This nice little 1935 art-deco rectangular Elgin model known as the Osler doctor’s watch.  A little masterpiece in a 14ct gold filled case is in fact named after Sir William Osler, M.D.  (1849-1919).

Called the “Doctor’s” watch was because many watches of this period either had no seconds hand or a small sub-dial seconds hand which was pretty small to see let alone use for pulse measurements.  And this was where this model scored with the medical fraternity.

Firstly, having a centre sweep seconds hand was a plus but secondly and probably of more importance, was the addition of a printed seconds graduated chapter ring making it much easier to read.  Just tick off the first 15 seconds then multiply by four and pretty much still how to read your pulse today.  The centre seconds hand on this model sometimes had a red marker on it just prior to the arrow head of the pointer, though this one is plain.

A nice sized 14ct Gold filled watch at 39mm x 22mm it features a neatly recessed crown and a clear slightly domed glass.  Such a sensible size in comparison with some of the monster watches of today…
Inside is the hi grade 522 manual wind, 15 jewel early and fairly rare Elgin signed movement, which is ticking away as good now as it was the day it was made over 70 years ago!

Of course one of the benefits of these old watches is that you can quickly snap off the back and expose the movement quite easily (water resistance wasn’t much in evidence at that time) and you can easily adjust for accuracy.
To the right you can see the actual movement and the nice solid crown winder at the side.  At the top the adjustment lever is easily accessible and surprisingly large compared to many more modern watches and the the serial number at the foot equates to a 1935 manufacture.

And I have to say that this particular one is amazingly accurate and certainly within around 50 seconds in 24 hours!
I also noticed that the stem/crown mechanism is actually superior to many a modern day watch in regards strength – it is superb and provides a very definite and strong winding action.

So a little departure from the watches I usually feature here, but I thought I’d share one from my “vintage” collector box as often they are so much more interesting than some of the modern offerings around.

I’m also quietly confident that these will not only still be ticking along fine many years from now, but will probably attract rather good prices.

Addendum –
Today (February 2024) it’s worth upwards of £700 – isn’t that nice?