Manistee Watch Company movement serial number 31702
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1912
This uncased pocket watch movement was produced by the Manistee Watch Company of Manistee, Michigan, and is engraved with serial number 31702. The movement is marked with 17 jewels and exhibits decorated plates with exposed winding wheels and a balance wheel with timing screws.
The source references a 1912 Norris, Alister & Co. catalog describing Manistee 16-size movements as thin-model, 3/4-plate nickel designs with exposed pallets, Breguet hairspring, and compensating balance. The company offered movements in open-face and hunting configurations before terminating operations by late 1912.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Pocket watch movement
- Jewel count
- 17 jewels
- Serial number
- 31702
- Place recorded
- United States
- Maker / attribution
- Manistee Watch Company
- Period of operation
- Through 1912
- Manufacturer location
- Manistee, Michigan
Design
- Visible features
- • Plate is engraved 'MANISTEE WATCH CO. / MANISTEE, MICH.' along the upper edge • Engraving on lower plate adjacent to winding wheels reads '17 JEWELS' and serial '31702' • Features wave-pattern damaskeening across nickel-finished plates and winding wheels • Balance wheel features timing screws, an overcoil hairspring, and an engraved index on the balance cock
- Object Identity and Markings
- This artifact is an uncased pocket watch movement produced by the Manistee Watch Company, a short-lived manufacture based in Manistee, Michigan. As recorded in visible observations, the plate is engraved "MANISTEE WATCH CO. / MANISTEE, MICH." along the upper edge. Additional engraving on the lower plate adjacent to the winding wheels reads "17 JEWELS" and serial number "31702". The object is documented solely as an uncased movement; dial, hands, and case are missing and not recorded in the source. Source documentation associates this movement serial number with the firm's history, noting that while trade catalogs were circulating in 1912, the enterprise failed by the end of that year.
- Visible Plate Construction and Regulating Organ
- Direct visual observation shows that the movement features wave-pattern damaskeening across nickel-finished plates and winding wheels. The uncased movement displays exposed winding wheels on the plates. The regulating assembly visible in the record includes a balance wheel featuring timing screws, an overcoil hairspring, and an engraved index on the balance cock.
- Trade Catalog Context and Movement Specifications
- Additional context regarding the company's 16-size production appears in an excerpt from a 1912 Norris, Alister & Co. catalog quoted in the source. That catalog described the Manistee 16-size movement as a "Nickel, Thin Model, 3/4 plate, well finished 17 Jewel movement" featuring "exposed pallets, compensating balance wheel, Breguet hair spring, polished micrometric regulator, double roller escapement, with steel escape wheel, exposed winding wheels." The 1912 catalog listed the movement in both open-face and hunting configurations for $11.70. It was accompanied by a printed guarantee stating that parts would be furnished free of charge upon request to the company's general offices at the Masonic Temple, Chicago, Illinois. However, these 16-size catalog specifications derive from trade advertising cited in the article rather than a factory ledger specifically linked to serial number 31702.
Identification
- Serial number
- 31702
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Dial, hands, and case are missing; only the uncased movement is documented
- Research required: The 16-size specifications derive from a 1912 trade catalog quoted in the article rather than a specific factory ledger entry for serial 31702