1893 AURORA WATCH COMPANY WORLD'S FAIR POCKET WATCH?

I bought this antique pocket watch - along with another (Kendal & Dent) - at an estate sale at a beautiful house in Coral Gables today.

It has a person's name under title: Edward ? - can anyone read the last name?
And I thought it said World's Fair 1893 around the 6:00 second hand - but when I googles that all I found were Hamilton world's fair pocket watch.

Is that what it says & was this a real 1893 world's fair watch? I ask if it's real because I can wind it (and it works) but I can't lift the stem to turn hands or open case? (Which is frustrating because I thought there was a chance it could be a gold case from the look of the back)

Thanks for any info on this watch - at only $50 I didn't spend a lot; but I was excited thinking it was real & rare - not finding it googling + not being able to raise stem to adjust, etc.. has me a little worried it might be a copy!

 

Arndt?

 

Maybe?http://www.lutheranhistory.org/collections/fa/m-0005.htm

 

Nice "sidewinder" watch. Something like this could date from the 1890s, definitely. By that time, crown-wind watches were pretty common.

The case probably UNSCREWS. Get something suitably sticky (a sheet of rubber, some blue-tack or whatever), stick it on the caseback and see if you can twist it open.

That way you can photograph the movement (mechanism inside) and we'll be able to tell you the sort of quality this watch is, etc.

In all likelihood, it is crown-wind AND crown-set. In which case, you yank the crown up (GENTLY) and it should click into the setting position. You set the hands, and then click the crown back down again and then wind it up. It MAY be a lever-set watch, but I doubt it.

 

Are you sure the back doesn't screw off or pop off with a finger nail??

 

The Aurora Watch Company definitely existed and at the right time to have been at the 1893 World's Fair. There's a picture of one in this page and the face and company name on it look a lot like yours.

http://www.railswest.com/time/aurora.html

Just realized from looking at another site which does serial number look ups for Aurora (and Hamilton) that the company was taken over in the fall of 1892. Maybe this was leftover stock.

You have to get the case open to see the serial number on the movement.

 

And I agree that the name on the watch is Edward Arndt (along with his monogram painted across the Aurora name at the top. Whether he was the same as Johnny found is hard to say conclusively.

 

Another thing I thought of is that when the owner (Mr. Arndt) had his name and monogram added to the face, he could have had whoever was doing the painting add the "World's Fair 1893" to it as well. That might explain why you can't find another one designated as World's Fair.

 

The EA monogram is gorgeous. You've got to have a very steady hand to pull that off.

Agree with Bakers, in terms of the uniqueness of the piece. It is possible that someone was working the Fair offering the monogrammimg/personalization service.

 

Maybe he purchased it at the World's Fair, and the personalizing was part of the sales pitch. For someone who did that regularly, it wouldn't have taken long; might even have been while-you-wait. The work would have been under the crystal, so no fear of it smearing, and it does look odd having the monogram painted over the maker's name.

*******

Pretty much sniped I guess.

 

gotta crack it open......

 

Thank you all!
Here is the second one I got for $50 also- there were more & all for $50; I may go back tomorrow to see if any are left.
This one is silver & key wind; but no key! Where can I buy a key for it?
PS - what is .935 silver? A different country's version of sterling?
Thanks again.

 

Forgot name: Kendal & Dent (sorry)

 

The case on this one was made in Switzerland. The bear marks on the left. The .935 silver is the Swiss standard (10 parts per thousand more than sterling at .925.) The movement is from somewhere else.

 

Can you move the hand that is covering the rest of the word that starts with BUR?

 

See the bear mark for Switzerland here. https://www.925-1000.com/foreign_marks7.html The notes say that the bear was used until 1934.

 

935 is the SWISS silver standard (10% higher than sterling, 925). So the case (if not the entire watch) was made in Switzerland.

You can find watch-keys pretty easily at flea-markets, antiques shops or online. Or if you know one - you can ask a watchmaker who deals in stuff like this. They usually have loads of them lying around and will sell you one for a nominal fee.

 

Cant move hands by stem - thought the 2nd key hole was for that (or else both watches I got have stuck/broken stems - neither will pull up into a new position)

 

Closer to 1% higher.

 

Wouldnt 1% higher be 926?