Elgin Dexter St. Pocket Watch c. 1880. Sold on eBay!

The title to this video says 3000 produced. It should read 3000 production runs during the years 1873-1884 with a total of 56,000 units produced.


Can you imagine the pride that was felt in owning a Elgin Dexter Street watch in the 1880s?

This is the watch without the case. The watch was produced in from 1873-1884 by the Elgin watch company in Elgin Illinois. It was a huge factory that produced thousands of watches if not millions. The factory started in the mid 1800s and continued operation into the 1960s (not real sure when the operation ceased). I remember riding my bicycle past the factory in 1964. It was a huge place that occupied square miles!

According to this web site only 56,000 Elgin Dexter Street pocket watches were produced.
http://elginwatches.org/cgi-bin/elgin_sn?sn=702106&action=search
It's very rare.

I brought the watch back to life using a spray can of compressed air, the liquid when the canister is turned upside-down. Then a light spray of WD-40. She came back to life!

Looks like it might have been a removable key wind. There is a small square peg on the back where a winding key would fit. I gently wound the watch with only a couple of turns with a small pliers, matching the grip of the pliers to the square of the peg.

It is a real piece of workmanship. Take a look at the fancy engraving.

Sold on eBay auction.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Elgin
• Watch
• Dexter
• Street
• Ebay
• circa
• 1880
• Pocket
• Illinois
• Dex
• seven
• jewels
• auction

[Shangas]

Never spray a pocket watch with something like WD-40. That's not proper watch lubricant and running a watch with that stuff in it could do it serious damage. This thing is 120 years old. If a part breaks, you could have trouble finding another one, 60,000,000 watches or no.

[FinkFonkFunkaal]

WD-40 will not hurt the metal. It is an excellent lubricant and many times will bring an old watch back to life.

[Shangas]

Yeah but it's not actually watch-lube...it's best to get an old pocket watch serviced by a professional rather than just diving in with any oil that you can find.

[FinkFonkFunkaal]

@Shangas This is not just any oil. It is WD-40. And please define what makes a person a professional.

[notBMW18]

I'm from Elgin. The company failed in 1965 and the building was razed in 1966.

Between the company's founding in 1864 to the closing in 1965, the Elgin National Watch Company had produced over 60 million watches.

[FinkFonkFunkaal]

@notBMW18 Thanks for placing a date on when the factory was dismantled. I remember standing with my ten speed Schwinn Super Sport at the intersection of Rt64 and the road that takes one to Army Trail Road. 1966, I could see from a distance a huge factory that was being taken apart. That was the Elgin watch factory.

[scdelsol69]

How much was it?

[notBMW18]

@FinkFonkFunkaal sure, not problem. I'm an Elgin history buff; my family has lived here since 1887 which makes me the 6th generation to live here. I wanted to add that I don't see why they would've named the watch "Dexter Street." Dexter Street is a side street in Downtown Elgin and back in the 1880's (and even today) there wasn't really anything spectacular about that street. Dexter Street is just under a mile from where the factory stood.

[iamin2pain]

i have a dexter also , kw and ks . great find and great video !

[MYAR15SaysImFree]

Hey guys, I have an 1875 Elgin from my Great Grandfather. serial #337600 can anyone tell me anything about it? Like how many were made, what is it made of? Im just curious.