Mystery Elgin 12 Size 21 jewel Grade 236

This watch was a complete last moment buy.  I was doing my usual eBay checking for watches.  This has now been my 2nd favorite hunting ground these days but takes far more work and time than any other.  In this case there was only 4 minutes left in the auction and I had blown most of my reserve PayPal money on 2 other watches already.

The pics looked good and the watch is running.  I had only a few minutes and did as much research in that time as I could.  Well that research turned out to be useless.  I always hit the Elgin Serial Number Database, link at the end, to see what I can find for production numbers.  I tried the number he had in the listing and it came out way wrong for what the watch is.

The serial as reported in the listing is 1620512.  This relates to a 1883 Grade 29  10 size 11 to 15 jewel hunting case watch.  The finish is nickle, size could be 10 but it could be 12, 21 jewels, and the style is way closer to a post 1900 than a 1883 movement.  I double checked the image.  Even though it is fuzzy you can still make out the number and they match.  I quickly try adding a number to the start then one to the end...still no luck.  It was a good quality looking watch and the dial had age to it but for the price I took the risk.

So in the day that has passed I have hunted the best I could and I could find no serial combination that would result in this watch.  I hit the grade list that the site has and the only corresponding 12 size 21 jewel hunting case adjusted movement I could find was the 236.  Total production was done in 1899 only and they made 2000 in all.  The watch is rather rare and in the configuration it is in, worth the risk.

These are pics from the listing, I will update with my own once it is in my hands.

The one thing that did not strike me until I had bought it was the lack of a seconds hand.  This is a hunting case movement with a dial that converts it to open face.  I did find the dial as something that can be currently bought in a 16 size that is NOS from the Elgin factory.  Dial 175 at Daves Watch Parts

The case is a 25 year gold filled case.  I don't have any pictures of the inside of the case back so I have no idea who the maker was.  No brassing at least.

And here is what all the drama is about.  There are a few things about this movement that I still have yet to solve.  You can see the serial number and it is 1620512.  Another is that the other 21 jewel 236 I found on a page does not have the jewel in the barrel but rather a bushing.  That watch is here IHC 185

When you look at the pictures of the movement I did notice the one plate screw missing.  This is replaceable easily as most of the 12 size movements used the same screws and plate configuration.  I intend to strip the watch down and check the numbers stamped on the base plate as well as the other parts.  This will tell me if it was pieced together or is all correctly stamped as one watch.  

I also noticed that the case has no screw marks on the rim.  This is usually a good indication that the case was from a different watch.  being that the dial is one you can find as factory NOS indicates that it could have been installed at factory.  The kicker will be if the case is a Elgin marked case.  That would indicate that the watch was not a jobber but actually sent out like this.  Makes you wonder if all of the 236 were like this.

This is the link to the Elgin site I use.....it is Awesome!  Elgin Database