South Bend 298 Info needed

May 13, 2011, 22:00

Eugene Buffard

Here is a 17 jewel 16sz South Bend I picked up. It is marked 298 Adjusted. Serial # 516882. Any Info would be helpful. Production date's and runs. I am not a serious south bend collector.

May 13, 2011, 22:00

Eugene Buffard

This is the original Dial. It's in pretty bad shape. The bold dial that is on the watch in the photo has a lot of hairlines also.

May 13, 2011, 22:00

Eugene Buffard

It has some tarnish on the gears.

May 13, 2011, 22:01

Eugene Buffard

May 14, 2011, 04:01

Lindell V. Riddle

Hi Gene,

Your Grade 298 number 516882 is from a mixed run of about 1,000 movements 516001-517000 blocked in approximately 1908 production, only 200 of which including yours, are thought to be equipped Double Roller escapements. As you know this feature was required by some inspectors for new watches entering Railroad Time Service around this period.

There were only about 3,000 of the Grade 298 produced, yours would have been advertised as being Railroad Grade and considered a Railroad Watch at the time it was produced. These watches are very desirable to serious South-Bend collectors as we all hope to find at least one of the seventy-one grades and 5 sizes of movements they produced.

Despite the damage that "South-Bend" script-signature dial is likely correct for your pre-1910 movement, the block-lettered dial with bold numerals is from somewhat later, I would recommend saving it for another watch.

Check our "South-Bend Research Forum" for more information.

Lindell

May 14, 2011, 09:14

Eugene Buffard

Thank You Lindell.
Indeed my watch did leave the factory with a Double roller. But some ingenious watchmaker decided that my watch would run just fine with out all the parts. So I will be looking for a safety roller to reinstall on the Double roller variant 298. Of the 3000 has the years of research turned up the total suspected Double roller variant. The serial # is the same on the balance cock as the movement.

What caught my eye to this watch was the impressive dames keeping. And that it is always good to have the jewel count and adjusted marked on the movement.