Western Railroad Discussion > Railroad wrist watches

Did Timex ever make approved railroad wrist watches?

Mike Root
Madras, OR

Only "Railroad Approved" wrist watches I ever saw were Bulova and Seiko! Not aware if Timex made any?

Mike:

In my travels, I've never heard of one. I've used Accutron and Seiko's, and my current one on my wrist is a 15 y.o. Pulsar.

I won't say 100% ... but I've never seen one.

Take Care, Stay Safe, Have Fun!

Larry

I seen alot of Casio's, I use one as welll and the one I got has the atomic automatic time adjusting thingy which adjusts automatically with DST via that place in Colorado? ?8^P

Citizen makes a couple. I bought one when I worked for Amtrak and it was the absolute biggest waste of money I have ever spent. In fact, it literally fell apart after about a year and a half. The stem broke in three pieces from corrosion. Wierd. I have had three Citizens, 2 I bought, one my girlfriend bought me as a gift, all three junk. Funny thing is though, as hard as they are to find, I was in Ocho Rios Jamaica yesterday and one of the duty free jewelry stores had, in the window, Railroad Approved Citizen watches. Got a chuckle out of that. If it was any other brand BUT Citizen, I would have bought one.

I seem to vaguely remember BALL making a wristwatch in the 60s. (Not positive ....... anyone ever see one?)

gyralite Wrote:
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> I seem to vaguely remember BALL making a
> wristwatch in the 60s. (Not positive .......
> anyone ever see one?)

I believe that I have seen Ball wrist watches. In fact,
I think Ball was one of the first with a RR approved wrist
watch.
Dave

Ball has a long history with the railroads. I'm sure some of their current models are Railroad-Approved.

http://www.ballwatchusa.com/index.html

What makes a watch "Railroad-Approved?" Can't say I've heard of this before.

Tim Stricker
Redding/Chico,CA

Bulova Accutron had several models, 214, 218 & other tuning fork models, & later a quartz version. Wyler made some, Hamilton electric, Ball. probably others.

SPLoopConductor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mike:
>
> In my travels, I've never heard of one. I've used
> Accutron and Seiko's, and my current one on my
> wrist is a 15 y.o. Pulsar.
>
> I won't say 100% ... but I've never seen one.
>
> Take Care, Stay Safe, Have Fun!
>
> Larry



Pulsar and Seiko, on ein the same. Good watches. I purchased my Seiko spring 2006. Same battery and it's held time very well.

YM

My understanding is that a railroad approved watch shows 24 hours instead of 12. My Seiko shows 13 to 24 in small red characters, in addition to the larger 1 to 12. No AM and PM on the railroad.

The watch had to meet each RR's standards, so many jewels, adjusted for a certain number pf positions, Montgomery dial, accuracy, etc. The watch had to be inspected and carded at certain intervals, and when you went to work you had to sign the watch register, showing diviance from standard time, but looking at the standard clock, or calling a time signal tone. Here are a couple of my old watch cards for my 21 jewel Illinois "Santa Fe Special" and a Walthan 23 jewel pocket watch.

---

I guess Hamilton didn't make a wristwatch, eh? A friend of mine bought a Hamilton pocket watch when he was a switchman. A good watch (railroad approved) was a necessity back then.

Yes, Timex makes a railroad approved wrist watch. It's the Indiglo WR30M. Mine works great most of the time.

"KH"

It's my understanding that in addition to the above, the second hand has to be able to be set accurately. On a railroad pocket watch, this was accomplished by the use of a "lever set" mechanism.

Bulova and Seiko (and probably Ball, Citizen, Pulsar,etc.) railroad wristwatches allow the stopping of the second hand so they can be similarly set.

SPGP9 Wrote:
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> I guess Hamilton didn't make a wristwatch, eh? A
> friend of mine bought a Hamilton pocket watch when
> he was a switchman. A good watch (railroad
> approved) was a necessity back then.


Yes, Hamilton made a battery wrist watch that was RR approved, Early 60's I think, but they are hard to find, and didn't hold up like the more popular Accutron 214's

I have a wristwatch that was given to me in the 70's? by an employee. It has a C&NW train running around the face and has the Employee Owned herald. I doubt it is an 'official' timepiece, but still a keeper.

Loren

Here is an ebay item number for an Accutron 214, #350170766340 and another for the Hamilton RR wristwatch, # 270354889775

If my railroad memory from 1935 to 1988 serves me correctly when I lived with a brakeman, conductor, yardmaster, Trainmaster. Assistant Superintendent, And Superintendent and was privy to see what timepieces he carried and then hiring out on the Railroad and having to acquire my own timepieces my recollection is that around 1963 or 64 the Hamilton 505 Electric and the Bouliva Acturon 214 were approved RR wrist watches ( which I still have one of each. The Seiko S3 came along a year or two later. ( I have two of them and after 30 years still keep perfect time).
In the early 1980's Railroad approved watches complete with card were no longer required and I resorted to a timex due to the stopwatch feature.
I am sure some TN on here will say I am FOS but this is my memory of railroad wrist watches.
JLY