here is a very nice watch that belongs To Mark Cross i will let him fill in the blanks on where and how he got the watch...

This is a 18 size 17 jewel Hampden John C. Dueber Special
housed in a 14kt gold case..

I serviced the watch and found it to be in good condition and a good runner and runs a straight line om my timning machine..

I really like the dial,

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Thank you VERY much Samie.

I received this watch from my Mom at the passing of my Dad last month. It had been his pride and joy, but stored away in their safe deposit box all MY lifetime (almost 52 years).

Mom told me my Grandpa had it stored away before he gave it to my Dad, as he got it from HIS Mother on HER passing. It had belonged to her brother (my Great Uncle), John Mittendorf, who, as far as my Dad knew, was supposedly a railroad telegrapher at the turn of the 20th century in Southern Ohio.

What I DIDN'T know, my Mom told me tonight, was that he was not a lawyer, but he was involved in the signal or telegraphy department of either the B&O or N&W (She couldn't remember which, as my Great grandmother had told her about John back when she met her and they talked about family back in 1949.)

So, this watch WAS a railroad watch, and owned and used by someone who was an employee of one of the roads in my area. Based on the data bases I've looked at, this watch was supposedly made in 1890, so that makes sense.

Does anyone recognize the case hallmark and company name? I haven't been able to find it so far.

Thanks again Samie....and thank you, Dad.

Regards! Mark

The dial is beautiful! I would guess that the case was an upper management upgrade. I don't think many engineers carried such gorgeously cased watches. The movement and dial would have been the envy of all.

My "great-great" and "great,great,great" were
upper management R.R. folks too but I got no watch. I've noticed that a fair number of the folks who post here have railroaders in their ancestry. Interesting!
-Cort

Thank you.

The only reason I ended up with the watch is, according to Mom, that John had no children, and so left the watch with his sister, my Great Grandmother. It came down through our family through the generations that way.

Samie, I just re-wound the watch this morning, and it's keeping perfect time to my atomic radio clock. Pretty spooky for a watch this old.

Thanks again all!

Regards! Mark

I don't have my Ehrhardt book, but I think the case was made by Baltimore Watch Case Co. and they usually made fine solid gold cases, however I don't think I have ever seen one with the lion on it. The lion is a London mark, so I will have to check it out when I get the rest of my books here, unless someone else knows.

However it does look like their trademark.

Mark wear that watch and enjoy it i know it,s priceless to you as it should be..

I Can,t help much on the case hallmark but for sure it,s a gold case.

That's exactly the same thing my wife told me this morning, Samie!

Thanks, Sheila...Tom.

I'd still be interested in hearing if anyone finds the lion mark. I, too, thought English mark for gold content....but then, I've only see that on silver cases myself, so what do I know?

Any additional information, if any is available, will be most appreciated.

HIGH regards! Mark

Mark,
According to "The History of the American Watch Case" BY Warren H. Niebling, the Brooklyn Watch Case Co. was in business from 1865 to the 1890's and was bought by The Fahys Watch Case Co. (exact date unknown). B.W.C.Co. used animal trade-mark symbols on their cases so it's probable that they had one with a lion trade-mark. In addition to the animal trade-marks, the book also includes an eagle trade-mark, which was registered may 11, 1886.
Tom Walker

Ya know what! I'm sure your right!

I just could not quite get it when I wrote that, I just knew that there was another one with those letters in it too, and could not remember it for the life of me.

Brooklyn is the one that makes a lot of solid gold cases too, and as far as the lion goes, I don't think I have ever seen any other watch with a lion on it that's not English made.
Yes, there are tons of them with lots of animals, but I believe the lion is just for London.

Boy if I don't get all of my hallmark books soon, I'm gonna go crazy.

I do love Hallmarks.

The lion represents Sterling Silver and it's an English mark. However it has one paw or leg raised.

Can you show a closer photo of the animal, because I don't think it's a lion, and can you tell me what is over the animal?

Great watch with a wonderful family history.

Mark, if you saw my updated post on the Somewhere in Time movie watch, you'll no doubt see that the Hamilton 941 used in the movie was also cased in a 14-karat BWC Co. hunter case.

Yes sir, I sure did. Needless to say, I was tickled to read that as well, considering it is one of my favorite movies.

Thank you!

Sheila, Samie took the photos, and I don't have a digital...but what you see over it's back is it's curled tail. The end of it's tail it pointed, like a devil's tail, which is a bit odd. All four feet are on the ground. Under the loupe, there are no other details to determine what the heck the animal is supposed to be.

HIGH regards! Mark

Mark, What a great family heirloom and with some history. Wow!!

I would also like to comment on the Booklyn Watch Case Company Eagle and, also their Wheat cases.

The Eagle case was made of solid 8K gold. The lowest gold content recognized as gold is 10K, so they legally could not call it a solid gold case. I have one of these in near mint condition and it has the feel and look of a solid gold case. These sold for slightly more than a gold filled case, but significantly less than solid gold.

Their Wheat case is recognized by a shaff of wheat in the back cover. It is made of two layers of gold. The inner layer is 8K and the outer layer is 14K. These also have the look and feel of solid gold, but are not legally considered a solid gold case.

When I get a chance, I'll post some pix.

Tom

Thanks Tom! I look forward to seeing them.

Any ideas on my case?

Regards! Mark

Mark,
In Niebling's book, he talks about the Brooklyn Watch Case Co. on page 45, and he included a late 1880's ad for the 8-K Eagle Trademark on the next page that Tom described above. Niebling also said the company used a variety of trademarks. They made some gold-filled cases, but I got the impression that most were solid gold. The ad mentioned that they had " A LARGE AND WELL ASSORTED STOCK OF 18-K, 14-K AND EAGLE CASES IN THE LATEST AND MOST ARTISTIC DESIGNS, KEPT CONSTANTLY ON HAND." Enjoy your fine 14-K watch.
Tom W.

Thank you very much Tom. That just adds icing on the cake. I wonder if Dad knew this was a solid gold case? I'll never know now, but I have a feeling he must have.

Wow.

HIGH regards! Mark