About a week or so ago Ed Parson posted a picture of a Bunn Special for the members to critique. I knew about the dial but confessed I didn't know anything about Bunn Specials. Well it got me to thinking. I didn't have one and did not know much about them. I set out to find as much info as I could about the different grades, dials, varients, etc. Lucky I did!

Saturday I went to the Antique Fair in Syracuse that I usually go to every year. Usually I come home empty handed because there are only a few dealers that have any worth while watches.

Two dealers had Bunn Specials. One was a sixty hour 21 jewel in a very worn out Bunn Case. Another dealer had this watch. A 23 Jewel, model 9, with a yellow crystal and rusty hands.

Snyder data base says...

Bunn Special 16's
#2906028, 1916
model 9
Adjusted temperature and six positions
Red Lettering
rayed fourth pattern
Total production 4110, Run of 400
Screws up
The case is a nice Keystone 10K Mainliner style.

1. I would like to send the bezel to White's Crystals for a new crystal. Which one of William's style crystals would be the closest to the original for this watch?

2. What style hands would be approporate?
I cleaned the rust off the hands but I feel they are to pitted to have them reblued.





Almost forgot, I also picked this up at another dealers.
Does anyone have the watch that came with this box?

That's what I call a real nice first Bunn Special

An early one and from 1916 needs a generic case from that era Ed, so the crystal would be what the generic case dictates.

The Bunn Special boxes are few and far between and are special too. Today we mostly see Hamilton boxes, but Bunn Special, Elgin, and Sangamo boxes are the Holy Grail

Congratz

regards,
bb

Nice find Ed. I know somebody who makes nice wood presentation boxes that would go nice with it.

Ya I think I have a few of them around here somewhere!

Does anyone know if this watch should have blue hands or plum hands?

I would go with the plum hands on your watch.

regards,
bb

Nice clean movement Ed. I'll also go with Buster's recommendation for plum Bunn Special hands.

The block letter straight-line signature dial you showed might be a little old for your movement, as Illinois began phase in an arched block letter signature about 1915.

So with correct generic high-pendant case, arrows-in, arched signature dial and plum hands, your Model 9 should look similar to this:

Ed, you burst my bubble .

I kind of thought the dial wasn't the right one, but was not sure.
I am glad I got it at a good price. Looks like it is going to cost me a small fortune to make it look date appropriate!

Thanks for the input.

Ed-

Your montgomery dial should be worth as much as a correct dial. I would think someone would at least trade even up for the correct one. It should help you out on your quest to put it back together correctly.

Thanks,

Jared

Your dial IS a correct dial for a slightly older Bunn Special. Buy a 1913 Model 9 & you're good.

[For ELP];

Ed I can't help but like that wide chapter DSD on this watch and it looks doggone near perfect too !!

I know what you say is very correct, but since these straight line signature dials were being phased out in about 1915, and they weren't all gone from the Illinois inventory till 1919 or 1920,

Would it be possible that the dial on the watch
"may" be an original combination ?? I just think that combo is a beauty and why change it if there is a possibility it could be original...

regards,
bb

Buster you may have something there. I pulled this from a thread that Steve Middlesworth has on this site. The numbers are higher than my #2906028. If that means anything!



"The next variant was quite similar to the previous model except there was a major difference in the jeweled barrel, it now had a 48 hour main spring incorporated into making a little more accurate through 24 hours. It also had the "Temp" abbreviation marked on the movement now. These were produced in only one run of 300 beginning at serial number 2,991,701-2,992,000 and all were made in 1916. These may have had a Straight line or Arched Illinois double sunk dial with bold Arabic numbers."

Ed, I didn't know there was doings in Syracuse. Next time give me a shout and we'll hook up.

I'm going to say I have to agree with Buster on that dial, I think it is very much correct for that movement and what a beauty it is. I say go with the plum hands as they would be correct and whatever period correct case you could find for it.

Steve

Everyone thanks for your input. I am some what relieved that the dial is correct for the time period. I do wish it looked like Ed's though. Ed and Lin must share the same time machine, there just could not be two time machines!

There does not appear to be the same amount of information available for the Bunn and Bunn Special series watches as for the Hamilton 992 and 992b watches. I have read through what is on IHC185 and a few other sites (not that I have retained much of it.) Images of movements, different dials and such are far less available.
I would appreciate any help in this direction.

Ed

A little side note on the Bunn Special box. The dealer told me the people he bought the box from had the watch but wanted to keep it. If it had been me I believe I would have explained how important it would be to keep the watch and the box together. But I guess he was just interested in making a buck!