Seth Thomas carries a proud and unique heritage, founded by a Puritan man with an iron work ethic who was born just after the Revolutionary War in Connecticut. His clockmaking company began producing high-grade pocket watches in 1885, the only American clockmaker to attempt it, and the factory ended up making some of the most gorgeous designs of our railroad era, spanning nearly 30 years' worth of production until the outbreak of World War I.
The Seth Thomas Model 6 was the lower-grade version of the factory's open-face Model 3, which was the successor to the coarse-trained Model 1. The total production of both the open-face and hunter versions was around 140,000, but the first few runs were special and carried the markings of an eagle in one of three sizes with a corresponding colored dial of either blue or pink. The run totals were well into the thousands, but since these variants were not marked as to the maker nobody seemed to realize that they were Seth Thomas watches, and are very scarce for this reason. This 7-jewel example has the largest eagle and was just fully restored with a new balance staff as it nears its 130th year of service. The matching blue dial has the correct Eagle signature behind light blue spade hands, and it's housed in a shiny nickel swingcase that was converted to display to show off the movement. There's new glass on both sides, a tight bow, and a sharp crown to make winding easy.
Manufacturer - Seth Thomas
Serial Number - 517570
Watch Size - 18
Watch Model - 6
Watch Grade - Eagle
Jewel Count - 7
Winding/Setting - Stem/Lever
Production Year - 1897
Safely store or display your favorite pieces in a custom wooden cabinet, designed and built to your specifications in your choice of domestic species, finishes, hardware and lighting packages.
Straps are an alternative to chains, which don't grind up the metal bows. Prevent drops with these supple straps, hand-braided from top-grain leather in your choice of colors.
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