Is there anyone out there that can help me identify the Swiss company that made this movement for Weir & Sons? I spent quite a bit of time going through Shugart's Price Guide looking for the logo on the ratchet wheel, but found nothing. I also looked through a 1950 Paulson's Guide that illustrates 3500 different Swiss movements, but I couldn't find the "wings logo" there either. When I saw the wings I immediately thought of Breitling, but they don't have an "O" between the wings. Above the winding wheel along the edge there is also the numbers 8/440 and a "V." Any help as to identity and approximate year of production would be greatly appreciated.

This is a shot of the dial. I forgot to mention that, although totally filthy, this thing actually runs

One more thing — the size of this Weir is either 10 or 10.5 ligne. I wasn't sure if that would be important to identifying the movement.

Someone might correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that wheel with wings was a Longines trademark. Great watch!

Steve G.

Steve, as soon as I saw the movement, I thought the same thing....Longines....mainly because of the bridge configuration....

Bruce, it is a great looking old watch....

Regards,
Jerry

Steve and Jerry, I did a Google Image Search for the Longines logo and between the wings of their logo there is an hour glass. Do you think this logo with the "O" (or a wheel) may have been a much earlier logo for them?

Bruce
I found this one: winged wheel

Moise Dreyfuss; La Chaux-de-Fonds,swiss 1926,with a second firm in England, This mark also exists with MASTER OF ALL TIMES and ROTARY written above.

Longines has an hourglass and Breitling B anchor between the wings.

Regards Gerald

I think I have nailed down the maker of this movement. In my 1950 Paulson Master Guide there are two different "Lanco" movements that have very close similarities with this movement. The Lancos used two stars on the ratchet wheel just like the stars on mine. On a 11 1/2 ligne movement in the guide, the three finger bridge is the same. The click is also identical and they sometimes did a fishscale damaskeening on their movements like mine. I am wondering if the winged "O" was a custom logo added for Weir & Sons? All I have to do now is find out more about Lanco. Fun stuff!

Bruce
If you take the dial off you cann identify the movement by checking the setting lever parts in a bestfit catelogue.

Kind Regards

Clive

Bruce

Rotary about 1935; the number should be the calibre.
At present Robert Dreyfuss, great grandson of Moise Dreyfuss is chairman of Rotary Watches Ltd. I posted a picture of a Rotary movement at the pitfall section in a thread named 'Rotary'.
The movement there is dated by casemarks 1930 and should be a little earlier than yours.

Regards Gerald

Gerald, what source did you use to identify your movement (and this one) as a Rotary? In my 1950 Paulson's Master Key where they show 3500 watch movements, I couldn't find any Rotary watches in this size range. On the cover of the book they state "Largest Swiss catalog ever issued. Practically every Swiss movement made." I would have thought I could find this exact movement, but I didn't. The Langendorf's (Lanco) I saw were very, very close even to the point of having the two stars on the ratchet wheel. Do you think there was a connection between Rotary and Langendorf?

Bruce The tradmark gave me a first hint, googling Dreyfuss or Moise Dreyfuss in combination with watches showed one 60's movement with the trademark and the connection to Rotary Watches Ltd. I did not use this picture cause the firm is still existing and it might be copyrighted. Then I checked eBay.UK for Rotary watches and found the shown. It is in the original case with date marks and the dial reads Rotary (yours is private label). I will try to find this picture too and post.
Those two stars on the ratchet wheel are not so seldom and the 'fishscaling' or perlage is often found. The connections may be. Swiss manufacturing
seems somtimes be woven like a fishnet and at the end most firms merged. Watchmaking was a split process. Someone made parts, others made raw movements (ebauches) with- or without marks, other bought ebauches, modified and finished them and marked their own brand. Think that's the difference to the american system to produce every single part in one firm.

Regards Gerald

Gerald, thanks for the great explanation. I found it really interesting. What I am trying to decide now is whether this is worth restoring or not. Are watches by Rotary well thought of, or are they just another Swiss watch company? I know when I researched Weir & Sons it seemed like they were the Tiffany's of Dublin. I guess I have some decisions to make. Thanks again for your help.

Bruce when you search for vintage Rotary's they are often in gold cases and with Weir & Sons you are correct. The firm still existing and somehow gone through the stuggles of watchmaking history may indicate they were not the very bad. And what is just another Swiss watch. Shall we collect 'Dollar watches'. Oh yes ! If only we had. It is the feeling. Is a movement great looking or does it only look great when we think it's a Longines? I don't know.

Regards Gerald

I really do like the look of this movement, therefore, I think I'll try to do right by it. You can't see it in my bad photos, but the engraving of the stars and wings on the ratchet wheel are a beautiful shiny blue. It jumps right out when you catch the light just right. And the pattern on the plates is going to be outstanding after they get cleaning in the ultrasonic. I'm not sure how to approach the cleaning of the dial, but I think the Comet Bathroom cleanser may be too harsh an approach. I'll post more pictures when I get finished...might be next winter though considering my list of things to do