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Orbis Collectibles

Elgin National Watch Company gold pocket watch, 1919

UnverifiedInsufficient reliable documentation.

Record status

Individual type · research required

Period

1919

This gold pocket watch was made by the Elgin National Watch Company of Elgin, Illinois, circa 1919. The back opens to reveal the watch movement. An inscription on the inside back cover reads: "Presented by Esquesing Township and Citizens of Glen Williams to Private Wilson Heaton - 92 - Battalion - 1919". Private Wilson Heaton, originally born in Southowram, Halifax, UK, relocated to Glen Williams in Esquesing Township, Halton County, Ontario. He served in the trenches of World War I in Europe with the 92nd Battalion (48th Highlanders), Canadian Expeditionary Force, and later returned to Glen Williams to work as a stone cutter.

Evidence at a glance

Linked sources
2
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.

Historical context

The Elgin National Watch Company was a major US watchmaker operating between 1864 and 1968, whose manufacturing complex in Elgin, Illinois, served as the world's largest site dedicated to watchmaking for nearly a century. During the Great War, the 92nd Battalion (48th Highlanders), CEF, was authorised on 30 July 1915 and mobilized at Toronto, Ontario. It embarked for Britain on 20 May 1916, providing reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field until January 1917, before being disbanded on 1 September 1917.

Physical characteristics

Case
Gold; back cover opens to show the movement
Material
Gold (as described on the source photograph page)

Technical characteristics

Movement
Visible with the back cover open

Identification

Inscriptions or signatures
"Presented by Esquesing Township and Citizens of Glen Williams to Private Wilson Heaton - 92 - Battalion - 1919" inscribed on the inside back cover

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

  • Escapement type not documented; requires movement examination or a horological reference.
  • Jewel count and calibre not documented.
  • Serial-number dating, case dimensions and weight remain untranscribed.
  • No catalogue reference number is asserted; standard horological catalogues have not been transcribed for this specimen.
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