# Woodford



## Jeorge

Hey all,

First post here









Quick question - Has anyone had any experience with this watch or any from the Woodford brand?

I'm looking for something reliable as I am involved with a preserved railway and need to look 'suitably victorian'.

- Jeorge


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## mach 0.0013137

Jeorge said:


> Hey all,
> 
> First post here
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quick question - Has anyone had any experience with this watch or any from the Woodford brand?
> 
> I'm looking for something reliable as I am involved with a preserved railway and need to look 'suitably victorian'.
> 
> - Jeorge


Welcome to the forum Jeorge









Firstly I should say that I`m no expert on the company but from what I`ve been told by a jeweller who sold them, Woodford have been making clocks for a long time (possibly over a 100 years) however AFAIK Woodford watches have only appeared recently.

There has been both pocket & wristwatches in two price ranges the more expensive using Swiss movements the budget range using Chinese.

I have owned both wrist & pocket watches from the budget ranges, the wrist watches were ok but the pocket watch stopped working after a couple of months and although it was replaced by the company that also developed problems after a few weeks









BTW I heard somewhere that the company is owned by the same firm based in Leicester that owns Sekonda.


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## mel

What Mach said - but I'd also add that to be "in character" you'd probably really be looking at a "Railway Special" pocket watch, something like a plain white dial, black figures 1 - 12, red figures 13 - 24 if its a 24 hour one, silver/chrome case blue steel hands, all very simple and definitely readable.









Try a look here

Hamilton Railroad (Canadian)

but the equivalent for the UK would likely be something like a Smiths/Ingersoll/Services - and it would be a lot cheaper than a Hamilton. A current equivalent might well be one of the Molnija Russian made watches - they do repro versions of watches from the Bulgarian and Russian railways, a few quid each with a reliable enough movement.









And for "show" with "reliability" in timekeeping, you'd be best off likely with a quartz movement (I hate to say, I like mechanicals better), the difference in time keeping may be important? OTOH if it's a steam railway, who cares if it's 35 seconds leate or early


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## blackandgolduk

mel said:


> OTOH if it's a steam railway, who cares if it's 35 seconds leate or early


I wish SouthEastern could keep time that well!

I'd go for one of the Molnijas - there's one on the 'bay here Molnija Railway

Welcome to the forum BTW


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## Guest

Welcome mate-ALL ABOARD-no pun intended


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## mel

Black and Golds reply is "perfick" - that's a Railway Timekeeper OK, even though the Train depicted might not be accurate for the UK. Easy to read, clear Hours, 1 to 12 Black, 13 to 24 red, separate seconds hand, minutes delineated well - the bees knees and fits the spec!









I've read that in the early days, guards in some countries were issued with the watches on a daily or journey basis from the rail company, the theory being they were handed back in to a central point where they were then wound and re-set to the master company clocks, thus trying to ensure all trains on a line ran to the same time.









Other countries and later on, they were expected to buy their own from a recommended supplier who had to meet the railway companies specs for "Railway Timekeepers" or "Railroad Specials". These then became renowned as the best of their era, and were also made available to the general public. Hope this helps a bit with your quest for an "in character" watch.


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## Mikrolisk

Hi!

First: Smith/Ingersoll/Services is NOT equivalent to Hamilton. Hamilton built fine pieces of time, railroad watches and chronometers. These english brands a low-cost watches ("Dollar-Watches"). And Molnjia is the cheaper brand of the Poljot company in Moscow (1st moscow watch company) - but the russians copied much of the swiss watches. If you see the chronometer from Kirova (alias Poljot) and compare it to the most common chronometer of Ulysse Nardin, you'll see the accordance.

To that Woodford-Watch: I would prefer a vintage watch, and you will get MUCH watch for that money...

Andreas


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## James

your need of an actual hgh jewel count railway piece would depend on what you did for the railway I think.

myself prefer the Elgin or Burlingtons one Elgin I sold off below

http://www.thewatchforum.co.uk/index.php?s...82&hl=elgin

or like this Burlington whick I will have back in a couple weeks

http://www.thewatchforum.co.uk/index.php?s...p;hl=burlington

but if you watched the movie 310 to Yuma they used maybe a 14 jewel pocket watch

Only thing I am not sure if American pieces were used in the UK but sure they were since railroad pieces had to be certified first 17, then 19, 21 and then 23 jewels


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## mel

Mikrolisk said:


> Hi!
> 
> First: Smith/Ingersoll/Services is NOT equivalent to Hamilton. Hamilton built fine pieces of time, railroad watches and chronometers. These english brands a low-cost watches ("Dollar-Watches"). And Molnjia is the cheaper brand of the Poljot company in Moscow (1st moscow watch company) - but the russians copied much of the swiss watches. If you see the chronometer from Kirova (alias Poljot) and compare it to the most common chronometer of Ulysse Nardin, you'll see the accordance.
> 
> To that Woodford-Watch: I would prefer a vintage watch, and you will get MUCH watch for that money...
> 
> Andreas


Well Andreas, Jeorge originally said he wanted this watch as an item for a PRESERVED RAILWAY, in other words, he is playing a part as a guard, or conductor, much like an actor on stage would do - _so I stand by my posting_ - the Woodford would *NOT* be correct in character, a guard or conductor would not have been able to buy such an expensive gold or gold plated item for use as a working tool, which is what a pocket watch would have been.









I had two Uncles who worked on the UK railways, and one in the Coal Mine. in the 30's and 40's. They all used the "Smiths" type "Dollar Watches" for timekeeping, it was all they could afford to buy from their poor wages. So this was the sense in which I said they were equivalent to the Hamilton Railroad watches - I would agree they have nowhere near the build quality or time-keeping of the Hamiltons, and you are absolutely correct to point this out. I know you have a much greater knowledge of watches and their working than I have, and I respect your knowledge very much.









My point was that the social and working conditions of the times means that the nearest to the original watches most employees would have been able to afford for daily use (certainly in the UK) would have been the "Dollar Watch" type. I've phoned my cousin who still has her father's watch (my Uncle) and she confirms it's a Smiths. The Hamiltons and others from the US would not have been easily obtained here in the UK in that time period.

I would guess that only a Stationmaster of a large main City Station - like London Euston or St Pancras - would have had anything like the Woodford, and that for use on special occasions, visits from Royalty and so on. A possible might have been an H. Samuel with a Swiss movement.

Of course, my mistake was not to think of where Jeorge might live to do his preserved railway, customs may be different in his country. So I still say a cheap Molnija, or a vintage Smiths would be more correct for a Victorian or similar period of railroad in the UK.









I apologise to both you Andreas, and Jeorge if you feel I've misled folks in any way.


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## Jeorge

mel said:


> Well Andreas, Jeorge originally said he wanted this watch as an item for a PRESERVED RAILWAY, in other words, he is playing a part as a guard, or conductor, much like an actor on stage would do - _so I stand by my posting_ - the Woodford would *NOT* be correct in character, a guard or conductor would not have been able to buy such an expensive gold or gold plated item for use as a working tool, which is what a pocket watch would have been.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I had two Uncles who worked on the UK railways, and one in the Coal Mine. in the 30's and 40's. They all used the "Smiths" type "Dollar Watches" for timekeeping, it was all they could afford to buy from their poor wages. So this was the sense in which I said they were equivalent to the Hamilton Railroad watches - I would agree they have nowhere near the build quality or time-keeping of the Hamiltons, and you are absolutely correct to point this out. I know you have a much greater knowledge of watches and their working than I have, and I respect your knowledge very much.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My point was that the social and working conditions of the times means that the nearest to the original watches most employees would have been able to afford for daily use (certainly in the UK) would have been the "Dollar Watch" type. I've phoned my cousin who still has her father's watch (my Uncle) and she confirms it's a Smiths. The Hamiltons and others from the US would not have been easily obtained here in the UK in that time period.
> 
> I would guess that only a Stationmaster of a large main City Station - like London Euston or St Pancras - would have had anything like the Woodford, and that for use on special occasions, visits from Royalty and so on. A possible might have been an H. Samuel with a Swiss movement.
> 
> Of course, my mistake was not to think of where Jeorge might live to do his preserved railway, customs may be different in his country. So I still say a cheap Molnija, or a vintage Smiths would be more correct for a Victorian or similar period of railroad in the UK.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I apologise to both you Andreas, and Jeorge if you feel I've misled folks in any way.


Hello all, thanks for the replies









The railway that i'm involved in is Snailbeach District Railways (UK), a Narrow Gauge line, which never in 'its day' carried passengers. We hope to be running by 1890's ~ 1920's principles (Akin to the Welsh Highland Railway)

I understand that a Woodford watch wouldn't be correct in uniform but a railway style chronometer might be hard to source (I'm talking about a GWR, LMS style)

I originally wanted a cheaper watch but my dad Insisted that I have a better one and that he buy it ("So I that could look at it in 60 years time and think 'My dad bought me that'"). I'll probably wear it all the time as well, for my wristwatch (the poor thing







) goes through hell

At the moment I am too young (16) to drive or fire a locomotive so, i'll probably be pottering about the sheds cleaning/drooling all over locos ot standing as a Third man/signaller on the footplate. In all honesty the appearance of a chain would suffice, but that would be sacrilegious would it not?









Forgive my grammar/punctuation/spelling errors; My mind is going, i swear









- Jeorge


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