Hi i have a couple of us watch co pocket watches 1 is an acid watch movement i would like to know if anyone knows the approximate numbers of these made it seems very rare they come up for sale. Also have a us watch co president two tone in excellent condition i read somewhere there was only 600 odd made then they stopped 2 tone movement in favour of just nickel plate could someone advise if this sounds right thanks jeff
Posts: 68 | Location: New South Wales, Australia | Registered: June 21, 2015
Hi Jeff , It seems that US Watches have the same interest as Lancasters , could you post a picture of that President ? They are real beauty's .Wish I could help on your question about finishes , my favorite is the acid wash .
Posts: 1574 | Location: Maryland in the USA | Registered: June 04, 2015
I have always found the products of the United States Watch Company at Waltham ( Not to be confused, as it often is, with the Waltham Watch Company of the same locale! ) to be quite interesting.
The later Howards, those after 1903 marked Howard Watch Company which included some fine watches including the "Edward Howard" model, which many consider to be one of the best watches manufactured in the USA during the Twentieth Century were built in the very same factory after US Watch Company ceased operations.
Please share yours in this topic as we have not discussed these little-known watches in a while.
In the six images that follow I will share a few examples from my collection.
Hope you and others find them worthwhile,
Lindell
Posts: 10553 | Location: Northeastern Ohio in the USA | Registered: November 19, 2002
The United States Watch Company at Waltham was the first to offer a Double-Roller Escapement which would soon become the industry standard and eventually a requirement on all watches entering Railroad Time Service. These pioneering movements were such fine timekeepers that they were guaranteed to keep time to within a variation of something less than six seconds a month.
Apparently less than a thousand of these were produced in Open-Faced configuration.
Ca. 1893 "The President" Double-Roller 150424 movement...
Posts: 10553 | Location: Northeastern Ohio in the USA | Registered: November 19, 2002
Hi i have tried to send a picture it keeps coming up file to large i dont know how to rectify when i do ill send pix of the president also a pix of us watch co unfinished movement
Posts: 68 | Location: New South Wales, Australia | Registered: June 21, 2015
Those are really nice , how many jewels is the president ? I had read they came out as 17-21 and were slow sellers before getting called back and upjewelled ,, getting back to original question , in the earnhardt book #2 it shows old ads that give a good idea of the finish ,but we still do not know if that model was all acid washed or did they mix them up . I might be able to scan them if you have not seen them
Posts: 1574 | Location: Maryland in the USA | Registered: June 04, 2015
Thanks for that pix kevin us watch had a lot of beautiful movement to answer your question is 17 jewels i was told 21 jewel ones were mainly plain nickel not 2 tone although i dont know for sure if this is correct or not
Posts: 68 | Location: New South Wales, Australia | Registered: June 21, 2015
This is from the notes I have in with my US Watch Company "The President" shown above in this topic...
Imagine the 1893-94 period when these were brought to market. Hamilton was just beginning, having started in business less than two years before, their Railroad Watch was the 936 Grade, Hampden and Columbus were favorites of many Railroad men, Webb C. Ball had not yet introduced his "Official RR Standard" movements. And along comes the little-known United States Watch Company at Waltham introducing the first Double-Roller escapement, an important feature designed to stop the movement from over-banking which when it happened would cause the watch to stop running entirely. This ground-breaking development would soon become the industry standard and eventually a requirement on all watches entering Railroad Time Service.
They got a lot of attention with "The President" which they GUARANTEED would keep time to WITHIN A VARIATION OF LESS THAN SIX SECONDS A MONTH. Introduced February 1st 1894 on the back cover of the "Locomotive Engineers Journal" as "the only 18-size Double-Roller Lever-Setting Movement" which meant every other watch company including Waltham, Illinois and Elgin now had to play "catch-up" with a little company most people had never even heard of.
I'll go so far was to say that no serious Railroad Watch Collection is complete without a US Watch Company "The President" because they represent one of the most important milestones in Railroad Watch History and overall timekeeping excellence.
That's my opinion, let's hear yours!
Lindell
Posts: 10553 | Location: Northeastern Ohio in the USA | Registered: November 19, 2002
Hi again would like to know if any one knows regarding the president number of jewels when they changed to 21 jewels i was told when they changed from 2 tone movement if someone could inform me if this is correct as there is not a lot of information about this classic watch any info on this watch not covered so far is appreciated appreciated
Posts: 68 | Location: New South Wales, Australia | Registered: June 21, 2015
Maybe i should put this question a different way can any one tell me if they have a 2 tone movement with 21 jewels or if anyone with a plain nickel movement has one with 17 jewells this might answer a lot of questions regarding jewell numbers and movements
Posts: 68 | Location: New South Wales, Australia | Registered: June 21, 2015
) to be quite interesting. 
