Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
 |
| Four Older Lady's Watch Finds. |
Watches are surprisingly common metal detector finds. I say "surprisingly" because it seems to me that watches are so big that once lost, they'd be quickly recovered, but judging from the number I've found, that isn't always the case. Of course, water is one reason they are lost and not recovered. I've dug a quite a few from shallow water. Some were still working and others weren't. And some found on the front beach show obvious signs of having been in the water for some period of time.
I've been going through finds that I put away and haven't looked at for a long time. I kept a lot of junk finds and am trying to get rid of those and am researching those that I never researched before or just didn't know enough about before.
I selected a few small lady's watches that looked like they might be early 1900s, They have a bit of an Art Deco look to me.
I'll take a closer look at all four of those now. Maybe you can help me identify and date them. Even when I find isn't worth much of anything, knowing how to date items helps you evaluate the site they came from. It helps to be able to date items, even if not perfectly, when you dig them.
First the one on the far left bears the brand name of Monarch. I never heard of that kind of watch before. Fortunately, he band connector shows the patent number, which should be helpful.
 |
| Watch Latch Showing Patent Number 2,549,410. |
So looking up the patent number using this link, Issue Years and Patent Numbers (uspto.gov), gives the date of 1951. That is reasonable, although not what I expected. Seems like I judged that watch to be older than it really is.
I'll move to the next watch (moving left to right in the photo above.)
 |
| Ladies Benrus Swiss Watch |
It is marked Benrus and Swiss on the face. Getting out my loop shows the mark 1/20 12k GF on the band. So it is gold-filled. It matches the case and definitely looks like the original band.
The next one (below) with the longer more rectangular case, says SEELAND on the face, and on the band, Bruner Quality. Couldn't find a patent number on this one. It was difficult to see the SEELAND because of the crack in the crystal.
 |
| SEELAND Watch With Broken Crystal. |
I never heard of Seeland watches, but found four examples of SEELAND watches in the Complete Price Guide to Watches # 17 (1997). Prices ranged from a few dollars to around $150 for those examples.
At some point I picked up the price guide in a thrift store, probably for a dollar, and it is outdated, but still provides useful information even if it doesn't give current prices. I always pick up price guides to collectibles, no matter what type, when I find them cheap.
 |
| Hampton Watch with Broken Crystal. |
Moving on, is another watch with a broken crystal. This one is a Hampton. That is not a name I found in my book, and know nothing about. If you can help by identifying or providing a date for any of these, please do.
Like I said, watches are very common finds. Often, they are not working or in poor condition, but they can provide clues to a site even if they don't work or are not valuable.
I like finding watches and have posted a few in the past. Sometimes I end up wearing them. Sometimes they have gold or silver cases or bands.
The last one shown above is missing nearly the entire band but has a couple stones on the case. I don't know what the stones are yet. I could not find the name Hampton in my book and there is nothing on the back of the case. Usually you'll find some information there. Often it will say something like "stainless steel" or whatever, and sometimes you'll find a patent number there, but I found no information on the back of this case. So I need any help I can get on this one.
I once did some videos on metal detecting watches and the signals you'll get when you pass over a watch.
It is easy to miss watches if you discriminate or are digging only coins. I never want to miss a good watch. Some of my most valuable finds have been watches.
I really appreciate older watches and love some of the designs. I've found a lot of Gucci watches. I think the bands on those were not very secure.
I've done several old posts on watches (The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 6/7/19 Report - Metal Detecting Watches.) but I never researched the ones shown above before.
Even reined watches can be repurposed or reused to some extent. When I found my first Rolex, which was drowned, Jerry of the Pot-O-Gold, who I mentioned in a recent post, proposed putting a new caliber in the old case. With the old case and face you'd have a watch that looked like a Rolex. But even the case or other parts can be worth something to the right person.
The price guide I mentioned above provides a lot of information about watches other than prices. It tells about the history of watches, including colonial era watches going back to the 1700s, early watch makers, and a lot of other helpful information.
I wish I had the knowledge to be able to fix or restore some of these watches, I hate to see old things go to waste. Metal detecting is a very green hobby in this modern wasteful world.
---
We've been having hot weather and summer beach conditions. Maybe we'll have a storm to shake things up but I'm hoping no destructive hurricanes. The forecast is not good.
The 2024 NOAA hurricane season forecast is unlike any other. See the record predictions.Here is the link for more about that.
24 NOAA hurricane season forecast is unlike any other. See the record predictions. (aol.com)
Stay cool. Stay safe.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net