Is there a list or book someplace that gives date information about watch cases. How can one tell if the movement is in the correct period case?

Ernie,

The short answer is no.

History of the American Watch Case by Warren H Niebling is informative, but only experience or posting here or elsewhere will tell you about most designs and what era they are appropriate to.

Most watches came factory cased sometime in the early 20's. A good clue is to look for any movement screw marks on the case that don't match the current watch.

This is a huge subject that is impossible to cover here, as far as I know, there is no "book".

regards,

Bill Kapp