Have you seen these? I had never seen one like this, now I find 2 of them.

2

3

One is listed at $749.00 and the other is listed at $405.00!!!!

Shelia
There were many beautiful 12 size Lord Elgins made. Most of the earlier one had magnificient dials and cases.The typical movement was 21j with 8 adjustments, 5 to position and in a 14kt case.a few came in 18kt or Platinum.


A 1932 ad shows this watch selling for $175. This is a great art deco watch. While these watches are scarce I see at least one or two listed per year on Ebay. They should go for under $800.Note that the second watch does NOT have the correct crown.

Bob

Sheila,


I was looking at Roy Ehrhardt's book Foreign and American Pocket Watch Guide. This watch caught my attention and I thought it was beautiful when looking at the ad. The ad is on page 97. It says it is an Elgin 12 size grade 501 with 21 jewels and 8 adjustments. The dial is sterling Silver with 18k gold numbers and hands. The case was solid 14k. Price in a 1929 ad for C.A. Kiger was $175.00. The value placed on it in mint condition in the book is $200.00. This watch sold with the same line as Elgin's Prestige C.H. Hulburd.

You can easily see that the $400 watch has a cheap and unattractive replacement crown. If I remember when I first saw these the $700 watch also came with the original leather Elgin box. Both watches are very nice and I would love to add one of these to my collection.

I'm no expert but I hope the info helps,

John

Here's my Lord Elgin. This one is a standard configuration with the crown at 12. The case is 14K white gold and the dial is slightly yellow, like ivory.

The back has some initials engraved.

Here's the back opened showing the highy decorated inside and the dust cover. The back is marked Pats Pend'g, 14k, 12049 09 and the dust cover is marked Lord Elgin and Corsican which refers to the shape of the bow. The watch is about 3/8" thick including the crystal.

Here's the movement

Sheila, "never seen one before" is one of my favorite kinds of finds. 12 Size seems a bit large for a lady's pendant watch but they look great and it is the first I've heard of them too!
-Cort
p.s.-sodden though.. why not a "Lady Elgin 12S.?

Robert, Wow, that was a lot of money back then! and I didn't know that they were scarce either. Thank you.

John J, You can say that again, that crown really makes it look bad, and robs you of how nice it actually is. Thank you for the added information, very nice.

John A, that is one gorgeous watch, and thank you for the information on the Corsican connection, I thought it was a case name! Nice to know. The dust cover is as nice as the watch!!!

Cort, That was my question too! why have a pendant watch and call it Lord Elgin? I guess maybe it was because it could go on a regular watch chain for a man too?

Wish I had some Ads on this one.

Is something missing from the two watches? I see that the first one fits very well in the box. Could there have been a frame to hang the watch in and use it as a clock? They just look incomplete to me, but what do I know. I'm definitely not an expert.

Shelia
I don't have a picture of the ad but the Corsican Bow was in the shape of Napoleans hat.

Bob

The "upside-down" Elgin was definitely a man's watch, merely a new style. The case style was also used on some of the Hulburd models and is also seen on some lovely International Watch Co. models.

Here is a cut from an ad for the Corsican watch that Bob referred to. I have ads from as early as 1920 showing this watch.

By 1925 Elgin was showing the Corsican model like John's.