Precluding 8 day pocket watches, what is the longest running time for a pocket watch in your collection? Is there one manufacture or more who claim longer length of running time? I'm sure mainsprings or hairsprings would fall into play?

What's your longest running pocket watch on a single wind? Show and tell!

Haven't actual time either, but the 60 Hour Bunn Specials would have to be my longest running. Have heard that later 992b's would go for 55 hrs.

I'll have to test them.

Charlie

I have an 18S Elgin Veritas that runs for 42 hours and a later 992B that runs for 45 hours.

Hi Charlie,
Forgot to exclude 60 hr Bunns. Let's exclude 60 hr Bunns.

Hi Mike,
Wow! What would you atribute long running times on your 18S Veritas and later 992B? That's some extended running time!

Others?

I have a freshly overhauled Hamilton 992B with a NOS mainspring that will run 48 hours in the dial up position.

Hi Ed!

Hmmmmm! That's great!! 48 hrs. Hamilton 992B!!

Leads me to another question regarding topic. Ed, you mentioned your 992B runs 48 hours in the "dial up" position. Do various positions play a part in length of time with regard to pocket watches?

Others?

Yes Stephanie, I expect it would make a difference, depending on the watch, although I haven't measured it on the 992B I spoke of.

I would expect my 21J 992B to run for a shorter time on a full wind in stem up, down, left or right positions. This because in those positions the escapement won't be riding as much on the cap jewels as it does in dial up or dial down position, hence more friction.

I have taken a look a the fusee chain and mainspring barrel on some of my watches and have wound the the largest barrels with the longest chains...i will get back to you in 20-40 hrs

I wound and set 2 992b's and a 163 23j 60 hr bunn spl at 11:30 pm Thurs night.

They were all still running sat night at 7:00.
Check at 11 am Sun morning. The first b stopped at 2:30 and the second at 6:50. The bunn was still going. Check Sun night & bunn had stopped at 4:00 pm.

If my math is right, the first b got 51 hrs, the second b 55 hrs & 20 mins, and the bunn spl 62 1/2 hrs.

All these were pendant up in the safe.

Charlie

I once owned a Gontard pocket watch movement only which had an up/down indication of 15 days.

It had worn pivots in the thin brass plates which were too difficult for me to repair and I sold it, so I never actually found out how long it would actually run.

I don't know of any pocket watches which run longer than these, key wind 15 day duration pocket watches, with up / down indication, which were produced by Philippe Gontard in Paris between 1845 and 1857.

A similar one was finished by James Bourquin in Cortebert Switzerland circa 1860.

See Pocket Watches by Reinhard Mieis page 189 for an example with cylinder escapement signed "Gontard et Cie".

Web references with pics;

http://www.antique-watch.com/des/m763.html

http://www.antique-watch.com/des/w5993.html

Info from Pieces of Time UK.

Regards, Barry Parker

Got to thinking about Stephanie's question & Ed's answer as to the affect the various positions would have on the running time.

Since I had already started the test subjects in the pendant up position, I just let them run.
After reading the question, decided to run them in the face up position for a second test, with surprising results.

The surprise is ... there is no practical differences.

The first 992b did 51 hours both times, the second b did 55 hrs and 33 mins. Within 13 mins of the first test.

Charlie

Lindell,
In an earlier post in this thread, we decided to exclude 60 hour Bunns for longest running p/w but that is okay. I certainly enjoying see pics of your beautiful Bunn Special!

Hi Jack,
Interesting run of 36 hrs on a Swiss Alarm p/w by Rocar. I'm not heard of that manufacture until now.

Stephen,
We are waiting for your verdict!

Barry,
I've not heard of Gontard p/w with up/down indicator of 15 days.
Do American watches with up/down indicators generally run longer as a result of the up/down wind indicator?

Charlie,
Thanks for test run results. Interesting.

Have others tested p/w's in their collection for long running times?

I think they marked my Sangamo Special wrong. It says 60 hour on the movement, but it runs for 64 hours..

Yes John, most of these defective 64 hr watches were destroyed at the factory.

Better send it to me for proper burial.

Charlie