Featured CANADIAN GRAND TRUNK PACIFIC RAILROAD Pocket Watch. Ca. 1915.

Hi AF,

It's stem-set and stem-wind, and yes, it does appear to have microregulation. The little square arbor has to be turned to move the regulator-needle.

Canada did have pretty strict rules for RR watches. I have an actual Canadian RR watch in my collection. It looks nothing like this, but I bought this because it was cheap, and on the off-chance that it might be something worthwhile. That's looking increasingly unlikely, but I still want to find out more before i decide what to do with it.

 

Good page here about Canadian Railroad watches. http://people.timezone.com/msandler/Articles/ClitheroeRailroad/Railroad.html

In that page you can access this list of approved watches for the Canadian Pacific Railroad in 1899. http://people.timezone.com/msandler/Articles/ClitheroeRailroad/1899make.htm

 

With a stem set watch, it is always possible to accidentally pull the stem (maybe the train hits a moose) and move the hands. I confess I don't know the Canadian standards but it seems unlikely they'd be much different to US ones as a matter of simple safety, not difficult to obseve.

 

If it's a fake, it's a pity. Short line railroad stuff can be HIGHLY collectible, and if that watch is the real deal I'd leave it the heck alone. No restoration, no nothing. I've seen random bits of genuine shortline memorabilia go nuts when two rabid collectors get after them. If it's a fake, do with it whatever you want.

 

Isn't that the railroad that went belly up and took all of Cora Crawley's money with it?

 

Yeah that's the one. The 'biggest railway in British North-America'.

Woopz!