Here are two watches I have in my collection. The first one belonged to my grandfather who served in the first world war. It was given to him by his University of Illinois fraternity brothers.

Here's the back side of the watch...

This second watch is Swiss made. I purchased it with the band at a local flea market. I have some period photos of soldiers wearing this type watch and band. By the way both watches work.

closeup...

backside...

Welcome Kim to Chapter 185.
Those are interesting watches you have and pretty neat that one belongs in your family, it is great to be lucky enough to have something that was used in your family, by someone you knew.
I wish i had my dad,s service wrist watch, he was in the R.C.N.V.R.
Have fun looking around there are some great people here.

Kim
Welcome to Chapter 185. I really liked seeing your grandfather's watch, what an excellent family heirloom. If you are interested, there is an "Ancestral Pocket Watches" thread in the Pocket Watch section, very nice watches there, too.
Pete Belmonte

Thanks for the welcome guys. I'm a born collector and am heavy into U.S. militaria but I find myself drawn to personal items such as watches and souvenir items like the clocks out of aircraft or other military vehicles.
I've recently moved to an old 1820's brick home here in Ohio and now I have a lot more room for my acquisitions!
Can anyone comment on the second watch and band in my photos above? I realize there is no way of knowing if it was worn by someone in the military I assume it is WW1 era.
I have another clock in my collection that I'm curious about. It's a WW2 souvenir piece and the clock is mounted in the remnants of a 105mm howitzer brass shell casing. Nicely done. The clock itself allegedly came from a WW2 German halftrack. I'll post pictures later on.
Thanks! Kim

Thank you for your post, Kim. Nice watch. In the "Time On My Hands Restoration" forum, I posted a couple of Elgins in my collection which are similar to yours. If you don't mind, what is the movement serial number on your Elgin?

The other watch looks like the type popular during WWI. Not as expensive as the Elgin when new. The band is interesting. I like the metal band adapters on it. The fob in the above picture also looks WWI military. Nice collection. We will look forward to some pics of your German military clock.

Best regards,
Greg

Here is a closeup of the works and serial number of the Elgin. Any information you have is appreciated.

Here are two closeups of the Swiss watch on the band. I wonder if anyone can determine a date from these photos?

A second photo of the case lid. Ph.Wolfe.

There is no way to tell the exact date of the Swiss wristwatch. The best we can do is an approximation, which I would say is the WWI era (1914-1918) through the 1920's.

The Elgin is a little easier, because Elgin kept detailed serial number records. Thus, I can say with some confidence that your Elgin was made in 1917.

Best regards,
Greg

The English frequently put Swiss watche movements into hall marked silver casings. These hall marks will allow you to date the watch. If you can see any of these on the silver finding the year is a piece of cake. The decicive one is one with the letter (usually there are four small stamps depicting maker, year, proofing authority and something else)