14kt SOLID gold pocket watch AND chain, antique Elgin, rare HAND ENGRAVED case!!

Description: Available for sale is this rare model antique 'Elgin National Watch Co.' pocket watch and unknown manufacturer watch chain. Both are circa late 19th to early 20th century. The beautifully hand engraved (a lost art, imagine how many hours this must have taken!) case AND the chain are SOLID 14kt white gold! This watch is in very-good original condition in my opinion and appears un-restored. I cannot say if the acrylic crystal is original but would guess yes, and it's surprisingly scratch free if so! One interesting / curious thing I noticed for better or worse is that there are no watchmaker dates / service notations inside the case, which means that this mvmnt perhaps was never serviced since new?! Servicing mechanical watches back then was done about as often as you'd get your tires rotated today, which can only mean that this watch was probably ran / worn only for special occasions, which makes sense because this would have been a very expensive watch to own in its day. Approximate combined gold weight of the case & bow is 27.8 grams. AND NOTE THAT THIS IS 'JUST THE GOLD'... TO PROVE THIS see image twelve. I took an equivalent (probably heavier) pocket watch mvmnt with dial, steel machine screw (to represent the crown & stem), and a piece of acrylic (same volume as the crystal), then weighed them and subtracted from this Elgin's TOTAL weight. I did this to show an honest gold weight as I have noticed other gold case watch listings stating a weight, BUT... that weight is usually the 'whole watch' on their scale! They don't calculate & subtract the majority of the total mass which is not gold!! Obviously the gold content effects the value. Cool & unusual bar style link 14ktw gold watch chain measures 13.5" length, 2.6mm girth, and weighs 9.4 grams. Link-to-link ring ends are excellent and show no 'wear grooves' which indicates the chain was used very little. Noose clasp is a swivel type, the other is spring ring type. It was difficult to photograph but you can see the three 14kt purity stamps in pic seven, and I had a jeweler friend run an electronic test to confirm that indeed the chain & watch case are solid 14 karat gold. Not sure if the chain came with this watch, but it's certainly circa appropriate. 14kt plumb is 0.585% pure gold so that calculates this set at approx: 0.70 oz of 24kt pure gold, and @ spot of even $1,880 per oz gives this set a gold value alone of $1,317.00! Is she an investment? TOTALLY! Due to spiking gold prices there are sadly fewer and fewer of these original antique gold cases & chains left (let alone the watch itself!). Akin to coins most people sadly don't have an appreciation for the antiquity of the historic items and have scrapped them for their gold content alone! An original survivor in this condition is VERY rare, and will only go up in value as the few like it continue to disappear. Following are specifics I found pertaining to the mvmnt: Manufacturer: Elgin Manufacturer Location: Elgin, Illinois Movement Serial Number: 27561145 Grade: 345 Model: 3 Class: 114 Estimated Production Year: 1925 Run Quantity: 8,000 Grade/Model Run: 166 of 205 Total Production: 740,900 Size: 12s Jewels: 17j Jewel Material: Ruby & Sapphire Jewel Setting: Screw Set Movement Configuration: Open face Movement Finish: Nickel Movement Setting: Pendant Plate: 3/4 Plate Double Roller: Yes Barrel: Going Balance Type: Expansion Balance Jewel Material: Ruby Train: Quick Regulator: Moseley Hairspring: Breguet Standard Dial Type: Single-Sunk Adjusted: No Railroad Grade: No U.S. Patents: 596407, 77078, 585025 Data Research: 1927/1950 Elgin Serial List I had a trusted jeweler friend look over the mvmnt and test it. He stated the mvmnt looks to be in very good condition for it's age. He ran the watch over 48 hours (positioning it differently during the test, as they do to give a chronometer certification), and she was accurate to the minute. Though he mentioned like any antique watch it could use a clean & lubrication service if someone wants to continue to run it frequently. I also wanted to add the proof of gold weight pics. I feel totally honest & confident about my asking price now that I have had this done. :) In summary: This is a really cool & rare matched set plus a piece of history that would make a great addition to any watch or history buffs collection. I hope to find a good home for them. Thanks for looking, Cheers :)

Price: 2350 USD

Location: Oak Creek, Wisconsin

End Time: 2024-10-20T04:09:00.000Z

Shipping Cost: 29 USD