Antique Reliance Pocket Watch by Robert Ingersoll

Reliance pocket watch by Robert H Ingersoll.

The watch has a seven jewel stem-winding movement which is working nicely. The movement is signed Robt H Ingersoll & Bro.

Robert Ingersoll initially established a very successful mail order company, he concentrated on designing items that the public would want such as the dollar toy typewriter and the dollar sewing machine.

The company became hugely successful and then came up with the idea of a small clock, ie, a watch. This idea had been put into production by other companies but not with huge success. So Ingersoll placed an order for 1000 clock watches and they were sold for one dollar each. The watches sold so well that Ingersoll placed another order for 10,000.

In 1908 the company purchased the Trenton Watch Company and in 1914 the New England Watch Company. In 1917 they introduced the Reliance watch, as we have here. This had a higher-grade movement and was not considered a dollar watch because it was a jewelled movement.

The watch measures 49mm diameter excluding the winding stem and the loop. The case is nickel. The front of the case is in good condition. The screw-on case back has some unevenness.

The watch glass has light marking but is very acceptable.

The signed dial is in its original finish with original hands, a subsidiary seconds dial and outer minute markers.

The watch comes with a single chain, 25.5cm long including the T-bar and the clasp.

The watch and chain will be sent in a new presentation box.

ALL PRICES INCLUDE UK POSTAGE (because of GPSR legislation, we no longer post items less than 100 years old to Europe, including Northern Ireland).

Please contact us regarding international shipping.

All of our watches are checked over before listing, and are also checked for accuracy which is usually within around +/- two to three minutes over 24 hours (unless otherwise stated), which is considered respectable for a vintage watch.

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With regards to appraisals / valuations, we receive a huge number of information requests each day and unfortunately do not have the manpower to deal with them all individually. Our advice would be to contact a local auctioneer for a full appraisal.