Hamilton 950E Man’s Railroad Pocket Watch Serial# 2612032 Circa 1936 CASE: 16 size, open face, yellow gold-filled, plain. DIAL: White porcelain, double sunk, Arabic numerals, baton hands. MOVT: 23 jewels, lever set, lever escapement, nickel materials, bridge style, signed. CONDITION
C 3  (Case is in Very Good Condition)
D 2  (Dial is in Perfect Condition)
M 3  (Movement is in Very Good Condition)
Experts Opinion: A triple signed Hamilton 950E with a perfect dial, look no further!  eA-42011-14   WATCH CASE SIZES 16 Size = 45-49MM   Stem-wind, Lever-Set Movements
Mandatory for all railroad watches after roughly 1908, this kind of pocket watch was set by opening the crystal and bezel and pulling out the setting-lever (most hunter cases have levers accessible without removing the crystal or bezel), which was generally found at either the 10 or 2 o'clock positions on open-faced watches, and at 5:00 on hunting cased watches. Once the lever was pulled out, the crown could be turned to set the time. The lever was then pushed back in and the crystal and bezel were closed over the dial again. This method of time setting on pocket watches was preferred by American and Canadian railroads, as lever setting watches make accidental time changes impossible. After 1908, lever setting was generally required for new watches entering service on American railroads.   Jewel Count
Jewels are used as bearings to reduce metal-to-metal contacts which produce friction and wear.  They improve the performance and accuracy of the watch and materially proglong its usefulness.  The materials used for making watch jewels are diamonds, sapphires, rubies and garnets.  The diamond is the hardest but is seldom used except for cap jewels.  The sapphire is the next hardness and is the most commonly used because of its fine texture.  Garnets are softer than than sapphires and rubies.
7 JEWEL WATCHES.  7-Jewel watches have:  two hole jewels - one at each end of the balance staff; two cap jewels - one at each end of the balance staff one roller jewel; and two pallet jewels. 9-11-13 JEWEL WATCHES.  These have the 7 jewels mentioned in 7 jewel watches.  In most American watches, 9,11 and 13 jewel watches the extra jewels (the other half) are in the top plate not in the pillar plate.  So 11 jewel watches look like 15-jewel watches.  15 JEWEL WATCHES.  These watches have the 11 jewels found in 11 jewel watches, with the addition of the following:  two hole jewels - one at each end of the third-wheel; and two hole jewels - one at each end of the fourth-wheel staff.  Note:  There are some 16-Jewel Movements. 17 JEWEL WATCHES.  The 15 Jewels in 15-Jewel watches are used with the addition of two hold jewels - one at each end of the center wheel pinion. 19 JEWEL WATCHES.  In these watches the jewels are distributed as in the 17-jewel watch, with the addition of two hole jewels - one for each pivot of the barrel mainspring. 21 JEWEL WATCHES.  The jewels in tehse are distributed as in the 17-jeweled grade, with the addition of two cap jewels (Usually 2 at pallet arbor and 2 at excape wheel) a few have 2 jewels for the barrel.  23 JEWEL WATCHES.  The jewels are distributed as in the 21-jewel watch, with the addition of one for each pivot of the barrel & mainspring.   Bridge Style Layout
The metal bar which bears the pivot of wheel and is supported at both ends.  The bridge style watch has two or three fingers to hold the wheels in place and together are called a bridge.  The term bridge (horologically) is one that is anchored at both ends.