should be considered when buying or assessing an antique railroad pocket watch, including the Size of the movement--16 or 18.

Some of the finest railroad watches were built to even high specifications. These included 21-23 jewels or more, adjusted to six positions instead of five, and had wind indicator dials to signal the current wound condition.