Very new to collecting and picked up about a dozen that I'm working through to determine what I want to keep for myself and what to sell. One of them has an interesting history. Maybe more interesting to me than others, but interesting none the less. I'll post some pictures of the face and movement later, the one of the inscription is all I had on my phone at the moment. The watch is an 11 jewel, 18s, Open Face Model 2 that the serial dates to 1880. It's in a Dueber Coin Silver case that is original to the movement. What made this interesting to me was the inscription which is pictured below.

It's a little hard to read but what it says is:

"Preacher of the Gallipolis District To Rev. T. H. Monroe 1881"

So why is this interesting? Gallipolis is a city in South-Eastern Ohio right on the border of West Virginia across from Point Pleasant. My Maternal Grandfater's side of the family is all from that area, and every year the family reunion is held a short drive from there. Gallipolis is the city we stay in every year for the reunion. My wife and I were married at one of these reunions in a small ceremony, so that too was in the Gallipolis area. That's what sparked my curiosity about the watch and caused me to do a little more digging. By searching for Reverand T.H. Monroe I was able to find a scanned copy of the 1880 Meeting Minutes from the Methodist Episcopal Ohio Conference that mentions Rev. Monroe as the head of the Gallipolis District. Further exploring brought me to the following site:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&GRid=26573249

For those that want the summary, this is the Obituary for Rev. Monroe from a a news clipping from 1888. What connects with me from this is that he was born in Leesburg VA, which is 5 min from where I currently live, and where I got the watch. It lists his travels as an Elder throughout VA, WV and eventually Ohio. Below is the most interesting thing taken from the Obit:

"He was appointed by President Lincoln Chaplain to the United States Hospital at Parkersburg, which position he held for two years."

He died in 1888 from complications 3 weeks after breaking his leg while visiting one of his church members.

Maybe it's just me, but that is a very cool history, and something I would never have been able to find or even know without the inscription. To me this took what at first glance seems to be an ordinary watch and turns it into something I want as part of my collection.

Sorry this ran so long.

I wonder from time to time about the history of my watches, if they could talk, what they would say, in a sense your watch spoke. Does that make any sense? Nice watch, I'd say a keeper.
Gary

Ron,I like you,find it interesting and it gives the watch life other than a cold
mechanical thing.

Regards
Roger

No apology is necessary, Mr. Ron. We're all about history.
kh

Thanks all for the feedback. I definitely agree that this watch spoke to me, and will be one that is sticking around.

Here are a couple more pictures…by the way, how do some of you guys take such great pictures?

quote:

Sorry this ran so long.

Ron, you just got me started. Puleeze never apologize for such a great job.

When do we get to see the whole thing!

Welcome to our "WATCH NUT" tree.

I think you caught me mid post Dave. The other pics are above your post. And thanks for the feedback on my post.

Ron, thank you for posting more pictures of the watch. Without a doubt you have a VERY collectible "5th Pinion" Illinois stem wind conversion movement made from the last Illinois Nickel Plates intended for the Key Wind type.

To salvage their valuable inventory, Illinois did some considerable re-machining of those plates for the Stem Wind/Lever Set features. But the most spectacular change was the "5th Pinion" added to make a Hunter style movement work as an open face type. That is rare.

The s/n 221962 is part of a 600 piece model 101 run finished in September 1880 fitting it perfectly to the engraving period. All of the details make it historically significant as many fewer of that model were of this early Key Wind layout. Te 5th pinion is especially noteworthy for the same reason.

Dave, I had heard something similar on another forum about the "5th pinion" which apparently makes it a model 3, not a model 2 like the database said. You'll agree with that assessment then I gather?

Being somewhat rare as you put it, would that make it more valuable than what the database shows also? This one will never leave my collection anyway due to the historical significance that I give it, and the connection I have with the location of the inscription.

Lastly, I know it's a typo, but your date should read September 1880 correct?

Thanks!

Ron, thanks, fixed the typo. This IS a model 2 converted (with the 5th pinion) to a grade 101 movement. The Model 3 were actually those that were not KW conversions and included gilded plates. With 40,000 made as Grades 101-101S from 1879 through 1895.

I would expect the later production of modal 101 came from "new" plates which may not have even been "old" Key wind parts. This is reported especially for the grade 101 "Alleghany" like yours which the Gold Book lists (pg 206) and shows pictures "both ways" (pg 121) as model(s) 101 . . . i.e. WITH and WITHOUT the Key ind(with 5th pinion) where the "plain" non key wind IS an OPEN face layout and did not need the 5th Pinion.+

Either way the collectible value of yours including the provenance is at least in the $500-600.00 range.

Good info, and great explanation on the differences in models.

Thanks again for all the help, and that's good info on the values.

Quite a few cool watches with more value in this collection I picked up, but none with the traceable history this one has.

I have taken several of my Waltham Watches with me when I visit my family in Massachusetts and taken them back to the Waltham Factory where they were made. I don't know where these watches have been all those previous years but they have made the long round trip back. The Factory is now Condos and Businesses. Feels good when I visit. Waltham is about 10 miles from my hometown of Natick MA.