Ever since I 1st saw a Muckle case on this site I have been watching for one to buy. The few times I have seen them come up on Ebay I am always out bid.

Well finally I was the high bidder on one & picked it up for several hundred less than the past ones I have seen.

If you all don't mind I thought I would post some photos of it & also some of the information I have located on Edward A. Muckle.

This 1st photo is the front of the case in the hunter position.

This is the back of the case when in the hunter position.

When the back is open you will notice the back is actually open so when the movement is rotated to open face the crystal fits into the opening.

The cap pops off the movement so the movement can be accessed.

This is the underside of the movement cover.

This is the fact of the watch with the hunter cover open.

These are the case marks under the hunter cover.

With both covers open the movement can be rotated to either the hunter or open face position.

Back side when rotating.

The watch in the open face position.

The movement is a 16s Elgin grade 92 11 jewel hunter lever set movement from 1886. The movement looks like it might be original to the case.

You sure find neat stuff Tom. I wonder how many of the Muckle cases were produced?

Edward A. Muckle was born in March of 1839 in Germany & immigrated to Philadelphia Pa.

He lived in Philadelphia most of the remainder of his life, but did live in Rockford Illinois for a short time. While living there his son Edward A. Muckle Jr. was born. Edward junior went on to also be a jeweler in Philadelphia.

Edward A. Muckle 1st took out a patent for what was called the magic watch case in 1867.

This is the patent drawing for 1867

Then in 1883 in Rockford Illinois, he took out this patent.

2nd page of patent

Drawing for this patent

The 2nd page of the patent drawing.

Mike

I don't think there were a large number of them, but searching this site I have found a few others posted.

Looking at census data for Edward Muckle, he didn't appear to live in Illinois long, so I would say the business must not have been very successful.

Well thanks for looking at my watch & listening to my story.

Tom

Tom,

That is a really neat case. Was it sold only with Elgin movements or was the case available for any movement?

Steve

It is my understanding that any company could use them, I have seen a few ads advertising them & it looks like that a jeweler could sell them with any movement that fit.

Mostly it appears Elgin's were put in them but I have seen a few Rockford & a Hampden. The one draw back, or at least for me putting a different movement in them, the stem is the female type that accepts a movement with the male stem attached.

I have noticed where some people think that because the cases say Rockford that they were associated with the Rockford Watch Company. I don't believe this was so, I think they were the Rockford Watch Case Company out of Rockford Illinois.

Tom

I have a Muckle with an 1877 Waltham in it. The cases were available for any watch.

I've never seen or heard of a Muckle case, Tom.

Enormously cool pick, and seems to be in great shape to boot!

Thanks for showing it .

Hello Tom:

Nice addition to your collection, and interesting history on Muckle, I found this interesting letterhead on eBay a few years ago.

Here is a letterhead from the NORTHWESTERN WATCH CASE CO. of 112, 114, & 116 N. MAIN ST. ROCKFORD, ILL. dated March 30th 1885 with an illustration of "THE CLIMAX WATCH CASE, REVERSIBLE." It shows J.S. Tickner, President, Wm. Lathrup, Vice President, and A.M. Anderson, Secretary and Treasurer.

It wouldn't be interesting, if you could research these names, and would add to what might have happened to the Muckle cases.

I have an early Rockford 18 size, Model 6, Serial No. 183376 with a Mermond and Jaccard, St. Louis, Mo. Roman numeral dial, in a Muckle case.

Tom - that is a really neat case! I like it a lot. Mr. Muckle seems to have been a design innovator. He foresaw the shift to open face cases. Most were hunters when he initially took out the patent, I believe.

It would be interesting to find out if the watch case from Northwestern Case Co is the same as the one Mr. Muckle patented. Maybe they bought the patent rights and then he decided to move back to Philadelphia? Could account for his relatively short stay in Rockford.

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Here are some ads & an article I found in the 1884 Jeweler's Circular & Horological Review.

One of the ads lists their patent & it is E.A. Muckle's patent that he received in 1883.


Tom

Larry, I will see what I can find on those names in your letter.

Tom

Don't know if this is readable, it is an announcement that Northwestern is going to start making the cases in gold, does not say if gold filled or what.

A very nice case Tom, and a good job of research also....

I'm the same as Eric, I have never seen or heard of the Muckle Case either....

Regards,
Jerry

Larry

On your letter, so far William Lathrup was born about 1825 in New York, in the 1880 census he is living in Rockford & is an attorney.

I am still looking for the others.

Jerry

I hadn't heard of these before, one day I was searching for something on this site & I ran across an old posting about them. I started keeping my eye out for them & every few months I would spot one on ebay but they always sell for around $500. I got lucky on this one, the seller mentioned it was marked Muckle but I don't think they knew what that was & I think it slipped under the radar of the others looking for these. I thought it would be neat to own one.

Tom

Hey Tom, Very nice watch. I think I saw this watch on Ebay,and noticed something different about the case in one of the photos,like the back of the case opened,and left the movement covered,but like most I had never even seen a Muckle case and just gave it a mental question mark and went on. Glad to see it now has a good home.

Nice find Tom.
Brian C.

Tom,
This is a great find and you deserve a lot of credit for having a good eye and spotting this! Mr. Muckle had a creative approach--make the case convertible instead of the movement. Your Muckle case holds an Elgin Model 3 movement (male stem), and does so as either an open face or hunter case, without changing the winding stem position. In effect, it turns the Elgin Model 3 watch movement into an Elgin convertible, flip it one way (open case) or flip it the other (hunter case).

If you can follow my rambling logic for a second here, please tell me if I've got this right. Here it is 125 year later, and his Magic case is still important, because a case for an Elgin convertible is very hard to find.

I believe it is correct to say any Elgin convertible male stem movement in 16s (not the 18) will also fit in a Model 3 female stem case, either in an open face or hunter position, by adjusting the Elgin convertible's male stem location. (Three different Elgin movements have the male winding stem--Elgin Model 3 movements, Elgin doctor's watches, and Elgin convertibles. The doctor's watch, being thicker, probably wouldn't fit in your case, although the case could be thick enough, but any convertible should fit.)

I think what I'm trying to say is Mr. Muckle figured out a way to turn any fixed postion Elgin Model 3 movement into an Elgin convertible by placing it in his case! And the Muckle case would also hold a real Elgin convertible, and make it easier and quicker to switch it from open to hunter than having to tinker with the stem location. Neat.

The convertible idea, in the 1879 to 1895 era, was a popular one, apparently, as Elgin made over 125,000 of these in 16s and about 17,000 in 18s.

I'm always looking for any pocket watch case that will fit an Elgin convertible, but this is a real surprise--a Muckle case will fit an Elgin convertible, or, in essence, make any Elgin Model 3 into a convertible.

--John