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[Aislingean]

Hello all,
my avatar picture is my swiss Desk watch or as I have been told in the past my automobile watch????
I am new here so I will ask my usual questions.
Who made it, when and where?
Description
Nickel plated case, enamel and paint dial,inscribed 8 DAYS, Swiss Made, screw on glass in brass bezel 65mm diameter.
Crown on long stem at 6 position winds and pull out 'clicks' into adjust position.
Swiss made and No. 5511 engraved on movement which is totally enclosed!
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g297/Aislingean/SLAVA/th_PICT0164.jpghttp://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g297/Aislingean/SLAVA/th_PICT0165-1.jpghttp://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g297/Aislingean/SLAVA/th_PICT0166.jpg

Here is the URL for the album on Photo Bucket
http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g297/Aislingean/SLAVA/
If you can't view the big pictures tell me and I will post them here

[Ray MacDonald]

:-s Haven't seen many of these on here. Looks like late 1920s or early 1930s to me.

[Aislingean]

I have also been told previously that the movement is likely to be an 'Eterna' which being the predecessor of ETA who are responsible for 80% of the mechanical movements seems like a no brainer!
I have seen similar watches with various different names and the only differences seem to be dial graphics and pointers and of course the hidden movement!
Mine is the only one I have seen that is not named or readily attributed.

[JimH]

Hello all,
my avatar picture is my swiss Desk watch or as I have been told in the past my automobile watch????
I am new here so I will ask my usual questions.
Who made it, when and where?
Description
Nickel plated case, enamel and paint dial,inscribed 8 DAYS, Swiss Made, screw on glass in brass bezel 65mm diameter.
Crown on long stem at 6 position winds and pull out 'clicks' into adjust position.
Swiss made and No. 5511 engraved on movement which is totally enclosed!
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g297/Aislingean/SLAVA/th_PICT0164.jpghttp://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g297/Aislingean/SLAVA/th_PICT0165-1.jpghttp://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g297/Aislingean/SLAVA/th_PICT0166.jpg

It's a Swiss 8 day travel or desk clock like the one shown below from a previous discussion thread. Most likely the clock originally came in a leather case like that pictured. When the case wore and became tattered it was probably discarded but the watch would be considered too nice to throw away. One would need pictures of the movement to give any more detail. It might be a Lemania 8 day movement.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5505/brevet1op0.jpg

[JimH]

The only way to tell what the movement is in the clock is to open it and see. It's certainly not a "no brainer" that the movement is made by Eterna. The current position of ETA has no relation to the situation when this clock was made (~60-70 years ago).

See my post below if you want to see another "un-attributed" example of this sort of clock. ;-)

[bjohnson]

I'm certainly not an expert on the subject but I doubt Eterna+ETA combined could be considered responsible for 80% of the mechanical movements

I would have thought that AS or Elgin would have been the biggest volume producers and even then I doubt either would make up 40% of total movements used (I'm guessing you mean from mid 1700s to 2008)

[Hartmut Richter]

I'm certainly not an expert on the subject but I doubt Eterna+ETA combined could be considered responsible for 80% of the mechanical movements

I would have thought that AS or Elgin would have been the biggest volume producers and even then I doubt either would make up 40% of total movements used (I'm guessing you mean from mid 1700s to 2008)

Don't know who the absolute biggest was but I do know that in 1927, when the ESA (Ebauches SA Trust) was formed, two of the three founders, Adolf Schild and FHF (the third was A. Michel) were among the biggest. At that stage, the ETA was indeed just the movement maker of Eterna, making principally for this company. Only later did they split off and join the ESA, only to take them over completely in the early eighties.

Just as a comparison: Junghans was once the largest producer in the world, around 100 years ago. This claim was, however, based largely on the production of not wrist watches but of bedside alarm clocks, mainly of plate-and-pillar construction. It all depends on where you place your emphasis in the question of definition.

Hartmut Richter

[Aislingean]

I am sorry if I was unclear The reference to Eterna and no brainer was not mine but the info I was given on another forum [Which shall remain nameless!]
I have never personally been able to attribute the watch to any manufacturer however due to the number I have seen with similar attributes and differing names it would seem that the movements were a more or less stock item that were used to produce several brand names.
I agree entirely that the leather cased example shown is the most probable source of mine. As I said I believe this to be a 'desk watch' however a respected Australian dealer sold a clone version last year for several hundred dollars as an 'early automobile clock' [Lucky him!]
The large wheel with the etched star pattern which revolves as the watch is wound is an integral part of the movement and has no obvious means of removal. There is no way in to see the balance or escapement without releasing the crown [I presume the single recessed screw above the shaft at 6] and removing the movement from the case and there is no visible means of regulation!
There are two screws at 4 & 8 along with two turn buckle cams[?] that are the only other visible fixings and these I presume will somehow release the movement from the case however I have never had the nerve to start fiddling !
If it aint broke!;-)

[RON in PA]

Based on the length of the stem I would not rule out the possibility of it being a car clock.

[JimH]

I'd say it's unlikely to be a car clock and much more likely to be from a folding travel clock.

Here's another Swiss folding travel clock example which is quite similar to the poster's in stem length & crown design:

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t250/hodek-314159/folding-8day-clock.jpg

The finished opening back of the poster's watch also point toward a folding clock. Many times I see these folding clocks which are now missing their cases called "car clocks".

A true dashboard car clock usually provided a knob for winding & setting & brackets for proper mounting of the clock. For example, this Jaeger dashboard car clock:

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t250/hodek-314159/dashboard1A.jpg

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t250/hodek-314159/dashboard2.jpg

[Aislingean]

I agree with you JimH that looks to be the same crown and stem and very similar face!
Any idea how you regulate these beasties or remove that great big 'Flyweel that covers the drum?

[Aislingean]

I see nobody has answered my last question whilst we were away so I thought a quick 'Bump' would bring it back to attention!
Cheers

[Eeeb]

I believe the slide switch in the arc in the back is the 'regulator'. I have seen such before. Speaking from experience, do NOT mount an auto clock until you have it regulated to your taste.

If it is not obvious how to get the bezel off, then it probably will become apparent if you decase it.

[Chascomm]

I agree with you JimH that looks to be the same crown and stem and very similar face!
Any idea how you regulate these beasties or remove that great big 'Flyweel that covers the drum?The 'flywheel' is the mainspring. It takes up the entire width of the movement in order to be long enough to run for a week (the 8th day is just an emergency reserve).

Did you find an external regulating slider like Eeeb sugggested?