Hi all,
I have had this watch for some time now, and was just wondering what real collectors thoughts are on this particular BWR. I have found it to be quite accurate, and a good solid runner.Any thoughts or comments.
Bill

Bill if I am not mistaken the 372 is Elgins first 16s 19j on a design based on the 18s grade 240. The 370 was a 17j version in this series, the 371 a 19j hunter, the 372 a 19j OF, the 373 was a 21j Father Time hunter, the 374 and OF Father TIme, the 375 a 21j Veritas and the final member of this family the 376 a 23j Veritas. Bill take your pick from the 17j to the 23j anyone is a great time keeper.

Bill, the Elgin 372 embodies the climactic efforts the premium grade watchmakers invested before WWI, This watch was produced from 1909 until 1917 during the time that Elgin (and other watchmakers considered the Art AND Science of a watch as one and the same in their expression of their craft and vocation.

This example I just finished restoring today signifies the key feature of the Grade 372 having a true Motor Barrel suspended on Jewels 18 and 19 of the set and manufactured with a very rare, sound design 15Th model movement platform.

Sadly with the coming of the world wars, our attentions were diverted from this type of quality and art to the most rapid killing and winning in the name of freedom for the cause of our elected officials.

So the next 19 Jewel Elgins had no Jeweled motor barrel but rather a cap jewel over the pivot jewels of the escape wheel. This was actually window dressage as with a great number of the early "21 Jewel" movements that were actually cap jeweled 17 Jewel movments which would run fine with the caps removed!

The 372 retained the fit, finish and quality of Elgins Highest grade movements. The movement could be easily adjusted to run in a "seconds per month" error category.

The Elgin 372 deserves to share the centerpiece of any top notch watch collection.

Fast and good information. I also have a Gr. 455 19J BWR made in 1919. Is this a comaprable watch, or slightly less desireable ? As I stated before the 372 is a good timekeeper, but the 455 is also.
Bill

Bill I think the 372 will be a bit more desired than the 455 but I guess the depends on the person. The 372 will have more eye candy, gold jewel set on the barrel, raised jewel sets on the the others, gold train etc. I doubt there is any performance difference for RR use (time keeping) but long term ability to keep time as Dave mentioned is probably better for the 372 vs the 455 and off hand without looking it up I think both were made in numbers >10K. I have both, consider both to be nice watches, the 372 was Elgins first 19j 16s, then the 455 and later the 572, the first two were RR approved the 572 wasn't.

Great info.
Thanks Claude and Dave, now I know the rest of the story, it now is only a matter of retention.
Claude I also have the 572, are these 3, the only 16s 19 jewel watches they made ?
Thanks,
Bill

Open face there are only 3 that I can think of but if you hold that to RR approved I think you can nail it down to the 372 and 455. You had the later 572 but at that time it would not have been railroad approved.

On the topic of other 19j you had the 371 and 401 but they were both hunters, the 371 and 401 were definitely RR grade but with the 371 you are getting to the time frame that nearly all railroads did not accept the hunter anymore.

Both the 371 and 401 are hard to find movements so if you get a chance grab one, unfortunately even though I have quite a few Elgins I do not have either the 371 or 401.