Ted I don't think the center wheels are gold but are decent quality because they have round spokes so they are not punched out wheels. It is hard to understand why Elgin moved the regulation screw but all 571 cases will have some type of open relief area, for the gold cases it was a rounded and on the stainless steel case it is more squarish. They are good watches, they did what they were supposed to, keep RR time and today the prices are low. Normally I don't chase watches after the late 30's but it is hard to pass on these.

Thanks Claude.For a "modern" watch, they still look pretty nice.I like the streamline case style.I don't know if it's an illusion, but it almost looks like the regulator adjusting screw sticks out past the edge of the movement.

Speaking of the regulator, going to this whiplash regulator seems like a giant step backwards.I'm no watchmaker, but Elgin had a perfect reg. setup, with the nut and screw style they used earlier, kind of similar to South Bend's regulator.But then again, from my own experience,Elgin RR's keep such good time, you don't have to fool around adjusting anyway!

Theodore, if you look closely, these do still have the adjustable screw and use the whiplash spring to preload it. All they have changed is the adjustment means which is a "head" at the end of the threaded shaft rather than the "nut" under the regulator staff.

In earlier designs Elgin actiually employed a "Hidden" preloading spring under the Balance cock to further stabilize the micro-regulator even though you could still see the "nut" on the top that did the adjusting.

I am not sure one has a precision advantage over the other but I tend to think that the whiplash spring setup was a bit less expensive to make if you look at all the machining needed for the micro-nut adjuster. It may have also been a monkey-see monkey do mindset since most of the competitors were using the whiplash spring and the buyer might have seen it as being a better system.

Thanks Dave and Claude.I noticed on Dave's wind indicator picture, that they just went ahead and machined an already engraved plate for the WI gearing, taking out most of the word"jewels".Talk about a cost-cutting measure! I believe all their 18 size indicators were made that way.