[geeks] Watch prescision

[James]

At 10:09 AM 1/22/2003 -0700, you wrote:
> > Not long after the turn of the century (the last century) railroads
> > required a watch to keep within 5 seconds a week (or some
> > high value like
> > that). There were actual specifications for the watches that
> > Operations
> > Department personnel were allowed to carry. 21 Jewel, 5
> > seconds/week and
> > the lever used to actuate a time change must be concealed and
> > cannot be the
> > little winding knob (that thing has a name but I forget what
> > it is). Each
> > road set up their own standards, the one I quote is Boston &
> > Maine, 1932
> > Operations Department Trainman's Rulebook.
> > _______________________________________________
> >
>
>There is a whole (very large and active, possibly the most active
>segment of the hobby) category of the horology hobby/trade dedicated
>exclusively to "railroad" watches. The first of these watches started
>appearing in the mid-late 19th century, and they persisted until 1975.
>
>Before these standards were introduced the average american watch (there
>were no real wristwatches yet) was only precise to within about 5
>minutes a day, and in the hostile environment of train travel
>(vibration, g-loading, and large temp changes) precision could degrade
>to the point of a minute or two an HOUR.
>
>The original standard for precision was 20-30 seconds a day. That
>rapidly advanced until by the end of the "railroad watch" period the
>watches were at the modern 20 seconds a month standard, which for a
>mechanical watch is pretty damned good. At the time these were among the
>most precise portable time pieces in the world, and served to make
>america a watchmaking center for he first time.
>
>Some of these watches were made under contract and either distributed or
>made available for purchase by employees. Some of them were simply put
>on a list of watches accepted to meet those standards set forth by the
>company. Often they would actually be imprinted somewhere with the
>legend, "railroad", "Railroad Model" or "railroad watch".
>
>Oh and there were no wristwatch railroad watches until the Bulova
>Accutron movement came along, though Hamiltion tried to get its electric
>movement listed. Up until the 1940's there were no wristwatch movements
>precise enoguh, and afterwards... Well the railroad industry is a pretty
>conservative and traditional one. They resisted the change to
>wristwatches just as strongly as they resisted every other change.
>
>Chris Byrne

I actually have a Hamilton "railroad" watch from the late 40's. The face 
screws off to reveal a lever that shifts the crown to move the dial instead 
of winding the mainspring. It is unusual in that it is a stainless steel 
model and is engraved with a steam locomotive on the back. It is a 21 jewel 
model and the most accurate mechanical timepiece I have ever seen. I 
suppose I should dig it out of storage and have it cleaned. There are some 
well respected old-time watch repair people around my area, maybe one of 
them can make it feel young again.