I thought a picture and details of an authentic Pennsylvania coal miner's watch would be of some interest. I recently obtained this piece from a local man who was left it by his elderly uncle. This watch was carried into the coal mines for over thirty years by the uncle. The watch "Protecter" did it's job well as the watch is still keeping time today. The watch carries no maker information and is a small,36mm, bar ebauche,nail set, and is simply marked"Remontoir-Cylindre-10 Rubis". The case bears a German hallmaek and is marked "Argent 800". Nothing fancy but it sure did the job..........Keith

That is really neat and certainly something you don't see every day. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Keith, The watch protector fits with what I have seen used in the coal fields of western PA. BTW, I have also seen and handled watches that were carried in the mines without protectors. Do you know what a 7J Elgin looks like packed solid on the inside with coaldust? Close your eyes and imagine. Not a pretty sight.

Tom

Nice set. BTW,the outer case and the chain appear to be German made:



The above example was originally painted gray/green rather than chrome. It's dated 1914, etc. Note the similarity of the spring-ring.

Best regards,
Greg