Eric,
Awesome case and movement

Beautiful Eric!

Thanks !

The M08 Vanguard wind-indicator in the 23j 6p variant with the matching dial and original case should be the centerpiece of any 16-size Waltham collection.

The oldest watch in my Waltham collection is also my only keywind Waltham.

With a SN of 1,077,XXX, it dates to around 1878 - when Rutherford B Hayes held the Office of President.

Protected by a perfect pair case:

Let the patina argument rage!

Eric, Eric, you are gonna force me to toss my Crescents up. I have that same factory case but it is white gold filled and I if my memory is correct it is 14K.

I thought it was limited to 18 size CS but now that I know I can toss some 16 sizes up. I have another CS coming in the mail so when that one shows up I will toss mine up.

Very nice pocket watches Eric, if you're going to have a key winder that would be the one I'd be looking for, and very nice. Waltham 16 size wind indicator, case, and dial.

Larry

The first railroad grade pocket watch I bought or had physically seen up to that time was a 16 size, 21 jewel Crescent St, about 30 some years ago. Got it in a Pittsburgh pawn shop, still have it. I had been buying from this shop for a while and they got the best of a novice several times, but this time I was determined to be sharper, got a pretty good price on this and an Elgin-BW Raymond, the next time I went there, the guy who I dealt with said I would have to deal with his brother.

Nice watches Eric. The M08 Vanguard with WI are some of my favorite. I only have two of them though

Here is one that I recently picked up at a good price. It had a single sunk Montgomery dial on it but I got this one from Andy. It needs a crystal and a good COA but the case is very ornate and in excellent condition.

Back in 1995 I was at one of our local watch and clock collector club meetings in Calgary, people would come into the show and bring us watches to look at and give them some history, a woman and her husband came up to my table and showed me this pocket watch it was in a yellow gold filled case, but was very hard to get the back off of, when I did get it open, much to my surprise, this is the watch I discovered, a Waltham 16 size, 17 jewel, Model 1908 Grade CPR Serial No. 180338361 pocket watch, and the woman Carol Stolz told me the history of this watch it originally belonged to Percy Edgar Baker Moth, the first Station Master (Agent/Operator, at Bankhead, Alberta, Gertrude Moth came from England to keep house for Percy at Bankhead. Carol inherited the pocket watch from her father Clint Patton. It was likely a gift to Clint from Gertrude since he was married to her daughter Helen; hence, Gertrude was Carol's grandmother. After leaving Bankhead when the mine shut down Percy Moth moved to Monitor, Alberta. Carol recalls visiting the historical site at Bankhead with mother and being shown a picture of her grandmother in the archives, Gertrude Ethel Moth had married Leo Rumrell in 1915.

Doing research at the Glenbow Museum Archives I found this picture of the CPR station at Bankhead, perhaps Percy is sitting inside the station circa 1905

Bankhead was a mining community located 3 miles east of the town of Banff, which is located inside of the Banff National Park and started operations in 1903. The national park in the Rocky Mountains it is located 70 miles west of Calgary, Alberta. The CPR mined coal here for many years but the operation did not quite fit into the concept of the National Park system, and labor problems led to its closing in 1922. Most of the buildings were removed to Banff, and the Banff National Parks Department has set up an interpretational trail through the old mines townsite. The CPR were able to mine all their coal from Canmore 12 miles to the east and outside of the park boundaries. These mines closed in the 1970, and the town is now a popular tourist destination.

I found these photos of the Bankhead mining operation in the Glenbow Museum archives, the mine, and townsite at the foot of Cascade Mountain

The mines loading tipple

Mine entrance with pony, and mine cart

Mine managers house

As mentioned many of the buildings were moved to the town of Banff, and Canmore, here are a couple of photos from the Glenbow Museum archives of the CPR station being moved to the Banff Springs Hotel road where it was used by the Canadian Youth Hostel organization.

Another view of the three-mile move on the CPR Bankhead station in the 1920s