Here is a watch I got some time ago because of its unusual dial.
It is an Elgin model 123, year 1893. The riding scene is not a decal but it is fired into the porcelain.
So far I haven't seen another one like it, have you?
Any comment and historical information will be appreciated.

Regards,
Peter

Nice Watch!

It might be a factory special order, they did things like that back then. That's the only way I can account for the Elgin signature being on the back side.

Jon and Edward, thank you for your comments. I wonder how many were made with this dial and I hope to hear from somebody who has (or has seen) a similar one.

Here, for your viewing pleasure, is another colorful dial.
The watch is a grade 326, year 1910, the picture of the riverboat seems to be a photo transfer, you can see the pixels composing it.
Due to the technology involved i think this is a fairly recent addition. Does anybody know anything more about it?

Regards,
Peter

Peter, that first dial is a rare (for condition and art) Elgin original that by the marking could well have been made in Elgin. The degree of rarity is high, how many there are left one could only guess at, 1 - 10?

The second dial was reportedly made in the 1970-80's by Roy Ehrhardt who among his many entrepreneurial puiblishing efforts started a little side business refinishing watch dials with pictorial representations of early American life. Many of them show up on watchs today, as pretty as they are, they add little to reading the watch for time.

HI David, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I'm very happy to hear that the first one is a rather rare watch-dial combination.

About the second one, I must say I was a bit fooled by the appearance when I bought it. I assumed the dial was as old as the watch...oh well, live and learn.
So the "E" on the back is for Ehrhardt? (maybe in his own penmanship?).

Yes, I agree with you, it takes a bit of guesswork to read the time on it, but, for now, all it will be required to do is make a good show of itself in my display cabinet. It will break the monotony of all those white railroad dials...

Regards,
Peter.