I opened up my new Bulletin last night, and as is my practice, the first article I usually turn to is the 'Railroader's Corner'. This month they start an article about Hampden, and lo and behold, the discussion is about the 16s Hampdens that were railroad grade. I had no idea my old model 107 was considered as such for as long as I've owned it. I tried to look it up in Shugarts, but all he lists for the 107 is an open face configuration, even though mine is a hunter case movement, and they're listed as either/or in the article. Do I then assume that the HC would be the same in value as the OF, or is this just one that was overlooked? Needless to say, I'm pleased to discover I've had a railroad grade watch for years, and yet never knew it! Regards. Mark

Mark,
As I understand it, only the unmarked grade 106s that have the anchor + D in a flag mark are RRG.
Quite a few of the older 15j and 17j Hampdens are RRG. It all depends on their features and year of manufacture.
I reccomend "Hampden Watch Co," by Hernick and Arnold. This book is the best resource on Hampdens you will find. It is available from Heart of America Press and most likely other sources.

Thank you Kenny. I believe that book was also mentioned in the acknowledgements of the article. There was no mention of a difference in 'grades' in the 107, with the exception of those marked 'adjusted', and those not marked at all. Mine is marked 'adjusted', is identical in appearance to one of the photographs in the article, and according to my understanding of the article, would be considered railroad standard. Anyway, what I still find interesting is after re-reading the article, it said that most of the 107's were HC movements, with fewer number of OF movements being produced, and yet the only ones listed in Sugart are the OF versions. I still haven't found any note or mention of the more 'common' HC versions in the price guide.

As I said, I'm still pleased to have discovered my old 107 had more of a background than I originally thought. It really needs to be housed in a Dueber HC, as I had it cased in a swingout OF (I got it uncased from the estate of a late watchmaker friend), but my chances of finding one of those are probably pretty dismal at best.

Once again, I appreciate you writing, Kenny! I thought I had tossed out a 'dud' question again, considering all the responses. Regards. Mark

Hi Mark, You might already know that the Hampden model 2 requires a special case and will not fit the standard 16S HC. The diameter is the same but, the model 2 is about 1/2 mm thicker than a standard case. Many years ago, I found my first model 2 (a movement only). I believed it to be a model 3 as they look the same. It literally drove me up the fence trying to fit it into a case. Finally found a nickel salesman's display case where it would fit. Don't ask what grade it was as I have no idea. It was nickel, 17J. I bought the movement about 30 years ago and sold it about 20 years ago.

Tom

I was in error on my first post. The grade 107 unmarked with a "star D" in flag is RRG while some marked 107 can be depending on date. It appears all of the 106s are RRG.
The book lists the movement thicknesses on 16s Hampdens as follows;
(dial not included)
Model 1 = 0.306
Model 2 = 0.286-0.292 inches
Models 3, 4, 5 = 0.269-0.271 inches

Thanks for the info on the case. Yes, I was told that by my old friend who searched high and low for a case, but never found one for my 107. I discovered the movement still sitting in a box in his bench after he passed away, and his wife told me to take what ever I wanted. I took my old movement, and began the hunt for a case. I was fortunate to find an open face silveroid that, though has seen some carry in years past, took the movement just fine. I was also fortunate that the dust ring was still on my movement (it is usually the first thing lost on Hampdens as years go along). Well, I'll keep my eyes open for a correct case. Who knows, I may luck out someday. Until then, I'm just enjoying the heck out of the watch now. I did before, but this new information just elevated this old Hampden to a new level in my small collection. Thank you again! Regards. Mark