Reply With QuoteThat Thomas Russell watch looks like a lovely thing.
Well the season has started again and such a bright sunny morning brought an abundance of both buyers and sellers.
These are some of the items I bought:
First thing I picked up was this 70s ESA 9158 electronic wrist watch. I have a Roamer movement that fits this case so if this morning's buy doesn't work I have a salvageable alternative.
Next was a pretty Looping 8 day travel clock. The click is not working and it needs a couple of case screws.
A late 40s Thomas Russell watch turned out to have a Smiths Imperial movement in it.
A 50s stop watch in sad condition but it runs
A French 8 day watch
A pretty badly damaged Moeris pocket watch but the case will fit many standard Swiss movements
And a useful Archimedes drill
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That Thomas Russell watch looks like a lovely thing.
Car boot season already? Some lovely finds, a better class of goods than can be found at my local Sedgefield car boot emporium!
The Thomas Russell is in reasonable condition. It needs a good clean, a lower glass and a blue small seconds hand. But I do hate fixo flex bracelets. They get full of dirt and wear the lugs on gold and silver cases.
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I am giving the ESA a part clean. The wheel teeth were full of muck and I need to do this first to check that the circuitry is OK.
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Originally Posted by verv
I hope you can get that ESA 9158 working as well, fascinating movements.
The 9158 needs a new circuit. Easily available so I will order one.
Well worth fixing.
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Always enjoy your 'car boot' threads, you unearth some interesting stuff not often seen.
Mitch
It does amaze me what turns up.
I have to work on them straight away or they end up in drawers.
The Russell looks better with just a lower glass. I think the small seconds may be original. Gold to match the batons.
I have found a stop watch movement here, that I can take the hands and hearts from.
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That Thos Russell has very nice lugs, dial and hands. I like that style a lot. Love a boot sale.
Our car boots are due to start in a couple of weeks but I will be in the US so it will be yard sales for my fix!
Cheers,
Neil.
This little Avia was purchased recently at a car boot sale for the princely sum of £3. It was running but looked rough through jiggling about with other watches. However, a strip, service and a new crystal and strap has brought it up almost like new. The movement was in pristine condition and I doubt it had ever been opened. Not a bad watch for around six quid including new crystal, gasket and strap. Keeps excellent time too.
Last edited by Plastic_Magpie; 24th March 2019 at 16:27.
The Thomas Russel caught my eye immediately too. Lovely little thing
Gray
Just cleaning the Russell case. But I did manage to get the stop watch going.
Shame about the dial scratch. I will try to fill it.
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Your lovely Thos Russell in the horn lug case is a SmithS 12.15 movement, I think in a Smiths case too with the dial labelled for the Liverpool jewellers. The 80,000 serial number puts it very late 40's or early 50's off the top of my head. I can look it up later more accurately if you would like to know as there is a chap over on the MWR Smiths sub forum collating the serial numbers to refine expected manufacture dates. Very nice little watch and a great car boot grab, wish I saw the like around here more often.
Love your car boot thread, nice to see them cleaned up, keep it up
Scottie
Thank you very much. Any further information would be most appreciated.
The case is signed Dennison and yes it's a 1215. The click spring was missing but I have a fresh one.
The horned lugs I was told are an American creation. Sometimes they are double like one on top of the other. Are they called double horned lugs ? Or is there another name ?
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Smiths movement serial numbers collated by Brenellic2000 over on MWR SmithS sub forum:
C35,000 - 1948/49
C75,000 - 1949-50
C115,000 - 1950/51
It seems to me that SmithS used quite a variety Dennison cases in the earlier watches (case codes 12327, 12323 for example) but as they moved into the 1950's only really the Aquatite from Dennison, although some of the unmarked later screw back 'waterproof' cases could be made by Dennison anonymously. BWC and SCW made most of the later cases, particularly precious metals.
SmithS supplied quite a few jewellers with either movements or whole watches, H. Samuel, Hermes, Garrard, Asprey, Cope, among others, I even saw a Goldsmiths and Silversmiths dialled SmithS recently.
I have an early horn lug case in gold with a copper dial, model RH0810 that I really like. They wear bigger than the dimensions suggest. Unnecessary pic attached!
I know what you mean about the stepped (double) horn lugs but I have no idea what they would be called. I don't think Smiths ever used a case with them but I could (very easily) be wrong.
Absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much.
Every watch has a story.
Sad they end up at car boot sales really.
I love the copper dial. I had an Omega like that with Breguet large hollow moon hands. I wish they would resurrect that design.
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That is absolutely gorgeous!Smiths movement serial numbers collated by Brenellic2000 over on MWR SmithS sub forum:
C35,000 - 1948/49
C75,000 - 1949-50
C115,000 - 1950/51
It seems to me that SmithS used quite a variety Dennison cases in the earlier watches (case codes 12327, 12323 for example) but as they moved into the 1950's only really the Aquatite from Dennison, although some of the unmarked later screw back 'waterproof' cases could be made by Dennison anonymously. BWC and SCW made most of the later cases, particularly precious metals.
SmithS supplied quite a few jewellers with either movements or whole watches, H. Samuel, Hermes, Garrard, Asprey, Cope, among others, I even saw a Goldsmiths and Silversmiths dialled SmithS recently.
I have an early horn lug case in gold with a copper dial, model RH0810 that I really like. They wear bigger than the dimensions suggest. Unnecessary pic attached!
I know what you mean about the stepped (double) horn lugs but I have no idea what they would be called. I don't think Smiths ever used a case with them but I could (very easily) be wrong.
Love that style.
Cheers,
Neil.
My Swiss Dialy can reproduce that finish.
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That's strange, I have this one that came with a silver sub seconds hand on a gilt dial/hands watch!It does amaze me what turns up.
I have to work on them straight away or they end up in drawers.
The Russell looks better with just a lower glass. I think the small seconds may be original. Gold to match the batons.
I have found a stop watch movement here, that I can take the hands and hearts from.
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Some great finds there Brendan, always enjoy your posts about these.
This is the same dial, marked SmithS as your Thos Russell branded dial. A pretty price too on Smithswatches.com
https://www.smithswatches.com/collec...superb-condion
That's a lovely Russell & son bobbee, such a stylish signature on the dial.
£1450 for the gold version !
Not bad my 50p version !
Any offers ?
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Isn't that a beauty?!
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That's great if someone is still doing these type of finishes, he must be very experienced, you wouldn't have thought that there would be much call for it. The directional brushing adds a lot to the look too I reckon.
Thanks all for the compliments. It gives me a lot of pleasure for a relatively inexpensive watch, more than 50p though! The part 445 was a weak spot on them apparently and a real SmithS expert told me there are 4 slight variations of them as they were tweaked.
This thread has me hankering for the early days of my watch fascination when beautifully formed little gems turned up much more regularly.
For those interested here's a little background info on Thomas Russell
https://www.contemporaryvintagejewel...king-industry/
The article mentions a centre of watchmaking in the north west of Prescot. There's still a watch and clock museum there which is worth a visit if you are in the area. The Liverpool museum also has a collection of interesting and diverse watches and clocks (should I just be saying timepieces 😜) On the top floor next to the space exhibits.
Gray
It would appear that since my last visit the museum has moved out of its original fantastic Georgian premises to a formally derelict shopping centre 🙄
https://www.prescotmuseum.org.uk/
Gray
Thank you for that brief history of Thos Russell, I now feel terrible just calling them a jewellers! The cottage industry side of early watchmaking is astonishing really!
I think I have to find myself a Thos Russell now, maybe even a modest early pocket watch! More likely a SmithS Thos Russell though to sit with my other SmithS.
Here's one I found earlier !
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I await your next SmithS with interest!
Gray
And three other car boot finds that I haven't had time to fix....!
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Three interesting brands there.And three other car boot finds that I haven't had time to fix....!
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The Enicar is peachy.
The "Nautique" is not a line I've heard of before. I don't think anyone else will steal that name 😳
Gray
Yes, nice Enicar for sure, I am always a little surprised with the price differences between Enicar's more desirable watches, Sherpa etc that even beaten up examples are a pretty penny, and the everyday watches that can be had for pennies. Difficult to think of another brand with such a huge difference.
I had a Cortebert ATP military watch once and was very impressed with the quality.
My first watchmaking teacher in Dublin, adored his Enicar. The Saturn logo gave it a futuristic feel as it coincided with the moon landing.
The Cortebert factory, on the road to St Imier, where Longines resides, is now a chocolate boutique !
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You think that's provocative ? How about this one:Three interesting brands there.
The Enicar is peachy.
The "Nautique" is not a line I've heard of before. I don't think anyone else will steal that name
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I love the Enicar logo too and I suspect that Vivienne Westwood borrowed from it for her designer clothes brand!
A chocolate boutique....the world has gone mad.
I love chocolate (too much) and it's a long time since I saw a chocolate watch...!
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Very good, with a little change of spacing O U ARZ amused me.You think that's provocative ? How about this one:
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I meant the moustache...!
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The moustache turned upside down becomes a W too!
The crown logo they use is not a patch on SmithS crown logo which resembles a ladies bosom more than a crown! Once that was pointed out to me I can't see it any other way.
And three other car boot finds that I haven't had time to fix....!
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Some nice watches again, B.
Here is an unusual Cortebert I have, applied markers and logos, and a good size at 37mm.
Needs a lot of work although movement works well!
The interesting bit is the case back.
Turkish railway piece.
Some brands have the ability to capture the past today 🤗
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...96#post5062196
Gray
I've gone mad....!
Getting one of my pals to make a few watches.
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Russell cleaned and oiled with new lizard strap. Shame about the dial marks.
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I see the Thos Russell has found it's way onto our favourite auction site. GLWS.
It has ! Well I can't keep all of them !
5 watchers at the moment.
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Agreed.
How come when I go to carboots, the only watches I can find are vastly overpriced, cheap Rolex clones, or bear the name Michael Kors?
That's a very nice find.
Absolutely! It wasn't meant as any sort of criticism. If the dial didn't have a couple of marks I would be interested.
I'm sure it wasn't size 11 !
I'm not quite as sensitive as some believe.
I put a lot of car boot finds on ebay.
The amount of clutter I buy makes that essential and of course it makes a few extra quid.
It still amazes me what turns up.
For example, I bought a Victorian miniature carriage clock a few weeks ago for five pounds !! I wasn't even going to ask the price expecting it to be over £100.00.
Sold it within 24 hours. Surely this won't last. Quality is definitely dropping.
I've been told the best car boots for watches are around Liverpool.
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