Hey all. I just purchased this. A 15j, pendant set Ingersoll Trenton for $40.00. It looks to be complete, and the dial isn't too bad. According to the ad, it needs a new balance staff and mainspring. Was going to have Chris do her up. Was this worth it? Looking for opinions on this please. Brad

Movement.

Brad; My watchmaker has got the parts plus 2 parts watches if you're interested in getting this going...

Thanks Tom. I sure am. I might just take you up on that. I can't work on them. But I thought this was an interesting piece, as Ingersoll was more well known for "dollar watches". I was thinking of getting this fixed up, and using it as a carry. Was wondering what you guys think of these. Brad

I'm especially waiting for Mr. Abbe's take on it, since he's had one or two.

If I were to add one to my collection, it would have to be the 19J version which was adjusted to Temp., Iso, and 5 positions.

I sold this one last year on our For Sale items for $200 and ready to rock & roll

Movement;

The marked Ingersol/Trenton [IT] YGF case;

And the beautiful case back;

That is beautiful Buster! Brad

I have a few Trentons (including the 19j)and I consider them to be good mid-grade watch and by no means are they "dollar watches". Trenton tried to have 15j watches in the price range that the bigger companies were selling 7j watches for and you will see some intersting cost savings tactics to reduce the costs. They used Swiss dials, also all of the screws on the plates are the same except for the one that holds the balance cock which is a bit longer. Also they did something interesting on the 3 fingers plate is the same for the 7 to 19j grades all they did was to either press in metal jewels or regular jewels so there was a great deal greater inter-change between grades, again saving costs. I would have no issues spending the money for a COA and repairs, no more or less than for a 15j Elgin, Walthan, Illinois, etc.

If you are looking to flip it then I would not expect a good return since people tend to think of them as a dollar watches.

Thanks Claude. I value your opinion. No, I wasn't planning on selling it. I just thought it would be a neat carry watch. I would've liked the 19j model that Buster had, but, I saw this for cheap, it was all there, and I jumped on it. 15j ain't so bad. Tom is going to fix me up with his watchmaker, who has all of the parts, including a Trenton silveroid case. Brad

Brad, your 15J should clean up nicely and if everything is OK, it would be a fun "carry". As it is an Open face, most 16s cases should hold it. The "higher jeweled" I.T. watches were all about the same with the addition only being the jewel count and a marking claiming position adjustments * . The ads for the less common 19 Jewel claimed "A 21 Jewel Value at a 19 Jewel price". That would only have been true if I.T. added 2 more jewels to the 19 and sold it for the same price! *I would have had that checked by a RR time inspector at the time.

Thanks David. My wife is already giving me the business for buying it, and then having to sink some more money into getting her running. But, you don't see these every day...so I just had to. BTW Dave, I love the IT case your's is in! Of course, Buster's is the creme de la creme. Regards, Brad

Here is my 15j 15 Trenton

dial

case warranty

Very nice Claude! Love that case. And you've got the same dial as mine, with blue 5 min. markers! Thanks for posting it. Brad

Claude, are you sure the watch you posted is a 15j? It looks like a 19. Brad

It is my 19j, you will see the 19j with the dished winding wheels or with the flat type like mine has, I don't know if this was a running change or a part change over the years due to breakage.

Well, I got the movement today. I will post some pics after the watchmaker works his magic.

Well folks, here she is! All complete and proper. Thanks to Tom Dunn, and his wonderful watchmaker, who had the parts and the IT case. Turned out fantastic!

Back

And let's not forget the innards

Nice Brad! and Tom

Thanks Dave!

Brad your watch looks good, and as a Hampden collector I sympathize with your desire to have a nice example of what was in fact a fine watch for a reasonable price. I always wondered if the 19j version was ever accepted by any of the railroads? Maybe Buster would know.