Yeah Bill ,I KNOW ,The previous thread about one of these watches that Rick mentioned ,I was one of the early bidders on e bay ,but it just got out of hand ,I would like one also , collectible or not ,just neat ! Enjoy it ! Russ

To be specific, by "movement" I mean the mechanism that you expose by popping open the back. Probably stating the obvious... :)

I wasn't pissing on your watch, it is a neat piece and I wouldn't mind having one myself. I'm just saying that the dial on this watch was made recently, it wasn't made in the 60's as the seller claims. I think the Made in England mark might reference the dial only.

Destry

Destry, I know you were not pissing on the watch. I hope you did not take it that way. Never thought that. I was just relating what the gentleman who sold it to me said. Thanks for your input... Not to worry... Just a watch ...:)

Watch Movement
 

OK, time to put the mystery to rest. Here is a photo of the movement. The dial and movement and the entire watch was made in Great Britian. Today though a email I was told by the watch collector from England to whom I purchased the watch that, the U.S. made these watches as well. The British made ones are a little harder to come by and this Particular watch was made in the 1960's. He had it cleaned and oiled just before selling it. I hope this helps.

This looks like a Smiths Co. (UK) watch. Many thematic variations on the dial were offered (superheroes, etc.).

The novel variation is that the little woodcock disk is attached to the escapement (partly visibly through the kidney-shaped hole in upper left). The escapement works in concert with the balance wheel (at top, behind the lever to change the speed) to regulate the movement.

Very cool!

I guess you know a little about watches. Anyway.. What is your estimate year of production?

I am no expert on this type of watch. Ingersoll and Smiths made some 30 million of these novelty watches up through the 1980s, and I suspect some are still being made in China. The original Ingersoll went bankrupt in the early 1920s, but the watch business was sold and some manufacturing ended up in the U.S.

As has been pointed out elsewhere, the face of the watch is pretty easy to change. What's unique about your watch is the animation. I believe there was a "Dan Dare" watch with the same pivot point at his elbow, aiming his gun back and forth.

The key here is "market segmentation." By putting a particular theme on the watch, you appeal to very specific collectors or enthusiasts. This watch was obviously meant to appeal to an audience in the U.S., but that doesn't mean the movement wasn't made in the U.K., or even "re-faced" from an older stock of watches for a particular market.

A neat watch! Enjoy a time-piece that isn't electronic.

Here are some other examples of animations, exploiting the escapement pivot down between 4 and 5 o'clock:

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/...e/animated.jpg

Thanks for the info.