Outfitted in a lab coat, David Stites was quick to explain the type of watchmaker he was. "I repair watches," said the St. Paul-learned and New York-trained Stites of Security Jewelers. "I'm trained to make them, but I really only fix them." It was from a safe featuring "different things from years ago" that Stites pulled the timepiece on display at his side Tuesday at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum at the Depot in Duluth. The particular Hamilton Watch Company No. 936 on display was issued in 1893 and was a predecessor of the popular 992B - the sort of pocket watch that carried the day for railroad workers who had to set their watches to a standard clock at the start of each shift. The pristinely restored artifact now permanently on display could be found in a tarnished and weathered state on eBay for about $50, said Stites. "It's not going to work right," he cautioned as he described the gold-filled models that are differentiated from the rarer solid-gold ones that mostly occupy collectors' vaults. The watch met with the media, Depot supporters and Ken Buehler's puns about time. The executive director of the Depot gave way to curator Tim Schandel, who welcomed the addition of the watch. He described watches as being among the most important and expensive items in the lives of early and even later railroaders. They used precision timepieces to ensure timely operation and the avoidance of collisions. The watches required inspection at local authorized jewelers, including Security Jewelers at 307 W. Superior St. The best watches gain no more than 4 seconds over the course of a day - a benchmark that remains in place for timepieces such as the one worn by Security Jewelers co-owner Jack Seiler.
"I'm a wristwatch guy," Seiler said, flashing a sleek black model. "This one has 70 hours of power reserved. It's pretty phenomenal." The watch stores energy simply by moving around on his wrist. It's not the face-opening, lever-winding sort that filled display cases of what was first his father's jewelry store. "Unfortunately I'm old enough to remember the payroll deductions," Seiler said. Stites estimated that the watch he pulled to restore for the exhibit was carried for about 20 years. It was worn - buffed by the owner's pocket - but well-kept, requiring only a handful of the digital gymnastics performed under the watchmaker's lamp. "The world is full of these treasures," Stites said. "Most people don't even know they have them. ... This one belongs here."Outfitted in a lab coat, David Stites was quick to explain the type of watchmaker he was."I repair watches," said the St. Paul-learned and New York-trained Stites of Security Jewelers. "I'm trained to make them, but I really only fix them."It was from a safe featuring "different things from years ago" that Stites pulled the timepiece on display at his side Tuesday at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum at the Depot in Duluth.The particular Hamilton Watch Company No. 936 on display was issued in 1893 and was a predecessor of the popular 992B - the sort of pocket watch that carried the day for railroad workers who had to set their watches to a standard clock at the start of each shift.The pristinely restored artifact now permanently on display could be found in a tarnished and weathered state on eBay for about $50, said Stites."It's not going to work right," he cautioned as he described the gold-filled models that are differentiated from the rarer solid-gold ones that mostly occupy collectors' vaults.The watch met with the media, Depot supporters and Ken Buehler's puns about time. The executive director of the Depot gave way to curator Tim Schandel, who welcomed the addition of the watch. He described watches as being among the most important and expensive items in the lives of early and even later railroaders. They used precision timepieces to ensure timely operation and the avoidance of collisions. The watches required inspection at local authorized jewelers, including Security Jewelers at 307 W. Superior St.The best watches gain no more than 4 seconds over the course of a day - a benchmark that remains in place for timepieces such as the one worn by Security Jewelers co-owner Jack Seiler.
"I'm a wristwatch guy," Seiler said, flashing a sleek black model. "This one has 70 hours of power reserved. It's pretty phenomenal."The watch stores energy simply by moving around on his wrist. It's not the face-opening, lever-winding sort that filled display cases of what was first his father's jewelry store."Unfortunately I'm old enough to remember the payroll deductions," Seiler said.Stites estimated that the watch he pulled to restore for the exhibit was carried for about 20 years. It was worn - buffed by the owner's pocket - but well-kept, requiring only a handful of the digital gymnastics performed under the watchmaker's lamp."The world is full of these treasures," Stites said. "Most people don't even know they have them. ... This one belongs here."
