Project Watches
Perfect for the novice watchmaker - an assortment of complete watches and parts movements in a range of jewel counts. Practice on one to hone your skills or restore it for a reliable carry watch.
All items are in as-is condition and there are no warrantees.
All prices include domestic shipping only.
Columbus
Model 2
Private label 18-size 11-jewel Columbus hunter for Philadelphia jeweler Reynolds Brothers. Missing the setting lever and the mainspring does not build tension, but the balance staff appears good. The dial looks to be in exceptional shape and the hour hand is correct. S/N 178938.
Model 2
Early 18-size 15-jewel lever-set Model 2 Columbus hunter, running fairly well but could use a proper servicing. Gilt movement has a complete regulator and an excellent private-label dial for a C P Swanson in Jamestown, NY. S/N 35976.
Elgin
Model 1
Uncommon and early 17-size 7-jewel key-wind Elgin Leader with a solid balance wheel, good balance staff and mainspring, but is too gummy to run. Matching dial has a couple of faint stress fractures. S/N 465470.
Model 4
12-size 17-jewel pendant-set open-face Elgin, running fairly well but could doubtless use a cleaning. All visible hardware is present and correct. The gold-numeral Arabic dial in the Lord Elgin style is in excellent shape and all three hands are gilt Elgin stock. S/N 37349198.
Model 6
16-size 17-jewel pendant-set Grade 381 3FB Elgin hunter with a good mainspring but a bad balance staff. All visible hardware appears present and correct and the movement is unusually clean. Roman-numeral dial has a couple of light hairlines and correct hands. S/N 16062326.
Model 7
16-size 17-jewel pendant-set open-face Grade 159 Elgin, running weakly and doubtless could use a thorough cleaning. Single-sunk dial has a tight cluster of light hairlines that should soak out and all three hands are correct. S/N 7778842.
Hamilton
12-size 17-jewel pendant-set open-face Hamilton 910, running weakly but would benefit from a cleaning. The movement appears completely intact, the dial is flawless and all three are hands correct, but a scrapper felt compelled to abscond with part of the case. S/N 1842907.
Hampden
Model 2
18-size 11/15-jewel lever-set Grade 31 Hampden hunter. Everything appears intact but the movement is too gummed up to run. The flawless dial and the full set of hands is worth the price alone. S/N 220688.
Model 3
18-size 17-jewel lever-set open-face Model 3 Hampden in the Dueber Grand grade. The balance staff and mainspring are both intact but it's too gummed up to run. The double-sunk Arabic dial is in great shape. S/N 1936186.
Model 4
16-size 17-jewel lever-set Hampden hunter with a good balance staff and matching case screws but a blown mainspring. The double-sunk Arabic dial actually looks pretty good but the hour hand is incorrect. S/N 2072748.
Illinois
18-size 11-jewel Model 1 key-wind Illinois with a good balance staff, but the mainspring is either blown or missing. The pillar plate alignment pin is intact and all of the plate screws appear correct. The dial is in excellent shape and the hour and minute hands are correct. S/N 670656.
Rockford
16-size 17-jewel lever-set open-face Grade 575 Model 2 Rockford, running weakly but could definitely use a thorough cleaning. Correct single-sunk dial with the cursive signature has several light hairlines and the hour and minute hands are wrong. S/N 567364.
Seth Thomas
Model 2
18-size 15-jewel Grade 152 lever-set Seth Thomas hunter for an E E Trayer from Eaton Rapids, Michigan with a good balance staff and mainspring but is too gummed up to run. Matching dial is in good shape with a small edge chip at the 22-minute-mark. S/N 95046.
Model 2
Rare California private label for an A J Nichols from Lompoc; in fact the only one logged at Seth Thomas Research. 18-size 15-jewel Grade 152 with a broken balance staff and the mainspring does not build tension. Excellent matching dial and all three hands are correct. S/N 60719.
Model 3
Early 11-jewel 18-size open-face lever-set Grade 55 (the M3 debuted at S/N 10901) with a good balance staff and mainspring but is too gummed up to run. Correct dial is in decent shape but the seconds bit has become detached. S/N 11648.
Model 5
Rare 15-jewel 18-size Grade 204 in the Chautauqua grade, presumably for the Chautauqua Institute in New York. Only eight have been logged and only three with matching dials. This matching fancy dial is salvageable and is only the second fancy dial logged at Seth Thomas Research. Running weakly and definitely needs servicing. S/N 221224.
Verge Fusee
1850s-era full-size unjeweled verge fusee with rotary regular table for J Joseph from Sunderland, presumably England. Dial is in exceptional shape and the balance staff is good, but the chain and hands are missing. S/N 15799.
Waltham
Model '94
12-size 7-jewel pendant-set open-face Grade 210 Waltham with a blown balance staff, factory dust band, and a good mainspring. Beautiful Art-Deco metal dial with sunburst pattern in the inner chapter and matching blued moon hands. S/N 23669322.
Model '99
16-size 15-jewel pendant-set Grade 620 Waltham hunter is running weakly and no doubt needs a thorough cleaning. It fronts an unusual open-face conversion dial with no seconds bit and correct hands. Add a case and you've got a great WWI-era watch. S/N 21976589.
Model '83
One of the easiest American models to work on - the 18-size 7-jewel pendant-set Grade 1 Waltham hunter, running weakly and would no doubt benefit from a cleaning. Single-sunk Arabic dial has some light hairlines. S/N 16203290.
Model '83
18-size 17-jewel lever-set Model 83 hunter in the Patten Sargent Bartlett grade, running fairly well but could doubtless benefit from a thorough cleaning. Excellent double-sunk Arabic dial and a set of blued open-morning-glory hands. S/N 8650686.
Elgin
Model 4
18-size 7-jewel lever-set Elgin hunter appears to be an original combination in an uncommon sterling silver case with a gold-filled frame. Good mainspring and balance staff, but a messed-up hairspring. The dial has hairlines and the crystal is missing. S/N 11516638.
Hamilton
16-size 21-jewel 3rd-model lever-set railroad-grade Hamilton 992B, running weakly but needs a proper cleaning. The dial is rough but the hour and minute hands are correct. Gold-filled Dueber hunting case is usable with solid hinges but is missing the cuvette. S/N C189462.
Hampden
18-size 15-jewel pendant-set open-face Model 3 Hampden appears to be an original combination. Running fairly well with flawless dial and a correct set of hands. Base metal Keystone case has a good glass crystal, but the rear cover does not thread on easily. S/N 2433065.
Illinois
16-size 17-jewel pendant-set original-combination Model 7 Illinois that would make a nice carry watch if fixed up. Good balance staff, but the mainspring is unhooked or broken. Matching hands cannot be set, so the shuttle spring is likely broken. Metal dial and glass crystal. S/N 2975535.
New York Standard
18-size 7-jewel pendant-set open-face New York Standard with its distinctive red train dial and correct hands. Blown balance staff but the mainspring has tension. Original Philadelphia nickel Silverode case is in good shape with smooth covers. Flat glass crystal. S/N 3989383.
Rockford
18-size key-wind 9 or 11-jewel Model 1 Rockford in its original Dueber nickel-silver hinged case. The movement feels loose in the case and the balance staff is blown, but the mainspring has tension, the dial is excellent and all three hands are correct. Crystal is rough. S/N 156818.
Waltham
18-size 15-jewel pendant-set Model 83 Waltham in the Appleton, Tracy & Co grade, running fairly well but could definitely use a cleaning. The dial has a light hairline and the hands are mismatched. Philadelphia Silverode case is good for carry but the crystal is nasty. S/N 3853737.
Join The Crowd
Sign up for the newsletter, which showcases exceptional variants, historical trivia, restoration projects, holiday sales and more.