12 size 17 jewel "Made expressly for Webb C. Ball"
in 14k solid white gold case.

Jack Goldstein
http://www.ball-rr-pocketwatches.com

Hi Jack!,
Thanks for sharing the picture of your watch, do you know how scarce it is? a bit of its history being a Swiss watch made expressly to the quintessential American watch master?

Regards

Ball-Records had the Incabloc system -- I wonder why Ball didn’t specify Incabloc for the Ball-Longines?

Nice watch jack, can,t say i ever saw a swiss watch with Webb C Ball on it, must be rare!

Kevin "Veritas" West
IHC Member 261
Chapter 111,Ottawa
NAWCC Member 158976,
Nepean, Canada

Webb C. Ball had a jewelry store in Cleveland and ordered many fine Swiss watches with his name on them for sale in the store. These are quite separate from the railroad watches that he commissioned from the various American watch companies that we are so familiar with. Shugart shows a Vacheron & Constantin, and I have seen several others, including a travel clock, with various Swiss movements. My friend, Robert Schussel, picked up a beautiful high-grade 17-ligne example (picture below) that I had the pleasure of servicing.

Jerry,

What a beautiful watch movement, and the photography is outstanding!!

Thank you.

Phil Dellinger
NAWCC# 157070
IHC Life Member (L12)
Proud IHC Member# 140

Nice photo Jerry, so did he put he name on it for advertising use if it wasn,t aproved or used for railway service?

Kevin "Veritas" West
IHC Member 261
Chapter 111,Ottawa
NAWCC Member 158976,
Nepean, Canada

Just like any other jewelry store, like Tiffany, Shreve, Caldwell or even Sears, Ball wanted to have the store name on the watches he sold. He sold a full range of watches at his store, entirely separate (I believe) from his railroad time service.

Plain top plates and bridges – Wayne’s Elgin site denominates them as “flat (matte)” – like those in Jerry’s example above show off the machinery, show off the jewels, show off the inscriptions, much more powerfully IMOP* than any damaskeening can but seldom get the recognition they deserve. I was really pleased that Jerry and Phil recognize their elegance.

*IMOP: In My Opinionated Opinion!

[This message was edited by Dog on November 30, 2003 at 15:41.]