Just recently acquired this one. It is a 1917 Elgin trench watch with a 9k gold case (why 9k instead of 10K, 14K or 18K? This would have been the least expensive route for the middle class to present their son with a gold watch, sending them off to war, while not breaking the bank. Watches from WWI through the early 60s were rather expensive items compared the purchasing power of the day).

The band is a reproduction of what it would have shipped with, and it even has a 9K buckle. The case itself has a nice coin edge just below the crystal.

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Bryan
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Mac Studio 2022
MacBook Pro 14 inch 2021
iPhone 14 Pro
Location: Cincinnati

I like that one a lot.

Pretty nice. If a guy wanted to own one like that how much would it cost?

If you know what you are looking at, you can get them from Ebay from anywhere from $300 to $1200.
But you need to make sure it is the correct case, with the crown, paired with correct movement, paired with the correct dial, and fitted with the correct hands. And then if the movement needs to be serviced, or the case hinges are broken, you will shell out more money.

This is where I bought this watch from: [www.lrfantiquewatches.com]

He not only repairs them, but he also is a trench watch historian with 3 books out now.

His prices have gone up, but you can still find either an Elgin or Waltham, with a non-gold case for $800. For that, you are guaranteed it's authentic, the movement is serviced, and the case and enamel dial is repaired.

This will probably be my last purchase for awhile, as I spent more than I normally would, but it hit all the things I was looking for in higher end trench watch. Right now, he has an 18K Elgin trench watch for over $3000. That is definitely out of my definition of higher end : )

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Bryan
______________________________________________________
Mac Studio 2022
MacBook Pro 14 inch 2021
iPhone 14 Pro
Location: Cincinnati



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2023 08:47PM by Grumpyguy.

Lovely. Cool site too.

It’s a beaut!

Again, love the movement demaskeening. That’s what I look for on pocket watches. If I can ever get on the stick, I’ll post a few picks.

That’s really great! I appreciate it.

Quote
chopper
Pretty nice. If a guy wanted to own one like that how much would it cost?

FYI, if you like the trench aesthetic and would consider a modern production model consider Vaer’s 1918: [vario.sg]

Timex released a quartz Trench homage a few years back, there is still some NOS floating around or used on Amazon if you want the look on the cheap

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Bryan
______________________________________________________
Mac Studio 2022
MacBook Pro 14 inch 2021
iPhone 14 Pro
Location: Cincinnati