Ralco ATP. Ongoing project

[ramc181]

Hello All,

As a new member, I thought I'd better post up something.
Here's a couple of photos of my daily-use Ralco ATP.





Sorry for the poor quality.

Next on the job list for this one is a face clean and some re-lume. (and some more practice taking pictures.. :wink: )

All the best,

[davide]

Welcome - that's sweet little watch - what can you tell us about it and the maker?

[Michael in Frisco, Texas]

Welcome, Paul. Very nice. Vintage watches have a special place in my heart.

[magirus]

Hello and welcome to the forum, Paul, that's a very nice Ralco you have there. It's not a make I know, but I'm sure I'll soon find out about it. :wink:

[ramc181]

Thanks,

There's not much I know about this, although I did see an advert for an identical one in a 1942 British Army Officer's Handbook.
That's the only two times I've seen a Ralco with the thick black band on the face.
Someone said that Ralco was a subsidiary company of another Swiss company.

All that's marked on the face is;
Ralco
Waterproof
Non-Magnetic
Swiss Made.

It has a screw back, inside of which is the following;

FB over a key in a rectangle.
+
Patent

Stainless Steel
Back

454407
337810

And under the inner cover is a Ralco marked 15 jewel movement, no numbers.

If anyone knows any more on this I'd love to find out.

[rfrazier]

If you look just under the outer edge of the balance, you may see some markings that will give the movement maker and the calibre.

Best wishes,
Bob

PS Interesting watch for a daily wearer. Plenty of Wabi there.
RLF

[ramc181]

Cheers Bob,

I'm not 100% on all the terms for the innards of watches, I'm one of those types that learns enough to be able to do what I can, and know what not to touch. :wink:

Regards the balance, I've had a peek through my eyeglass at the balance/regulator assembly, and I can't see any markings, right down through to the back of the mechanism. That's while the watch is running, whether anything is on the balance wheel I can't say at the moment.
As I say, I'm an amatuer trying to learn at the moment.

Thanks again,

Paul

PS. I'm not au-fait with the term WABI outside the computer term for "Windows Application Binary Interface", but I did learn an important lesson regarding nice watches a few years ago...
"Keep it on your wrist, or on your bedside table, lest someone decides to put it through the washing machine...."
I've still not been able to get THAT one repaired yet... but that's for another thread.

[Foggy]

Hi Paul

Been looking through my reference material.

Ralco were, I believe, made by Movado. The RAL is the initials of Roger, Armand & Lucien Ditesheim.

The FB inside the caseback is the casemakers mark - Francis Baumgartner.

Cheers

Foggy

[ramc181]

Thanks Foggy.

[xpatUSA]

A.T.P ?

Air Transport something or other?

cheers,

Ted

[ramc181]

Army Time Piece, or Army (Trade Pattern), depending on which info you read.

Civilian watches meeting, rather than built to, WD specifications prior to the introduction of the W.W.W. near the end of WWII.

[IanD]

I have collected and rescearched ATP watches over a number of years.
I currently have 45+ examples.

These watches were produced to a definite specification by at least 15 different manufacturers and several make more than one design.

It is the true British Army watch of WW2.

The basic design called for a 15 jewel non shockabsorbed movement,a waterproof case with fixed bars.Dials with lumious markers and lumious hands. the dials were silver/white or in some cases black.

There are minor deviations of the spec by some of the manufacturers.

Other watches engraved ATP are either adopted watches (these I do not collect as it is impossible in most cases if they are genuine)others are outright fakes.

Between 2000 & 2003 a large number of ATPs surfaced for sale all one offs all fakes.These were not purchased by the know collectors but some of the did realise very high prices, bought by those who thought they were rare.


SO BE CAREFULL

Regards
Ian :?