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for Timepieces
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| These pages will remain under construction for ever, because just miscellaneous themes, discussed by email or in forums will be placed here. As this is a German site, the number of German articles will grow faster than of the English. So if you understand German, please also visit the German information pages. | Anyway, a kind of
structure is already realized: More extensive themes
get their separate page, and the most important themes are issued in
English and German. |
Market Data |
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| The archive
about watches, jewelry, and related items contains almost only items
from Ranfft Watches. This prevents copyright troubles, and guarantees a
consistent
relation between item and price. The watch section is already big enough to evaluate many watches. Other sections are still poorly supported. Maybe, somebody else will bring some life into these sections. Many descriptions contain informations about history and technology of a timepiece. So you'll get one or the other question answered with the right keywords in the search function. |
For each item the reserve and the highest bid is
mentioned,
and aditionally
the market, where it was offered. If the high bid is missing, the item
wasn't sold, e.g. because a to high reserve inhibited it. But this is
also market reality, and therefore such items are included.
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Movements |
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| In the archive
besides trading results movement data are collected. For each the
main features and technical data are given, as well as remarks
about history, quantities, and special features. Moreover illustrated
examples are given, with their year of production, signatures, and
shock devices. Most
facts need no explanation, but the following well: Diameter D Additionally to the nominal diameter in French lignes or US sizes after the Lancashire Gauge, a diameter is given in mm (Millimeters) as follows: D not further specified value from public sources. Dn nominal diameter, calculated from the value in lignes or the US size. If calculated from lignes it is normally the maximum mounting diameter, while the US size usually represents the outer diameter. Dm mounting diameter. With this diameter the movement fits into the aperture of the case or mounting frame - therefore slightly smaller than Dn. Do outer diameter, thus the largest. Most movements have a flange a little bigger than Dm, to rest on the case rim or mounting frame. For odd shaped calibres accordingly two dimensions are recorded. US sizes are usually precise, because US movements and cases were standardized to a certain extent. Published diameters in lignes are often just advertizing: Small movements were published too small, and big movements too big. If the difference is less than 0.25''', manufacturer data are resumed here. For higher differences the actual dimensions are rounded up or down to 0.25''' steps. Height H From published sources or own measurements. Usually the construction height is given, thus the distance between the surface*, the dial is resting on, and the highest plate, bridge, or cock on the back side, or the rotor of automatics respectively. Parts like screw heads, settings, regulators, or outstanding pivot ends are not taken into account, because they can be modified to achieve over all the construction height. Sometimes winding gears or rotor bearings exceed this height. If the difference is reasonable, it is mentioned, to make the data comparable with those from other sources. |
Power Reserve From published source or own measurements. The measured value is truncated down to whole hours, and as individual variations are reasonable, additionally one hour is subtracted. Only movements in original and good running condition are taken for these measurements. If several such movements were investigated, the lowest truncated power reserve is recorded. Balance Staff, Stem Here the Flume order numbers are given, occasionally the order numbers of other sources. Even if these numbers don't always help, together with the search function they give a chance to find a donor movement with the same parts. Mainspring / Battery For mechanical watches the mainspring is described. The leading Flume number (Zf....) indicates a standard spring with end hook. It is followed by the dimensions in the order width, inner barrel diameter, strength, length. A missing Flume number indicates a spring with unusual dimensions, special terminal, or for automatics a spring with fixed slip spring. For electrical/electronical watches identifiers for the battery or detailled informations are given Further Data The archive is continuously enhanced, and step by step further data are included. Presently the display of the following not yet complete data is enabled: F mounting height, distance between dial plane* and mounting flange. T stem height, distance between dial plane* and stem center. Hands: Here the hole diameters of hands are listed, starting with the slowest hand (mostly hour) and ending with the fastest (mostly second). Center hands and sub-dial hands are sepatated by a slash. *) Movements with display discs on the dial side (e.g. calendar) have occasionally no dial support. In this case the surface of the discs is taken as reference plane for H, F, and T. If a not permanently fixed dial spacer is supplied with the movement. its additional height is mentioned.
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Evaluation of Timepieces |
Remote Diagnostics |
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| Many people
collect market data and make them accessible for everyone. Useful are
only data accompanied by detailled descriptions of the
items. A large archive
is published by the auction house Henry's;
it is in German, but the translator at the bottom of the start page
will help. Also this site contains a continuously growing archive. Even ebay can be used for orientation. But the average descriptions are poor, and allow no sufficient judgement about values. Moreover, sellers and bidders often set old and worn out equivalent to antique and valuable. Therefore trash is often over estimated and the evaluation of really mint items is uncertain. Nevertheless one can get a feeling for prices by contiuously watching the results, and for a particular watch a coarse ad hoc estimation can be done by searching equivalents among the closed auctions. I use such sources, but also continuously watch auctions and markets to evaluate timepieces for auctioning. But I still fail now and then. Also troublesome is the grading of the condition. But it can be successful if the item is actually on the table, if modern equipment is available, and if an experienced watchmaker assists, wherever necessary. |
I can't and won't
give any remote
diagnostics about a timepiece. If only some facts and some more
or less detailed photos are available, I could not do more than
browsing
the archives mentioned on the left. This odd job can be done by
everybody for
himself. A more precise evaluation is only possible, if the item can really be investigated. This service is offered by the local watchmaker or jeweller. But don't expect it free of charge, if you are not a good customer of this guy. I don't offer this service - even not for money. The Pink Pages are part of my hobby, created as a service for timepiece collectors and -enthousiasts. You can use the market platform free of charge, or can give away the whole job for a moderate charge. There are alternatives, ebay first of all, and watches not being particular collectors pieces will probably sell better there, because there are bidders who set old and worn out equivalent to antique and valuable. However, individual assistence for ebay sales can't be expected here.
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Manual Winding of Automatics |
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| Often people fear that they will
damage their automatic if
winding it
manually too long, because they don't feel a resistance when the spring
is fully wound. Below some general information about common selfwinding
designs. There are few early self-winding designs using a standard barrel with fixed outer end of the spring. Overwinding ist prevented there with a torque limiter (friction or ratchet clutch) between self-winding gear and barrel. Some even have mechanisms locking the rotor or bumper weight when fully wound. Here the first automatic with friction coupled bumper: Harwood (No need to worry about manual winding here - it is not available.) Here a movement with ratchet torque limiter on the barrel: LeCoultre_883 |
In such designs
the manual winding gear may be directly coupled to
the barrel, and then they are actually wound like a normal manually
wound
watch (until you brake the gear or your finger - never the
spring). All other, and particularly all modern movements have
the torque
limiter integrated in the barrel. Just few older actually with a kind
of
ratchet inside the barrel but very most with a friction spring. This spring disengages when the outer turn of the spring removes from the barrel, and you must have very sensitive finger tips to feel it, when winding manually. As the average automatic will be overwound all day long when worn, the spring will do much longer without damage than your finger tips. However, keep in mind that many automatics are not designed for continuous manual winding. The barrel will bear it, but the gears may be worn.
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Automatic for Everyone |
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From the Harwood (Fig.1), the first series-produced automatic, to the Etarotor (Fig.2 ), the first large scale production automatic of modern design, it was a troublesome way. Below a short description of this evolution with links to the example movements. |
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In the 30s and 40s, AS was the only reasonable supplier offering automatics to everybody. Just Felsa offered the bumper Felsa 279 with minor success, and came not before 1942 with a successful calibre. Else there were only few poorly functioning concepts, and some watch manufacturers who designed bumper automatics for their own applications, e.g. Eterna (Fig.3) or Omega (Fig.4). |
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In 1931 Rolex launched the the central free revolving rotor. It wasn't a sophisticated approach to mount a rotor-module (Fig.5) on a small ladies movement (Fig.6) with big base plate, but it was ingenious, and protected by patents it was inhibited for competitors until the late 40s. So it lasted until 1950, before ETA announced the "Etarotor" (Fig.2) |
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Only Felsa was able to circumvent the Rolex patent in 1942 with the bidirectonal winding "Bidynator". The pilot series Felsa 410/415 (Fig.7) is hardly known, because it was already in the year of its introduction replaced by the famous family 690 (Fig.8). |
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AS offered to everybody the AS 1049 (Fig.9). It is almost unknown because it was replaced by the similar AS 1049A after a short periode. Both are redesigns of the Harwood automatic, also without manual wind feature. The necessary friction coupling moved from the bumper into the barrel, where it still is in most automatics today. Both calibres were almost only used by Mido. A version with manual wind feature hat the designation AS1081, but was produced since 1935 exclusively for Mido as Mido 816 (Fig.10). |
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The also since 1935 produced successor AS 1171 (Fig.11) and its sweep second variant AS 1172 are as well scarcely found as genuine AS product. But they appear more or less modified as exclusive calibres of AS customers, for instance as Fortis 250 . No wonder, since already the Harwood was realized by cooperation of AS, Fortis, and Blancpain. After some stations of model enhancements, the AS 1250 (Fig.12) was the first bumper with great market success. |
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Of course there were dead ends in this evolution, and the bumper automatic was actually one. But even stranger designs were realized, e.g. the "rattle automatc" Pierce 861 (Fig.13) from 1933 with linearly oscillating weight, or the Baumgartner 92 (Fig.14) from 1951, where the rotor is knocking like a hammer on a quite simple winding device - sophisticated, but probably not durable. |
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It lasted until 1948, before the ladies calibre Eterna 1194R (Fig.15) was introduced, the first automatic with ball bearing rotor, and in 1949 the according family Eterna 1237/1247 (Fig.15) for gents watches followed. Both had already all essential features common to automatics of present production:
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Date and Origin of a Watch |
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| There are some watches for which
production date and origin can easily be found out: British watches are usually properly signed with name, and often address of the maker. Moreover yearly changing hallmarks for precious metals allow precise dating of watches. American watch movements are also signed and numbered. And for most companies archives exist, which allow dating of a watch after the serial number of the movement, and the origin is no problem anyway for a signed item. There are also few leading European companies which numbered movements and/or cases, and which were proud anough to sign their products. For some of them manufacturing achives exist to evaluate these numbers, and you'll have no trouble to date e.g. a Breguet, IWC, Lange, Omega, Patek-Philippe etc. Hallmark tables, and many of these number archives are available in the Internet. But most are supplied by collectors, and therefore the locations on servers often change. So you'll be forced to create your own link file, after consulting search engines or watch fora. Especially for American watches a very active collectors community cares for good information sources - even for smaller companies. |
For the major
quantity of European watches it is a troublesome job, and the results
are disappointing in most cases. While
American watches were produced already in industrial style around
1900, in Europe small workshops or even single watchmakers bought
kits from rough movement manufacturers and created their ownl models
- most without signature, many with fancy signatures telling nothing.
Most watches were anonymous, and will remain
anonymous, and there is scarcely a chance to find out the maker. Many watches got their signature on dial and/or dust cover from the selling jeweller. With some luck the jeweller store is still in business, and with a big heap of luck you may get some informations about a particular watch. Often people believe that numbers or what they believe to be a secret signature in the case will help further. Sorry, it doesn't: Cases were not produced industrially, and the parts were not interchangable. So all parts of a case got a number, just to keep them together, and nobody recorded these numbers. And what ever is written else on the case are hallmarks for precious metals, technical data, operation instructions, or just advertising - without any importance for manufacturing date or origin. However, fashion trends existed which allow to date a watch, and the technological evolution is another research tool. With some experience, this helps to date the watch reasonably, and gives an idea of the region of origin, sometimes even the manufacturer. I've evaluated such details over some decades of collecting, and give an approximate date of manufacturing, and sometimes the origin of every watch I post in the auction, shop, or archive. So all you have to do is to compare the details of case, dial, and movement of your watch with similar watches listed on this site. This will give you an idea, when and where your watch was made.
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 ...the alternative - free of charge! |
Dr. Roland Ranfft Im Eichfeld 8 41844 Wegberg-Wildenrath Germany |
phone +49 (0)2432 491604 fax +49 (0)2432 491605 email: info@ranfft.de |
Last update: 09-27-12 |
