A watchmaker at work inspecting Railroad watches.

I suppose inspecting 250 watches a month keeps these watchmakers very busy.

The 30 watches, on the right side (foreground) of image, all appear to be the long stem cases, which were phased out in the mid-20's.

Robert

Hi Robert, Great pic. The 30 watches on the right also appear to be 18S, which were being phased out by 1931. Maybe these were used for loaners.

Tom

Thanks Tom. How many watchmakers do you suppose were required, to inspect, repair, adjust, 250 watches per month?

Rober

Neat post Robert...

I talked to my Grandfather on Thanksgiving about this thread. He was a young Watch Inspector in the late 30's for the Milwaukee RR in Coon Rapids, IA before he was married.

I asked him how he got the job, and he said no one else wanted to do it. He said he might get up to 10 watches to inspect in a day. Some days 5 some days none. 200-300 per month was typical, so this picture is fairly representative in my opinion.

John,
Very interesting story. It's really good to talk to someone, especially your grandfather, who can share with you first hand information about RR watch inspection.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Robert

Robert,
what a great picture this is, and what a great piece of history.

Dave,
Thanks, I wonder if this building at 123 North 18th Street, St. Louis, is still standing?

I don't suppose there were any 161A, 163A, or 992E hanging on the wall since they were only introduced 1 month earlier (Sept. 1931)!

Robert

Below is a "Watch Repair Price List" from 1935 which doesn't include cost of parts.

This is an excerpt from a well known watch parts house catalog.

This should give you some idea about the wages of a watchmaker in 1935.

Robert