Ladies & Gentlemen, (or not, as the case may be) meet Uncle Louis' Waltham pocket watch. Great Uncle Louis was my grandmother's brother. When he died, the watch ended up with my grandmother, the last of the four Rubenfiers still living -- Louis was childless. When Grandma died in 1975, my ex and I were the ones to clean out the old house. Pictures! A treasure trove of old photographs, and -- Louis' watch. I'd never seen it before, but my father identified it and told me to keep it if I was going to use it. I said, "heck yeah!"
The internet says the date of manufacture is between 9/1 and 12/31 of 1889, from a run of 1000. The ser.# is 4161774. These guys were <span style="font-style: italic">crankin'</span> 'em out! Louis would have been a kid in 1889 -- too young to purchase something like this -- though the watch bears his initials engraved on the front. Perhaps it sat in someone's stock for 15 or 20 years, which would be about the time Louis could have been expected to buy a big ol' gold watch. I also have pictures of him on his Harley, ca. 1920 - 1925. He was an auto mechanic by trade. The watch was in his pocket, from the time he got it until he died.
I wore it for about 10 years but was finally persuaded by the guy who (frequently) cleaned it, to give it up. I was working cabinet shop at the time and, almost daily, filling my watch pocket with debris. After a while, the watch would fill with dust and I'd take it to be cleaned. When I'd pick it up, the watchmaker would shake his head, give me one of those "you... <span style="font-style: italic">animal</span>" looks, and ask me to stop filling this beautiful piece with sawdust. Finally, I complied, and the watch rested for another 25 years.
For my birthday this year, the fair-and-lovely Becky had it cleaned and lubed -- a much more expensive proposition than what I recall from the last time I had it done! The jeweler proclaimed it a "museum piece" and counseled non-use. I have a hard time with that. I drive an old car, play old guitars, and would rather carry the old watch than just look at it. However, for the moment, I wind it every couple of days and just look at it. Now you can too...
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Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
