# Elgin Full Hunter



## Rigsby (Jan 3, 2012)

Hi,

I'm looking at buying a nice Elgin full Hunter, but at the moment lack enough knowledge on what I should be looking for i.e. Fakes, age, and condition also price ranges. So any advice would be most grateful.

Thanks,

Darren


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## Rigsby (Jan 3, 2012)

Anyone


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## Seismic one (Jun 21, 2008)

Hi Rigsby we need some more info on your requirements ie.

Gold or silver style.

Size - what do intend to do with eg. wear or admire it.

Quality - Elgin have from 7 jewelled movements up to 23jewels. All good quality.

Why restrict your choice to only Elgin there are some good Walthams for example.

When buying be careful of on line auctions unless you know what your about.Check the for sales here.

Set a price and stick to it.


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## Rigsby (Jan 3, 2012)

Seismic one said:


> Hi Rigsby we need some more info on your requirements ie.
> 
> Gold or silver style.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your reply.

I would like the following;

Gold (happy at 9 carat)

I intend to wear it with a nice chain.

No less than 15 Jewell's

I have looked at others but know even less about them, I must say the Waltham has caught my eye and would like to know more. Also I'm not sure of how much a service would cost on this type of watch?

Thanks

Darren


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Hi, Darren...As you are probably aware, Elgin is an American watch company and most of the watches you come across are from there. The obvious place to look is the Bay, and look at completed sales to find ball park prices that the various styles went for (Open face, full hunter, half hunter, railroad grade etc). If you are looking for solid gold (and the lower American grades will be either 10ct or 14ct, rising to the more familiar 18ct), then prices will be high...at least the scrap value of the gold. Gold filled will be considerably cheaper, but if you can find a good one with hardly any wear should not be more than a few hundred pounds. Railroad grade watches seem to fetch very high values...probably due to their very accurate movements and supposedly tamper proof mechanisms. See  here  for details.

I have one Elgin, from 1938. It's a rare open face Masonic dial version, in a 14ct green gold filled case, and is one of my favourites.










Edit: As Seismic One has just said, Waltham is another very well respected American make, as is Hamilton. Here's a pic of my Waltham full hunter...



















Here's a Hamilton, again in a green gold filled case.


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## Rigsby (Jan 3, 2012)

Roger the Dodger said:


> Hi, Darren...As you are probably aware, Elgin is an American watch company and most of the watches you come across are from there. The obvious place to look is the Bay, and look at completed sales to find ball park prices that the various styles went for (Open face, full hunter, half hunter, railroad grade etc). If you are looking for solid gold (and the lower American grades will be either 10ct or 14ct, rising to the more familiar 18ct), then prices will be high...at least the scrap value of the gold. Gold filled will be considerably cheaper, but if you can find a good one with hardly any wear should not be more than a few hundred pounds. Railroad grade watches seem to fetch very high values...probably due to their very accurate movements and supposedly tamper proof mechanisms. See  here  for details.
> 
> I have one Elgin, from 1938. It's a rare open face Masonic dial version, in a 14ct green gold filled case, and is one of my favourites.


Hi Roger,

Many thanks for the great info.

It will have to be Gold infill as you've mentioned the price of gold! I have been looking over Ebay, but not knowing what to lookout for I've thought it best to get as much advice as possible. I hate the fact that someone out their will be waiting for someone like me to make a quick buck out selling my some piece of crap.

The one you have posted I've seen before, and think it's a great example (many thanks for sharing)

Thanks,

Darren


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## Rigsby (Jan 3, 2012)

Damn I do like the Waltham, great pictures too.


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## Seismic one (Jun 21, 2008)

The following is my personal opinion.

With gold price being so high i would suggest 9 or 10 carat rolled gold (filled gold)

I would suggest a size 12 or 16.

I agree with the 15 Jewel.

I can't advise on service costs as i do my own repairs and servicing.

The main advantage with Elgin And Waltham is that spare parts are still available and most are reasonably priced.

For the right watch i would pay up Â£250 but hope to get it for less.

Keep your eye on your local auction house and if you see anything of interest email me the details i will gladly check it out for you.

Good Hunting

I would like the following;

Gold (happy at 9 carat)

I intend to wear it with a nice chain.

No less than 15 Jewell's


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## Rigsby (Jan 3, 2012)

Seismic one said:


> The following is my personal opinion.
> 
> With gold price being so high i would suggest 9 or 10 carat rolled gold (filled gold)
> 
> ...


Thank you for your advice, and I've taken it on board. After seeing Rogers examples I now have a better idea of the two types I would like to follow i.e Elgin & Waltham.

Also allowing me to email you with details is a great gesture (many thanks) as I will do this once my account on here allows me to do so.

I must say so far the advice I have been given is more than I expected especially with pictures too. Thank you.

Darren


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

As you're so obviously interested in these watches, rather than the 'how much is my watch worth' single poster, here's a bit more info. A lot of American watches were fitted with cases made by the famous case maker Aaron Lufking Dennison. He was one of the founder members of the Waltham Watch company, but moved first to Switzerland, and then to England. He did make cases in solid gold and silver, but is best known for his gold filled cases. These were typically designated Star, Moon and Sun, and the trademark is usually a triangular configuration of these three marks, with the dominant one uppermost as a symbol and letters. If your case is a Moon one, the Moon symbol will be at the top, with 'MOON' above it... if a Sun case, the Sun at the top, and 'SUN' etc. The letters ALD are usually below the pictogram.










The three designations relate to the minimum time taken for the gold to wear through to the plate of composition (usually brass). Star was guaranteed to last 10 years, Moon 20 years, and Sun 25 years. The gold on a Sun case was thick enough to be engraved without penetrating to the central plate. Try finding a guarantee for 25 years today! Here a couple more pics of the Waltham case. The one above is inside the back cover. The next pic is inside the curvette (or dust cover, which is inside the back cover)










I wear my watches several times a year, and put them on a double Albert chain, with a sovereign holder on the other end of the chain, also made by Dennison.




























I hope these pics will inspire you to wear your watch with pride when you finally make your decision, and help carry on the tradition of proudly wearing a watch and chain. If you were at all interested in the recent series 'Downton Abbey', most of the gentlemen could be seen to be wearing their Albert chains.


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## Shangas (Jan 27, 2008)

Aah. The worthy Downton Abbey. That's almost like watch porn.

Elgin and Waltham were very highly respected watchmakers. Abraham Lincoln owned a Waltham.

You should know that gold...SOLID GOLD...watch cases are not as common as once they were. As a result, prices can be prohibitively high. I'd advise a gold-filled watch-case. They're just as good for a fraction of the price.

If you're wearing your watch with a waistcoat, you'll need what was called an "Albert Chain" or a "Double Albert" (which is what Roger has in that photo up there). It should match the colour of the watch. Because, just like with the watches, solid gold watch-chains can be sky-high expensive, try and purchase a brass or a gold-filled one. I once tried to buy a humble 9kt gold watch-chain and the guy said it was $1,500!!!


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## Rigsby (Jan 3, 2012)

What great info guy's, many thanks Roger for the extra pictures and information.


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