I was working with my numerous odd projects ive accumulated and I came across one that i allmost forgot about. It is a Plymouth Watch Co.(Rockford, 644,xxx) but it is a 0 size. This is not that unusual but it is a 17j rather than the 15j shown in my book. I love this one because of its beautiful damaskeening. I was wondering how uncommon is this movement? Also does anyone have a dial for this?

Hi Darren,
My Rockford book lists this as a 17j, model 2, h/c. The only run I could find the 0s, mod.2,17j, was 644,001 to 644,500. Not too many made.
Brian C.

Wow! thanks for the great info. The numbers match, mine is 644,473. Identifing this movement wasnt easy. This brand was made by more than one co. When I looked in my C. Shugart book it looked like a rockford but the 0s is shown as a 3fb. This mvmnt has a solid train plate. It looks like the 3 bridges, just "filled in". I love the quality of this movement and plan on putting it in one of my wire lug cases. The mvmnt came with a chipped swiss dial that was "forced" to fit on the movement

pic sorry for the quality

Darren,

Thanks to Brian, you now know you have not just a good looking but a rare and important movement. I'm glad it is being saved for posterity. As an aside, weren't "Plymouth" watches and clocks private labeled for Montgomery Ward and Company?

Don

Donald,
The gold book also says that Illinois put out the Plymouth Watch Co. Watches for Sears Roebuck.
Brian C.

Thats neat. Does that mean that my watch was sold by sears? Thats ironic because that would mean that i had 2 sears watches that dont say sears on them (my A. C. roebuck and the plymouth) Does anyone know why they chose plymouth for a name?

I don't know why they used Plymouth but Sears also sold homes under that name too from 1934-1937.

That sears was one heck of a salesman. Buying a house from a retail store? And they had a brand name too? Have you seen ads for the plymouth w c watches in their catalogues?

I was wrong, they sold homes from 1908-1940, this link tells about there homes but on another site I saw there ad for the Plymouth model.
http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/index.htm

Darren,
Your watch is a Rockford. I'm not sure Sears sold those, there weren't many of those made. I know they sold the Plymouth's, made by Illinois Watch Co.
I also know a fellow up here that told me his Grandmother had a potato farm in Maine. She wrote to Sears and asked them if they would hold a sewing machine for her until the potato crop came in. They wrote back to her and said that she could pay them so much a week and they would send her the machine. This maybe one of the first things they sold on credit. Pretty neat.
Brian C.

I saw somewhere that Rockford also made watches for Sears.

Tom

Darren,
I have in my collection a Plymouth Watch Co. watch made by Illinois. Mine is a 16 size-17 jewel hunter--serial no. 1809467 with a signed Plymouth Watch Co. dial. It is one of my favorities.
Tony

Brian. Thats a neat story about the sewing machine. During economics 101 we learned about the beginings of the "installment" plan. Your granmothers story sound just like some of the early examples of this "invention" from the industrial revolution. Where the pic of your plymouth?