Picked this NYS Solar 18 size,up on Ebay for $9.95,but I gotta add the shipping was $4.50. A little cleaning,and polishing,a couple of new crystals,and what have I got? Well,admittedly not a lot. But it is another 100 year old American pocket watch that will not be scrapped anytime soon. It keeps good time,so maybe I'll tote it around for awhile. Feels good to save these old guys,even if it is of little monetary value. By the way,I have seen this Chicago 1865 on a few different watches. What happened in Chicago in 1865 that would warrant putting it on a watch? NYS wasn't even in business then.

The back

Not sure what it means, the stockyards opened in Chicago in 1865 & the railroads started to haul the live stock in.

Tom

great buy Cecil. The case is worth much more than that by itself.

Ray

Nice job on that watch! You did very well indeed on that one.

Roger

Cecil,
Your Solar watch was made by Elgin. It was a simple answer to the Dollar watch at the time. Between 1897-1899. They were 7 Jewel watches, 18s, and unadjusted. It's either a Grade 178, hunter case, or a Grade 179 open face.

They are the cheapest watch Elgin made, but still better than the dollar watches, and the swiss models. Most of them had a "fake" compensated balance. That is, the balance wheel was made to look like a bi-metallic temperature compensating balance, but it wasn't, but they were solid brass.

The Solar Watch Co. sold watches by Elgin and New York Standard.

One thing about these watches, they are still around, and most still work fine, so although they were supposed to be an inexpensive dollar watch, they sure have shown their strength.

Too bad more don't pick up these mechanical "honey's.
I only wish I could run as well when I'm over 110 years old!

Hey Sheila,If only it were so. An Elgin Solar,is worth about three times as much as a New York Standard Solar,and the Elgin is quite collectible,but this one is a model 360 New York Standard.

Cecil,
You are SO RIGHT! Sorry, I forgot about the Chicago part. We've seen so little of the Elgin Solar movements, that I forgot that exception.

Elgin's Solar's are model 2 and 5.

and.......... here I am, an Elgin "person"

Made me also remember, that we never did figure out the other questions about the different companies that sold them, and if they were actually companies, and who sold what, and if they were considered private labels, or strictly for a spacific company.?

Lots of questions on these still.

Thank you for the correction. I learned about them years ago, and still got them mixed up!

(I should have known, as soon as I saw Chicago)

A lot of companies Seth Thomas for instance have reference to Chicago on some of their movements. Something about Chicago,and in the case of New York Standard,the date 1865.