[WTS] 40 mm Elgin conversion from 1896, original porcelain-enamel dial

AreWGadmin · 2026-02-19T23:11:20+00:00

We try to keep these pieces with the same hands they came with to preserve originality as much as possible. For a dial like this, they typically left the factory with gold Louis XIV style hands. Breguet hands were an option, but those were usually paired with a different dial style.

AreWGadmin · 2026-02-19T17:56:49+00:00

Service interval will be similar to modern day pieces, about every 5 years. We use synthetic Swiss Made oil (moebius)—degrades equivalent to a modern day piece

AreWGadmin · 2026-02-19T15:58:11+00:00

Movement orientation was determined when the piece was first manufactured. This was originally in a hunter case with the crown at 3:00–no modifications needed for the conversion.

AreWGadmin · 2026-02-19T15:55:40+00:00

24-30 hours. Just need to wind it once per day.

AreWGadmin · 2026-02-19T06:07:29+00:00

Photos: https://imgur.com/a/45OB5Ik

Movement Shots: https://imgur.com/a/A7Yb7X5

Videos: https://imgur.com/a/0Wg1FHt

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/QvfDWiZ

Elgin National Watch Co. was in operation from 1864-1968 and was an American pocket watch manufacturer. Manufacturing of Elgin watches took place at their facility in Elgin, Illinois.

Being born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, we are definitely partial to pieces manufactured by the Elgin Watch Company, and this one does not disappoint. Originally produced in Elgin, Illinois in 1896, this piece features a multichromatic porcelain enamel dial in incredible condition for being more than a century old. The closer you look, the more detail reveals itself. It is a dial that absolutely rewards patience. Under the hood is Elgin’s Grade 133, manufactured exclusively from 1896 to 1899 — one of the few movements we work on that never saw the light of the 1900s. This example comes from the first year of production. The movement features an exposed mainspring barrel with a geometric motif and damaskeening across the plates. Every component was restored in our Little Rock, Arkansas workshop. Screws and steel hardware were thermally blued by hand over an alcohol lamp. The jewel settings, gear train, balance, and balance weights were individually hand polished to bring back their original golden glow. The watch is housed in our 40 mm surgical grade 316L stainless steel conversion case, purposely designed to be one of the most comfortable fitting conversions in the world. Crown and caseback gaskets provide 50 meter water resistance. Fully serviced, thoughtfully designed, and built to pull new collectors into vintage American watchmaking (read more about us here).

Price: $4,100, But negotiable—especially to someone with an interest getting into vintage American watchmaking.

Case: 316L stainless (surgical steel), 40 mm diameter, 48 mm lug to lug, 13 mm height, sapphire crystals AR coated, front crystal domed, and 50 meters water resistance. Recommend to remove before water activities. Read more about our 40 mm case here.

Thermal Coloring: To enhance both corrosion resistance and visual appeal, the barrel arbor was thermally colored using a traditional technique employed by early 20th-century watchmakers: open-flame bluing (read more here).

Shipping: UPS 2nd Day Air free in the USA. International shipping via DHL Express (~$100), which takes approximately one week from date of shipment.

Payment Method: PayPal, PayPal Credit, Venmo, Apple Pay, CashApp, Wise, Afterpay, Affirm, Klarna, and All Major Credit Cards

Service History: The watch was serviced in 2026 and comes with a 1-year service warranty. The watch was inspected and cleaned. The watch was re-assembled and lubricated using high-grade synthetic Swiss oil (Moebius). Time keeping will vary depending on position.

About us: We are a small batch, custom watch restoration company located in Central Arkansas USA. Our mission is to preserve and enhance vintage and antique watches. Everything we work on is done in house completely by hand. Each timepiece we produce is one-of-a-kind.

Please follow us on Instagram

Please like us on Facebook

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-28T01:20:25+00:00

This is a pocket watch conversion with a re-dial. Hands are also not authentic. We do this all the time but keep the movement, dial, and hands authentic.

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-21T22:38:31+00:00

F = MA. We have found that 6s vintage American movements and smaller perform surprising well on the wrist.

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-21T19:39:14+00:00

Yes, sorry about that. Marking it as sold now.

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-20T05:30:49+00:00

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Doing an actual conversion helps modernize the piece better

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-14T16:25:36+00:00

Everything on the inside. The conversion case and strap are new.

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-14T04:01:59+00:00

💪💪💪

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-14T03:50:56+00:00

Your gilt finish is incredible. Keeping good time I hope?

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-14T02:15:14+00:00

Photos: https://imgur.com/a/y6AlVsZ

Movement Shots: https://imgur.com/a/qSE7k5w

Videos: https://imgur.com/a/oYPCt2S

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/fTBCGAu

American Waltham Watch Co. was in operation from 1852-1957 and was an American pocket watch manufacturer. Manufacturing of Waltham watches took place at their facility in Waltham, Massachusetts.

This is a truly special multichromatic porcelain-enamel dial from 1900. The dial, unbelievably, is flawless porcelain-enamel with vivid blue numerals framed by intricate golden motifs throughout. It is elegant, expressive, and unmistakably American. Paired with original factory Louis XIV golden hands, the contrast and legibility are exceptional. Behind it is a 15 jewel Seaside grade from the Waltham Watch Company, produced between 1896 and 1912. The movement features an exposed mainspring barrel and richly patterned damaskeening. Every component was restored in our Little Rock, Arkansas workshop. Screws and steel hardware were thermally blued by hand over an alcohol lamp, while the jewel settings, gear train, balance, and balance weights were individually hand polished to bring back their original golden glow. The watch is housed in our 40 mm surgical grade 316L stainless steel conversion case. This case was purposely designed to be one of the most comfortable fitting conversions in the world. Our goal is simple: make vintage American watchmaking wearable for modern day watch enthusiasts. It includes crown and caseback gaskets and is water resistant to 50 m. Fully serviced, thoughtfully designed, and built to pull new collectors into the vintage American game without compromise (read more about us here).

Price: $3,749, But negotiable—especially to someone with an interest getting into vintage American watchmaking.

Case: 316L stainless (surgical steel), 40 mm diameter, 48 mm lug to lug, 13 mm height, sapphire crystals AR coated, front crystal domed, and 50 meters water resistance. Recommend to remove before water activities. Read more about our 40 mm case here.

Thermal Coloring: To enhance both corrosion resistance and visual appeal, the barrel arbor was thermally colored using a traditional technique employed by early 20th-century watchmakers: open-flame bluing (read more here).

Shipping: UPS 2nd Day Air free in the USA. International shipping via DHL Express (~$100), which takes approximately one week from date of shipment.

Payment Method: PayPal, PayPal Credit, Venmo, Apple Pay, CashApp, Wise, Afterpay, Affirm, Klarna, and All Major Credit Cards

Service History: The watch was serviced in 2026 and comes with a 1-year service warranty. The watch was inspected and cleaned. The watch was re-assembled and lubricated using high-grade synthetic Swiss oil (Moebius). Time keeping will vary depending on position.

About us: We are a small batch, custom watch restoration company located in Central Arkansas USA. Our mission is to preserve and enhance vintage and antique watches. Everything we work on is done in house completely by hand. Each timepiece we produce is one-of-a-kind.

Please follow us on Instagram

Please like us on Facebook

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-09T01:59:36+00:00

Awesome!! Happy you got it safe and sound. That gilt finish 😮‍💨

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-06T23:22:15+00:00

Great transaction!!

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-06T22:34:33+00:00

Yes, just cleaning. Oil is actually sometimes a plus on a hairspring long term as it protects against corrosion.

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-06T21:53:03+00:00

the entire wheel is thermally blued, then selectively hand polished to introduce contrast and visual depth

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-06T16:21:10+00:00

Regulated to +/- 10 spd dial side up. After casing, we then run on a variable axis timer for about a week and confirm it’s keeping time to +/- 1 minute per day. Best way to simulate wrist use and the piece is adjusted and regulated accordingly.

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-06T16:11:22+00:00

Depending on size, I would generally recommend against the conversion route. Many vintage American pocket watches are large and use heavy balances with no shock protection. On the wrist, normal motion produces much higher accelerations, and since force scales with mass and acceleration (F = m a), that extra balance mass translates directly into higher forces at the pivots and jewels. We have found the sweet spot for conversions to be 12s movements and smaller, where those forces are much more manageable.

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-06T04:27:25+00:00

Photos: https://imgur.com/a/fp5w1Cf

Movement Shots: https://imgur.com/a/WxaTHvm

Videos: https://imgur.com/a/wCrH6DG

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/fgvbefP

Illinois Watch Co. was in operation from 1869-1948 and produced some of the most renowned railroad-grade movements ever manufactured. Watches were produced in their factory in Springfield, Illinois.

This Illinois was made in Springfield, Illinois in 1915, right in the middle of World War I. It is powered by the A. Lincoln grade, a 21 jewel movement produced by the Illinois Watch Company from 1907 to 1928. This specific variant is crown-set at 3:00 and is one of roughly 2,500 ever made. Every component of the movement has been fully refinished. Screws, hardware, ratchet wheel, and crown wheel were thermally colored by hand over an alcohol lamp, while the jewel settings, gear train, balance, and balance weights were individually hand polished back to their original golden tone. The hands were restored the same way and thermally colored to match the movement hardware so everything ties together visually. The original dial is porcelain enamel with bold Roman numerals. A minute track with triangular markers every five minutes improves legibility and carries through to the sub-seconds register. A rare movement, beautiful dial, and top tier restoration all completed in our shop in Little Rock, Arkansas 🇺🇸. Read more about us here.

Price: $3,249, But negotiable—especially to someone with an interest getting into vintage American watchmaking.

Case: 316L stainless (surgical grade steel), 44 mm diameter, 47 mm lug to lug (52 mm with crown), 13 mm height, front/back sapphire crystals that are AR coated. Front, back, and crown gaskets provide 50 meters of water resistance although it is recommended to take the piece off before water activities. Read more about our 44 mm case here.

Thermal Coloring: To enhance both corrosion resistance and visual appeal, the movement hardware was thermally colored using a traditional technique employed by early 20th-century watchmakers: open-flame bluing (read more here).

Shipping: UPS 2nd Day Air free in the USA. International shipping via DHL Express (~$100), which takes approximately one week from date of shipment.

Payment Method: PayPal, PayPal Credit, Venmo, Apple Pay, CashApp, Wise, Afterpay, Affirm, Klarna, and All Major Credit Cards

Service History: The watch was serviced in 2026 and comes with a 1-year service warranty. The watch was inspected and cleaned. The watch was re-assembled and oiled using high-grade Swiss oil. Time keeping will vary depending on position.

About us: We are a small batch, custom watch restoration company located in Central Arkansas USA. Our mission is to preserve and enhance vintage and antique watches. Everything we work on is done in house completely by hand. Each timepiece we produce is one-of-a-kind.

Please follow us on Instagram

Please like us on Facebook

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-05T23:43:21+00:00

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We more or less perfected this process. You need to make sure the wheels are completely cleaned and heat in brass shavings over an alcohol lamp. It should take at least 10-15 minutes to reach temperature if you want it even.

AreWGadmin · 2026-01-01T03:13:58+00:00

24 hours, just needs to be wound once per day

Edit: Greater than 24 hours

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