What's the story of this case? You know, the case so many people misname on ebay, "The Mainliner?" You see it on watches from 1910 to 1960, encasing movements of virtually all the American watch companies. And yet, it seems to me to be a generic case, used to recase movements when their original cases have worn out or to just improve them cosmetically to sell them for more. Were they ever an original case themselves? I like the looks of the case just fine, but in my mind I associate them with a recasing and hence, have a lower opinion of the watch, not to mention my annoyance at the labeling of it by so many as the Mainliner, whether out of greed or ignorance...

You will see a lot of people say that the case is a Mainliner "style" case when it is in fact a Keystone J.Boss Railroader case that came out around 1923. There were a few watch companies that copied the J,Boss Railroader case as it was the most popular case to date.

Hamilton contracted Keystone to make the Mainliner case after the J,Boss Railroader case in 1937. The "Mainliner is NOT a case, but rather a combination as Lindell put it here.

Mainliner

I like to say that the mainliner case, when people call it that, is really a "J.Boss Railroader" wannabe. When you think about it, the J.Boss Railroader came out in 1923, and the "Mainliner" in 1937, 14 years later, and was made to look like the J.Boss Railroader with a few subtle changes, as Lindell said. Just like the Waltham style case, and look at all of the Ball cases that have the same look.

I'm sure there are others here that can give you a LOT better answer, but this is pretty well how I see it.

Regards,
Larry

That case has inaccurately been called the Mainliner so many times it's almost a given now days. Ironic because as Larry says the mainliner case model came 14 years AFTER the original J Boss Case.

My take on why that is was the mainliner case is the ONLY correct case for the early (1937-38) Hamilton 950 elinvars (as it was the only mainliner model) IMO, and given the price of that watch many people just took to calling them mainliners as Larry says out of ignorance or deception, a name that obviously stuck.

As Lindell says, in reality the Mainliner was not a case by itself but a MODEL that hamilton produced so it was just part of a package.



It will always be a "J Boss Square Bow" case to me, at least that's what I called it.

Fact is tho it is probably the single most popular 16S case there is, and practically any railroad watch always looks better in it.

I used to buy lots of items from Manfred Trauring of Cosmopolitan Watch Material in New York years ago. Here is an ad from his flyer in 1977.
The GB part number was for the glass back display case with two matching bezels with crystals.

I will probably get in trouble for saying it but it seems to me that the term Mainliner has become the commonly used term for this popular case style. Aspirin was a Bayer trade name but who remembers to say Bayer Aspirin when we want an Aspirin? The correct scientific name, I think, for a Grizzly bear is Ursus Horriblis. Most people might not know that but they know what Grizzly bear means. The term Mainliner is common among pocket watch collectors and if not technically correct is now part of the collectors language and seems to be a well understood common descriptive term for the case in question. It probably will remain that way, unless we all learn Chinese.

Its fairly simple, try and remember this on these two similar looking cases;

If the inside of the case back doesn't say "Hamilton", then it is NOT a "MAINLINER", but is merely a Keystone J.BOSS "Railroader".



To be a "MAINLINER" it MUST say "Hamilton" inside the case back. There are two different signatures on the "REAL~DEAL" Hamilton signed "MAINLINER" cases and here they are; [see attachment courtesy IHC185]

One wouldn't call a Illinois "Bunn Special" an Elgin "Veritas", so learn to call a case by the correct word such as "MAINLINER" if it IS signed "Hamilton", and call it a "Railroader" if it ISN'T signed "Hamilton".. Very simple.....

MAINLINER Case= IS signed "HAMILTON"
RAILROADER Case= ISN'T signed "HAMILTON"

regards,
bb

[A "MAINLINER" case has to say "HAMILTON" just like one of these two signatures, or it isn't a "MAINLINER", period !!]

I agree Buster, but I also understand what Richard is saying. People who really are not as up on these watches as some, will call them what they "think" is a "generic" name when we know that it really isn't. And of course there ARE some who will call it that KNOWING that it isn't.

That is the good thing about IHC185, and a question like this being discussed her. The people who DON"T know can learn. I remember you using this example quite a long time ago, and have never forgotten it. I think of you every time I use the term, "J.Boss Railroader" for instance. Before that I really didn't remember/know. I cringe when I see someone calling it a Mainliner case, but I also understand why they might.

Regards,
Larry

I will throw my two cents, some people are so politically correct that if you say hand me a Kleenix, they will correct you and say no it is a facial tissue. Can you hand me the Tin foil, uh no you ***** it is aluminum foil. If you say it is a Hamilton Mainliner case then you are being deceptive but if say it is it is a Mainliner style case there is nothing decpeptive or incorrect about saying that. In the end you are trying to convey the style of case that you are talking about. I agree with Richard, you are not trying to pass it off as a Mainliner just trying give an impression, if you say JBoss Railroader case most collectors except for the more avid will not know what style you are talking about. Not only did JBoss make this style case but so did Star and the Hamilton, the Star and the JBoss exhibit the same general look with some slight differences.

good discussion; I didn't learn this until I started shopping for my Ham 950E, and (from this site years ago) 'learned'.
However, I am not knowledgeable about how to tell which of the J.Boss 'railroader' :-) cases were used as ORIGINAL cases for the Waltham Vanguard winding indicators? (and I guess, non-indicators too). Several of the original Waltham ads show that square-bow case, but hard to pick out the subtle difference vs the 'generic' case available to any jeweler. Did all of the Waltham ones have "Cased and Timed at Waltham Watch Factory", for example? Any stamping/appearance differences? SO many Waltham indicators cased in these, that even though I like the case, get the same reaction as the OP; looks like a likely recase..... but may be original. Thanks!

Also, (forgot to add above); I have a few of the Star Watch Co. -made "glass-back" versions. I know they are original/correct, as the rear bezel has a different cut than the front bezel; NOT simply two front bezels. Love these for my 'wear' watch, as people always want to see the movement. But curious as to the history. I'd heard once from Paul Graehling that HE had a batch of these made for his personal use (and Paul is the one who purchased the assets of the Star Watch Case Co.; saw much of the equipment in his "warehouse' basement before it was donated to the *****, I believe(?). He talked about the complications of negotiating the purchase of the gold sheet for stamping the gold-filled cases, and had coffee cans of "no good" crowns that HE attempted to make with the equipment; he finally gave up :-) Anyway, wondering if these glass-backs were commonly available for many years prior to Paul buying Star's equipment (and buying "his" batch of those cases for housing his movement collection?. Neat cases, either way, when you don't have or can't find the 'original'.

In 1977 Manfred Trauring of NY was selling these restrike cases, here's his ad and three of the cases he advertised as glass backs ["GB"] as you can see.

regards,
bb