by GaryG
Once upon a time, there was a man whose young grandson loved him very much.
The author’s grandfather’s dress pocket watch
And, as it turns out, the man owned a watch. Not just any watch, but, as seen by the young boy, a gilded wonder of a pocket watch with a gleaming white dial, delicate hands, and the image of a proud stag carved into its case.
When the grandfather passed away, he left the watch in safekeeping for the boy, who a dozen years later proudly took possession of it on the occasion of his high school graduation. He treasures it to this day.
A boy, his sister, and their grandfather at Easter, 1959
Not a bad happily-ever-after tale, I’d say, but there’s more: fully forty years later, the boy, now your faithful scribe, inherited a previously unseen box of his grandfather’s watches revealing him to have been what the boy had become: a watch collector.
Origins
My grandfather (let’s call him Grandpap from now on, although he also liked Großvater) was born in May of 1894 in a small town in what is now the Kaunas region of Lithuania. His parents, Alexandrine and Carl, were German-speaking descendants of East Prussian farmers who had immigrated to the area in the 1700s.
They named him Constantine Augustus. Royal names must have been in favor: his brothers were named Julius, Alexander, and Edward, and given family tradition it’s a bit of a relief to me that I did not end up as Hadrian or Ghengis!
Lithuania, late 1800s: the author’s great-grandparents and family at right with great-great-grandparents at left
Although the story of the oldest watch in this collection is lost to history, I like to think that Constantine’s own grandfather, pictured above, gave him a piece that he in turn treasured: the small, silver-cased pocket watch you see below.
Silver-cased pocket watch, 19th century
Inside this watch is a Swiss-made cylinder escapement movement, common in less expensive watches of the era and recognizable from the location and shape of the escape wheel. In the cylinder design initially developed by Thomas Tompion in 1695, the escape wheel interacts directly with a slotted cylinder beneath the balance wheel rather than being controlled by an intermediary fork ending in pallet jewels as in the lever escapement.
Swiss made cylinder escapement movement
Coming to America
Around 1910, Julius and Alexander immigrated to America; Grandpap followed in 1913. All found work in Pittsburgh with the Pennsylvania Railroad: Uncle Julius as a hose coupler, Uncle Alec in the mailroom, and Grandpap as a brakeman.
Three brothers: from left, Uncle Julius, Uncle Alec, and the author’s grandfather
Likely soon after, Grandpap acquired two pocket watches: the first was the gilded object of my childhood desire, while the second was a much plainer work watch from Hampden Watch Company of Canton, Ohio with “special adjusted” movement as shown below.
Movement, Hampden pocket watch
A bit of a mystery is that both the Hampden watch and fancy dress watch apparently pre-date Grandpap and his brothers’ arrival in this country; their serial numbers place their dates of manufacture at around 1896, suggesting that they may have been second-hand purchases. Another watch in the collection also pre-dates his arrival: this one is labeled Worcester Watch Company and is apparently a “Jeweler’s Special” private label piece containing a Swiss movement.
Pocket watch, Worcester Watch Company
The serial number on the “Defiance” case of this watch from the Star Watch Case Company of Ludington, Michigan places its manufacture at about 1906, suggesting that it may actually have belonged to my grandmother, who immigrated in 1909.
Swiss made movement, Worcester Watch Co. pocket watch
My grandmother Amalia, who I never knew, came from the same area of Lithuania as Grandpap and lived in Pittsburgh with her sister Olga, Olga’s husband Adolf, and two boarders: my uncles Julius and Alec. As they say, one thing led to another, and ultimately to a relationship between Constantine and Amalia and the gift of a watch.
Constantine and Amalia
If you look at my grandmother’s wrist in the photograph above, you’ll see the same one shown in my recent photo below.
Elgin ladies’ watch, ca. 1917
The movement serial number places its production in 1917 or 1918, at a time when the wristwatch was still being derided as a “silly-ass fad” in the popular press. While this piece appears to be a pocket watch adapted to wrist wear, the fitted presentation case suggests that this may well have been done at the time of production rather than as a later conversion, which would have made my grandparents very fashion-forward indeed.
Elgin Grade 418 movement, 7 jewels, ca. 1917
That’s consistent with photos from the time and from later in life as well as with Grandpap’s collection of not only watches, but also various rings and stickpins; he looks to have been more than a bit of a dandy!
Run for the roundhouse, Nellie, they can’t corner you there
The late 1910s were quite eventful for Grandpap, bringing the pride of United States citizenship, the blessing of his marriage to Amalia, and the tragedy of a terrible fall under a locomotive that nearly killed him and ultimately led to the amputation of one of his legs.
After his recovery, Grandpap returned to the railroad as a turntable operator in the roundhouse and ultimately completed more than 40 years’ service with the “Pennsy.”
My grandfather’s 40-year service pin, Pennsylvania Railroad
One benefit of continuous railroad service was insulation, at least to some extent, from the rigors of the Great Depression. During the 1930s, two new pieces, both wristwatches, joined his collection: one Swiss and one American in origin.
1930’s additions: Moeris and Elgin wristwatches
Moeris is a Swiss brand with which I hadn’t been familiar, but no less than Kari Voutilainen had kind things to say about it when I showed him this watch. A particularly attractive feature to me of the Moeris is its shaped movement, Caliber 20/26T, shown below. Perhaps it should not come as a surprise that in my own collecting I have been drawn to the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso series with shaped movements fitted into rectangular cases.
Moeris Swiss Caliber 20/26T movement
The case back of the Moeris has another nice touch: Grandpap’s initials engraved, linking the watch even more closely to him for me.
Monogrammed case back, Moeris watch
While both of these watches admittedly look a bit rough, after servicing by my local expert watchmaker they run quite well and see wrist time on occasion.
Daughter to father to grandson
The final addition to Grandpap’s collection has an additional family connection. After graduating high school, my mother Dorothy (known to all as “Dot” or “Dottie”) took a job as a teletype operator at the telegraph company.
Over time, she saved enough to present Grandpap with a gift: a very pretty (and from appearances, sparingly worn) Hamilton watch, again in rectangular form with fabulous decorative lugs and applied hour markers on the dial.
Hamilton wristwatch: a gift from daughter to father
On the reverse, there’s an inscription that touches me every time I think of it.
Inscription, Grandpap’s last watch
Inheritance and inspiration
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:20
But what of that original object of desire from my youth? It was another jeweler’s contract piece, sold by August Loch and Co., a jeweler then located on Federal Street just across from what is now the left field fence of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ PNC Park.
Object of desire: the author’s grandfather’s dress pocket watch
While the movement was also labeled August Loch, it is in fact a Grade 173, 15-jewel movement from the Illinois Watch Company of Springfield, Illinois. Approximately 200 examples were made of this movement with features that include beveled edges on the crescent-shaped click and screwed chatons.
Private-branded Illinois Watch Company Grade 173 model 5 movement, ca. 1896
I will always treasure this piece for the magical, almost unattainable, status that it had for me during my youth. More importantly, I will love the way that it reminds me of my beloved Grandpap and his kindness.
But perhaps the most important thing in my grandfather’s collection is something that you can’t see in any of the photos; inside the small locket on the fob of his dress watch chain is something he put there to remind him, and now me, that with perseverance all things are possible: a tiny mustard seed.
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August Loch pocket watch looks like Marie Antoinnette’s. They are amazing! True object of desire!
Thanks very much for taking time to comment! That pocket watch is very precious to me — and I’m very pleased that you liked it as well! Best, Gary
Wonderful read. And truly inspiring.
Thanks so much, Boris — I appreciate it.
Best, Gary
What a superb article. Thank you.
John — thanks very much — I’m so pleased that you enjoyed it.
Best, Gary
A bit of additional research reveals that the movement in the “Dot to Dad” watch is the well-regarded 19-jewel Hamilton ref. 982, which among other refinements features a Breguet overcoil hairspring! Unfortunately when I had the watch serviced I did not think to ask the watchmaker to take some photos, and I’m loath to open it now but various photos of the 982 available online reveal it to be a lovely item indeed.
Gary, this is tremendous stuff. We have never had a proper lunch here in SF, but we have been at the same table at some dinners (I am friends with AS and BC, initials only for their privacy). I have always admired your lucidity in collecting and your passion for collecting what you love (as opposed to the far too many who keep asking, first, “is this a better investment than buying stock x or real estate y?”). This article is your finest work on this site – it combines your par excellence photography skills with such a beautiful personal story and great writing. Bravo! I hope we can one day grab lunch and connect in SF!
Hi AL — I hope that we can connect in person as well! Any friend of AS and BC is a friend of mine, for sure…
And thanks very much for your kind words on the article and on my collecting style as well — the good news is that while I do think about watches as valuable objects, I don’t see them as investments!
All the best,
Gary
Gary, I am going to add you on LinkedIn now to connect, hope to grab lunch in the city and talk some watches!
Hi Gary,
Thanks for sharing this very personal bit of life with us. What you wrote is the exact reason why i came to watches. Legacy. I wish i had a grandpap as yours. I Can only try to be one myself now.
Thanks again.
Delphin
Hi Delphin,
From your response I can guess that you are well on your way to being the kind of grandpap you wish to be!
Best, Gary
The article makes me think of both of my grandfathers, long gone but still with me everyday.
Thanks for the article Gary
What a wonderful article. Thank you for sharing your grandfather’s beautiful collection.