December 10, 2018, 13:27
John WatkinsRockford Grade 935
Picked up this Rockford recently -- my first -- to add to my small collection of Texas private labels. It doesn’t run and needs at least a new staff. All I know about the movement (s/n 737389) is from the Pocket Watch Database: 18-size, Grade 935, Model 9, c.1908. From posts here on the site, I gather that Grade 935s were often used for private labels. Any other info would be welcome.The fellow whose name is on the dial had an interesting career. William Swain Clough (1878-1967) was first a locomotive fireman, then a jeweler and watchmaker, and finally an optometrist. He was in Seymour, a small town about 125 miles northwest of Fort Worth, from about 1908-1916 and again from 1930 until his death. From 1916-1930 he owned jewelry stores in Big Spring and Abilene, both on the Texas & Pacific line, and was a watch inspector for that railroad.