this is a blind mans brail type watch I just got ahold of.it is a 17 jewel swiss made Buren Grand Prix movement.it has the raised bumps for the time along the outer edge of the dial and the hands are made of heavy brass so they are strong for when you feel for them.it has a screw holding the hands on that threads into the cannon pinion.there is no place for a crystal to fit in the bezel.it is just a solid ring.it is in a hunter case and you pop open the front and feel what time it is.does anyone have any idea of the year it was produced or an idea of value on something like this.it is the first one I have ever seen.any info would be appreciated.

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I believe this watch was made in the 1930's. I have no other info, sorry.

regards,
bb

Victor,

a search on the flea for Braille Pocket Watch, completed auctions, comes up with several comparables to your watch.

Your watch is in really nice condition and I especially like the purpose built bezel ring. Most I've seen are hunter cases with the crystal left off... I had not seen the closed bezel before.

Very cool.

This is an Elgin that passed through my collection. I have read that these were also popular for "dark" time reading in Military situations. Note the top cover center is removed.

The first one I ever saw was in the middle 60's at Chautauqua Institute, NY and it was in the possession of jazz pianist George Shearing.

He was in a rehearsal with his quartet and took a short break to correct a measure on their score they were playing. His bassist put his bass down, climbed off the stage, lit up a cigarette and started reading a newspaper while George was discussing a point with his drummer.

George then gave the downbeat to start rehearsal again, and that's when he noticed his bass player was gone.

He started to loudly call for him. The bass player just kept smoking his cigarette and reading his paper without saying a word or even reacting to his name being called.

That's when George pulled out his small open face watch and felt for the time, saying 'well, I can smell your cigarette smoke, so you have 2 minutes to finish it and get back up here.' He then laid the watch on the keyboard in the front of him and sat looking downward in silence, arms crossed.

You could have heard a pin drop in that huge outdoor amplitheater.

The bass player slowly folded his paper, finished his smoke after blowing a couple smoke rings, then climbed back to the stage and his instrument while George once again consulted his watch.

Sure enough, the bass player was back at his stand within the 2 minutes, George put his watch back in his pocket, and they started again.

Interesting little snapshot of the George Shearing quartette and how they worked a rehearsal in the 1960's....and seeing a real blind man's watch in action.

I can still see that scene in my minds eye like it was yesterday.

As a side note, my brother and I literally stumbled across Mr. Shearing sitting alone behind the amphitheater the next morning after his performance the night before. He called out to us, asking who we were. We were just kids, but we told him who we were, and he asked us to sit with him while he was waiting for his driver to pick him up. He wanted some company. One of the nicest men I've had the pleasure to meet, and very interested in who we were and what we thought of his music after we told him we had been at the concert.

It never even DAWNED on me to ask him for an autograph at the time. I was just amazed how normal a person he was, so it just never crossed my mind!

Anyway, I'm just rambling now....

Regard! Mark

A great story Mark.
Roger

Really brings these watches to life... Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Ditto - great story, Mark.

I was just born in 1960 but my mom had some George Shearing records and I really loved them as a young boy ..still do. I also spent many years as a working musician and I can tell you that most of us, and especially jazzers, were always smoking something!

William

I remember.

Regards! Mark

I do have one of those Elgin dials in my collection.

Just adding to your post . I have this Waltham braille pocket watch in my collection . English silver hunter case by Dennison. H.M. 1915. Regards Louis

nice looking watch and you can see that the hands are sturdy and screwed on so that they don't move around from touching them,also it looks like the bezel was made especially for this type of watch and not just one they left the glass out of.one that was made for this application and not just converted over from a regular watch..nice watch..