Page 101 of the 2013 price guide has a rating scale for rarity.

★★★★★ ………………………… RARE - 1-25
★★★★ ……………………… SCARCE -100
★★★ ………………………… VERY FEW -350
★★ ………………………… SPARSE -1000
★ ………………………… UNCOMMON -2500

POSTING GUIDELINES FOR WATCHES

From the above link: 2. Movement number. This is important for looking the watch up in our databases, and also for searching prior topics to see if your watch has been discussed before. When discussing any watch, please always provide the movement number!

In this thread, as well as the Mvt.# it would be helpful to provide the page # in the Guide.


There are many opinions on the validity of this scale expressed elsewhere, lets leave them there.

If you own a watch that has a 1 to 5 star designation in the Guide, post it here.

To type a star on a Mac/Safari click "Edit"
At the bottom of the drop down menu click "Special Characters"
On the left click "Bullets/Stars then double click the one you want. Adjust size with Font Variation

Internet Explorer users, you are on your own, if you know how to type a star post the instructions.

★ Omega Ls Brandt & Frere SA #2584678
Private Label Porte & Markle Winnipeg
23j 16s DDR, RR Grade, 2 Diamond Endstones
P. 535 2013 Guide

Movement

Nice timepiece, and excellent photos, Lorne.
kh

Here's a one-star watch in my humble collection: a 1910-made Hamilton 960. Interesting to me is the double-sunk dial with full Hamilton Watch Co. signage, which I don't believe is common after 1905. Perhaps someone might disabuse me of that notion.

the engine

Cool watch Ken, I have some really bad pics of the 854951. It belonged to a Conductor who hired on the Grand Trunk Pacific Rly. here in Smithers in 1918. It will soon be given to his Great Grandson who is now a Hoghead (Engineer) on the same track his GG worked on.

This one was made in 1912 and just has HAMILTON in script.

Hmm.
Could you translate that, Lorne? ie., GTP, hoghead?

Ken check Lorne avatar GTP
Any large locomotive, usually freight. An engineer may be called a hogger, hoghead, hogmaster, hoggineer, hog jockey, hog eye, grunt, pig-mauler, etc. Some few engineers object to such designations as disrespectful, which they rarely are

and here Kan you can see all the lingo

Catskill Archive Railroad Lingo

Thanks Peter, post your stars.

Thanks Lorne, and yes indeed thanks for a fascinating list, Peter. Now go post yer stars - or else.

kh

I do not have any
but have few watches with less then 2000 ever made
and less them 500 ever made

Here - Peter...

You lay claim to this little old 3 star 966 - only on the internet - one of these days I need to get a set of matching hands on it, too!

I don't have any either, but I learned how to make a star! and some other characters.
â ♣ ☻ · ° ≈ ♀ ♪ ♂ ◙ ♠ • ◙ ♂ ♀ ↨ ¶ ↕ ◄ ► ☼ ♫ Actually I haven't found the star yet!

(Use Alt 97xx)

Sorry I'm getting a little off track here but this might help too for anyone interested:

Windows - Alt Key Numeric Codes

Lorne, are you asking us to post photos of watches that the Complete Price Guide awards a single star, or are you asking us to post photos of watches that have been awarded one or more stars?

In the two star range, Elgin 350/360/361, three star Elgin 277. In the one star range probably Elgin that is a prototype of some type for the grade 181 (3rd run grade 150 by serial number)and a true legit pendant set grade 370.

Ethan, one star to five stars, if it deserves a star(s) in the book and you own it, post it.

Here is one not seen every day.
Roger

Movt.

Interesting, I had not noticed Abbot there way in the front of the book.

★ Abbott Sure Time 16s 17j (Can you post the SN?)

Made by E. Howard Watch Co.(Keystone) and are similar to their 1905 model.

S/N 980343 A very good runner.
Roger

I will post a few of the starred watches in my collection, starting with this ***** all aluminum Illinois 525, one of 50.

Here is the movement.

Not all rare pocket watches are very expensive. Here is a **** New York Standard 15j convertible, apparently the highest grade it ever made.

Its movement. To convert from open face to hunter, the football-shaped bridge is flipped around.

Now for a ***, a 19j 14k Robert & Foster-cased American Watch Company grade Model 1888, which I received just a few days ago.

Its movement

Of course, some watches are too rare to even be listed in the Complete Watch Guide. It gives two stars to the 16-size 23j American Watch Company grade bridge model. It doesn't even mention this spot damascened variant, only three of which appear to have been made.

Here is my only “Star” watch, one ★ star …..1887 Illinois Railroader in a Sears Hunter Case. Seems to be all original and keeps great time.

Dial

Movement

No stars in the guide, but from an estimated production of 325. United States Watch
co, Marion NJ, r f Pratt, 10s.

Cool watches,

Ethan , any idea why they only made 50? Is it an alloy or pure aluminum?

Michael, nice, another version of the dial was used as well. Buster's Massive Horde

I don't know why Illinois only made 50 aluminum watches, but I speculate that it was experimenting. In the 1920s, aluminum was still a fairly exotic metal. It had the advantages of lightness and immunity to rust over steel, but questions no doubt existed as to its durability.

My hypothesis is consistent with the provenance of my aluminum Illinois, which I know because I bought the watch from the grandson of the original owner. The original owner was Senator McCulloch from Ohio who, before he was a senator, was lawyer to the American National Retail Jewelers Association. The Illinois Watch Company gave the aluminum watch to him in 1921 in recognition of the work he did for that organization.

Hefting this aluminum Illinois in your hand is an unsettling experience. I have a nearly identical looking 14k Illinois Grade 438. It weigh 52.7 grams. The aluminum watch weighs only 29.6 grams, about the weight of an empty 12-size gold case, which is what the aluminum Illinois feels like in the hand.

I don't know whether the aluminum is an alloy or pure. Illinois was not the only company to make aluminum pocket watches. The other notable maker was Vacheron & Constantin. I have one its aluminum pocket watches as well. It is the same size as the Illinois, but weighs 30% less, only 21 grams. I am not sure why, but I think it likely is because the Illinois' case ring, bow, and crown are not aluminum.

To keep this "show your stars" posting going, see the photo below of another scarce Illinois in my collection, a *** 23j/5adj Grade 299, of which 230 were made. This one is a Phelps & Perry PL, in a nice Wadsworth 14k GF case.