I just picked up a very nice Rockford 18s Winnebago model watch. It is a 17 jewel model and also a hunting movement, but is marked on the movement with the "RG" stamp in a circle. I was always under the understanding that rockford did this on their railroad grade watches. Would this have ever been accepted as a railroad grade at the time of manufacturing or was it just labeled by Rockford of being railroad grade quality? I'll post better pictures of the entire watch after a cleaning and mainspring replacement.

Here is a better shot of the pattern on the movement.

The 50 / 50 damaskeening on your watch is pretty neat. I've never seen another like it.

Jared I am certain that your watch was railroad grade when made. If you want to sell it I am interested. Your watch was produced around 1903 and 17j watches were acceptable . This was slightly before higher jewel count was required. I own the 16s Winnebago and your watch is in the same period as my relatively scarce 18s 17j 5p adj. Hampden John C. Dueber from about 1906. As far as I know the RG was Rockfords way of denoting it met railroad standards. I know that they did not use the RG on a 21j 18s I have that appears to me to meet railroad standards and shows in the book as a 910. Our Rockford collectors can probably tell us more about the RG marking. A nice looking watch and a prize I think.

Here's some after pictures of it. Very hard to get good pictures of the movement. I think right now I am going to keep this one. I don't have any Rockfords in my collection and I can't think of a nicer one to have than this one. Thanks for the input on the railroad grade Deacon. I knew at some point a 17j grade would have been accepted, but didn't know if this one fell into that era or not.

Better shot of the pattern

Came with a mint DS dial to boot.

Case is a 25 year B&B. Not perfect but still very decent.

Case Back

Jared,

Super nice movement... She is a keeper for sure!

Jared, A beautiful classic, and very rare watch indeed! Note RG means Railroad Grade, though by this time I think that was more for "show than go" in a Hunter model.

Your watch (great pictures) corrects an issue in Roy Ehrhardt's "Rockford Watch Company, Grade and serial numbers with production figures"

The factory production log shows this as a Model 10, Grade 200 Hunter from a 100 piece run; s/n's 623,001-100.

Ehrhardt's Grade 200 log correctly summarizes a total of 400 ever made but refers to them as Model 9 Open Face watches.

So yours confirms the correct report of the Factory Production record that these were Hunter Case movements.

Jared if you change your mind please let me know! I think Dave has a point because the RG probably meant that it was built to railroad grade. My John C Dueber is open face and quite rare, although the big book lumps all 18s John C Duebers together. I have never seen another Dueber 17j RRG like mine in a hunter model and do not think they made them as by 1900 hunters were on the way out. I prize my John C Dueber and carry it as a daily and I think you have a great watch.

I really like that one as well. Very Nice !