Just acquired a new private label. I now have 15 private labels form 15 different states. A long way to go but I will get there/////

Very nice Tony. Have you got one from Hawaii? On the other hand, the missionaries were still there when these were made so I think the jewelers hadn't gotten there quite yet. Is the movement as nice looking as the dial and hands? Tell us more about it!!!!

Steve

Yes, tell & show us more. What 15 states do you have?

Tom

Hi Tony, great find..Can we see the movement ?.
Ray

I think that Private Label watches sorted by States AND by watch companies would be both a fun project and also a good "bookable" story to put in print! How Many would agree to help with this. ALSO, we could add the already massive contribution about the historic Canadian Railroad system as told through Larery Buchan's collections posted on our site. I am serious, this could be a very significant piece of work if written to communicate the tremendous impact of Railroads and Timekeeping to the "arrival" of North America's "success".

In poring through my "Rocks" a double-signed 16s Model 2 surfaced (which I need to clean ).

s/n 572093, c.a. 1901 Gr 565, total prod. 3337 mvts.

With gold movements screws and jewel settings, Rockford made a well appointed movement for this Jeweler. However, the "signing" is a bit misleading . . .

In looking up this C.A. Gossard, his store was in the Washington County, Ohio, Courthouse building. Hence the entirely misleading affirmation of "Washington CHO" on the Private Labelling. Very nifty marketing ploy!

btw, this movement has "ILLINOIS" written all over it excepting for the fact that Illinois did not "clone" this plate layout until a decade or so later. Also to confirm it is a Rockford Model 2 you need only look at the "click" which is strictly "Rocky".

Tony, here's one from Seattle listed on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-18-Sz-Private-Label-Sterling-P..._trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Tony,

Martin A Hagen is listed as Owner of a Jewelry Store

He's in the 1910 Census, he's 52 years old in 1910, born about 1858, was from Norway, and had borders.

I have a copy of the Census if you would like it.



I found a ton of Rail Road workers all around this guy, and they were all in boarding houses.

Sheila,
Thanks so much for the information. The history of these old watches makes this hobby of collecting watches fantastic/////
Tony

Another private label watch that I just acquired--

Actually, Dave, Washington Court House IS a city in Ohio, located not far from my home town of Portsmouth, and usually abbreviated as shown on your watch....and in this article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Court_House

Regards! Mark

Mark, Thank you for the correction. When I researched this I thought they were talking about this guy's store actually being in the courthouse building, but they were referring to the whole town! But maybe back then it was still named "Washington";

http://iagenweb.org/story/FamHist/Gossard/Gossard.htm

Could be, Dave. It was originally called 'Old Washington', but in the first paragraph of the article you linked to, even it states '....She was a partner in the C.A. Gossard Jewelry Company of Washington Courthouse, Ohio.", so it's referenced as the original town name. I didn't see where old 'C.A.' figured into the story or opened his store in town.

All that aside, your Rockford is the closest town I've seen to my old stomping grounds I've seen to date, which surprises me, as Portsmouth was a HUGE industrial town from the late 1800's on into the 1960's, with 3 railroads (was the terminal for the N&W until the 1980s), a steel mill, a couple shoe companies, foundaries, and jewelry stores galore. I have never seen a private label anything.

Regards! Mark

Holy Smoke! A Gossard pocket watch! I never thought I would see anything like that!

Any Relation? Mebbhe I got this one for a reason!

I wouldn't be surprised. My family came down through Ohio. Would you want to make a trade? Anything you are looking for?

I am always "on the prowl" for a 19 - 21 Jewel model 88 Waltham, or model 72 for that matter.

Hmmm. I'm afraid I don't have many Walthams. Just a few old keywind junkers, but one nive 14s model 73Woerd's Patent nickel movement in an English Sterling demi case. The serial number is 1,149,743.

Here is the case. Unfortunately, it is missing the crystal, and the bezel keeps popping off. The dial has a couple of hairlines

Here is the case. Unfortunately, it's missing the crystal, and I never could get the bezel to stay on.

Here is the movement. Or if you are interested in another private label, I have an Aurora that is probably pretty scarce (Auroras are never too common) a 15j Jaccard Standard of Kansas City, #125,880.

Tony

On your private label of OH Kittleson, there is a jeweler listed in the 1910 & 1930 census for Mt. Vernon SD by the name of Otie Holiver Kittleson he was born October 9th 1878.

You can have copies if you are interested.

Tom

Somebody's gotta know this: with regard to Tony's nice private label dials, how was the lettering done? A steady hand and good caligraphy skills? Stencils? Repetitive stamping?

Eric

Eric

Somewhere I saw a story about how the lettering was done with a one hair brush, mostly female workers did the painting of the dials. I think it was a story about the Elgin watch company I saw that in.

Tom

1869 HARPER'S: MAKING WATCHES BY MACHINERY

SEE IT HERE
http://elginwatches.org/scans/articles/1869_harpers_mak...chinery/m_index.html


Painting the Dials

The dial, a plain circular plate of Lake Superior copper, no thicker than a silver three cent piece, is first covered with a paste of fine white enamel, carefully spread on with a knife to the thickness of three-one-hundredths of an inch. After it dries a little, a workman with a long pair of tongs places the dial flat upon a red-hot iron plate in the nouthof a glowing furnace, watching it closely and frequently turning it.

The copper would melt but for the protecting enamel, and, at the end of a minute, when he takes it out it is as soft and plastic as molasses candy. The baking has "set" the enamel, but has left it rough, as if the dial face were marked with small-pox. After cooling it is grouned smooth upon sandstone and emery, and then baked again.

Now it is ready for the painters. A girl draws six lines across it's surface with a lead pencil guided by a ruler, making each point for the hours. Another with a pencil of black enamel traces coarsely the Roman letters from I to XII. A third finishes them at the ends to make them symmetrical. A fourth puts in the minute marks. Then the dial goes to an artist, who, holding it under a magnifier, paints the words "National Watch Co." in black enamel with a fine Camel's-Hair brush. The inscription measures three-fourth's of an inch from left to right, and less than one-nineteenth of an inch up and down; but even then it is perfectly legible; and the swift, cunning fingers will paint it twice in five minutes.

Very nice, Sheila!

Here's a "quick collage" of my early "Elgin National Watch Co. Private Label hand-made dial an all! Remember, sunllight and gaslight only, just think of the skill to write those labels and dial markings!

David

I have a private label from the same jeweler in Lynn Mass. Mine is a Illinois both key & stem wind with the 5th pinion.

Tom

I have not worked on it yet, the hairspring looks bad & it is missing the regulator.

Tom

Tom 2 questions

1. Is the balance staff OK?
2. Is the spring all there?

Hi David

The balance appears fine, I do not think the hairspring is all there. I have not removed anything yet, it is in a coin silver case, I picked it up & a early Waltham in a coin case too, both for $60.00. I started on the Waltham 1st since it was complete.

The other day when I saw yours I thought I had just seen that same name somewhere & it dawned on me today it was the watch I had just picked up.

Tom

Well David, after pulling this out to look at it I decided to see what I could do. I had a hairspring that would work & also a regulator. So I went a head & cleaned it, I haven't timed it yet but so far it is keeping time.

It is an Illinois Model 3 11 jewel, according to the book it was made Nov 79.

I also found a Stephen C. Newhall that was a jeweler in Lynn Mass. about the time this was made.

Tom