Elgin Pocket Watch Barrel Mystery - What's Missing?

[DeanBurrill]

Hi folks, Attached is a photo of the bottom of the barrel (haha) from my Elgin 18s 21j movement 149.  Notice the indentations and tiny hole as if a wheel and some sort with a spring possibly fit here.  There was no part occupying this space when I dismantled the watch, and from the parts listed for this movement on pocketwatchdatabase.com nothing stands out to me as fitting.  Does anyone have any ideas?

[Kalanag]

The Maltese cross (Geneva stop work) is missing:

geneva stop work

You don‘t need it when using a modern alloy main spring.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Kalanag

[JohnR725]

9 hours ago, DeanBurrill said:

There was no part occupying this space when I dismantled the watch, and from the parts listed for this movement on pocketwatchdatabase.com nothing stands out to me as fitting

Typically watchmakers like to steal them because they do. But from the look of your barrel I doubt that even had one. Then as already stated above to work just fine without it.

I snipped out a page of the parts catalog. I suspect the other thing we might be seeing is there are probably some variations so some watches probably have the stop works and some did not but they all use the same barrel conceivably.

I'm curious about your pocket watch is this your first entry in the watch repair?

[DeanBurrill]

Kalanag & JohnR725 - Thank you for solving this mystery!  I need to read up on the Stop Works.  John to answer your question - yes this is the very first watch I've stripped and re-assembled.  The first time I just did it to see if I could... I didn't clean anything or oil anything.  The second time I cleaned it throughly and was in the process of properly reassembling/lubricating it when I noticed the missing parts.  I won't worry about them for now, but will keep my eyes open for a complete barrel.. perhaps I can replace them at some point.  Thanks again to both of you!

[JohnR725]

3 hours ago, DeanBurrill said:

I won't worry about them for now, but will keep my eyes open for a complete barrel.

Unfortunately in vintage watch repair unless you have a time machine go back in time to visit the factory I would leave whatever you have with the watch. The watches were made in batches typically and finding another barrel that's going to be exactly right and fit is going to be problematic.

What I'm really curious about is we have a picture of your watch? Or the serial number perhaps.

[DeanBurrill]

John, sorry to leave you hanging.  I don't have a photo of the watch all in one piece.  Ser #. is 66775.16.  Its an 18s 21j hunter style movement.  According to the Pocketwatch Database is a 194 series dating to ca1897.  Beautifully decorated.  Single plate construction.

[JohnR725]

56 minutes ago, DeanBurrill said:

I don't have a photo of the watch all in one piece

Sometimes it's nice to take photos of the watch assembled and then as your disassembling just in case you forget were all the bits and pieces go. I would just curious to see what the movement look like so I went to the pocket watch database the book that if they are.

https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/elgin/6677516