Timeless Demand for Railroad Watches

Question: I have an old railroad watch. I would estimate it dates back to the late 19th Century and is still in good condition. Given its age, would it be in demand among collectors?--C.T.

Answer: Age is not necessarily a major factor in determining a railroad watch’s worth. Collectors say even more important is the watchmaker.

Railroad watches had a reputation for a high degree of accuracy and are prized by collectors. Such demand, however, has not caused prices to soar over the years because so many were produced in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

American manufacturers to look for include American Waltham Watch Co., Elgin National Watch Co., Hamilton Watch Co., Illinois Watch Co. and Rockford Watch Co.

Such watches can be found in a variety of places from flea markets to garage sales. And remember, simply because the watch may not be running at the time of sale may not be a reason to pass it up. Repairs may not be all that complicated--and a working watch with turn-of-the-century roots will have enhanced collectible value.

Estimating your watch’s age may take the eye of a veteran collector or watch repairman. But one rule of thumb is that pre-1875 watches required a key to wind and might even have needed a key to set the time. After that year, watch manufacturers began using the built-in winding system.

Another way to estimate manufacture date is to unscrew or snap off the watch’s case and attempt to find the movement’s serial number, which should give enough information for you to have the approximate time of production. These numbers can be checked against manufacturers’ records and watch reference books in company or public libraries.

While we’re on the subject, we can’t resist throwing in a collectible plug for watch fobs. Indeed, your question raises the vision of a conductor checking his railroad watch attached to a fob. The purpose of the fob was to make it easier to pull the watch out of, say, a waistband or vest pocket.

Fobs also are in demand by collectors. They were produced in great quantity through the 1920s--some more utilitarian than others. Many fobs communicated a message as well. For example, there were fobs that advertised products or were used for political messages.

R.S. of Costa Mesa collects golf score cards and golf bag tags from golf courses around the world. “I have run ads in some newspapers with offers to buy, trade or sell score cards,” he writes. “The results have been practically nil. I would very much like to make contact with other collectors and/or specialists who share the same interests.”