Hi So this is a question that has plagued me for some time.
Armed with a serial number, I can find a lot of information about a watch.
ie the year ofmanufacture
the number of jewels
pendant set or lever
the type of metal
demaskeening or not
other special options
etc
But the things I want are the staff # and the mainspring #
None of that info is given
Am I missing something (besides brains)
as an example I did a search for an Elgin s/n 17244001
yeilds the following
grade 387
BUT HOW DO I GET TO THE STAFF AND MAINSPRING INFO
Are there other data bases for that kind of info
for Elgin, Waltham,Hamilton , etc.
Mel Siedman

Serial Number SN Range Quanty Name Year grade size code jewels Adj/reg/etc.
-------------- -------- ------ ---- ---- ----- ---- ------ ------ ------------
17244870 17244001 1000 1912 387 16s o3n7p 17j e

Mel

I don't know of a database that covers multiple brands, but for your example of an Elgin, there is a wonderful resource for part numbers. It is elginwatchparts.com. You can enter the grade and look up any part number. You can also do cross reference lookups to find other grades that use the same part number.

This database has an Elgin parts feature but I don't know how comprehensive it is.

https://pocketwatchdatabase.co...esult/elgin/17244001

Click on parts then it takes you to another page and if you click on a particular part it shows watches on ebay that share those parts.