Centennial Grade
In the summer of 1913 the Seth Thomas Clock Company issued Centennial Medals to celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of the original founding of the company in 1813. The medals were designed by Seth Thomas jr., the great-grandson of the founder of the Seth Thomas Clock Company. The Centennial Medals were two and one half inches (2 1/2”) in diameter, struck in bronze with a gold finish. The obverse displays a portrait of Seth Thomas, in relief. Around the edge it reads “To Commemorate The 100th Year of Seth Thomas Clock Co”. At the sides of the portrait “ Seth Thomas” and “1785-1859” is inscribed. On the reverse there is a figure representing Father Time holding a pendulum in his right hand swinging over a scale marked 1813 - 1913. The pendulum ball bears the Seth Thomas trade mark. In Father Time’s left hand is a scythe. To his right is an hourglass.
Later that year on September 1st of 1913 the Seth Thomas Clock Company released its Catalog No. 701 “Seth Thomas Watch Movements”. Catalog No. 701 was also marked as the “Centennial Edition” Trade Price List.
Within the 1913 Centennial Edition Trade Price List Seth Thomas introduced “Seth Thomas ‘Centennial’ Open-Face Watches”, 7-jewel high grade movements in three sizes. All of the movements were pendant set, utilized the Breguet hairspring, and came cased and timed from the factory.
1914 Sales Box for a Seth Thomas Centennial Pocket Watch
This box is not an accessory to the watch. It is the surviving artifact of the purchase itself.
This sales box corresponds to the 1914 Centennial retail offering priced at $4.00; but is not applicable to the 4-size (Ladies’) Centennial Model, which was supplied in a joint-back case.
The illustrations related to this box demonstrate dimensional compatibility with both the 12-size Model 22 and the 16-size Model 21; however, it does not establish that a single standardized box size was used for all Centennial offerings.
Factory-Issued Retail Sales Box for Seth Thomas Model 21 or Model 22 Centennial Pocket Watch c. 1914.
1913 Seth Thomas - Tourist - Travel Timepiece - with Rare Original Leather Case that Serves as Stand - and with Original Retail Box with Advertising on Lid
Not only did this specimen have its leather case/stand intact; but it arrived with its original box with advertising printed on the lid. I was unable to mechanically remove most of the graffiti that had been placed on the lid; but it was possible through the magic of photo editing to scrub most of it off of the image to reveal what the lid looked like without the graffiti.
This 1913 Seth Thomas 16-size open-face Model 21 pocket watch was manufactured with a nickel finished 3/4 plate, 7 jewels, and it is non-adjusted. The movement is stem wound and pendant set, with a Breguet hair spring, and plain/simple regulator. Its serial number is 1306649, and its grade is Seth Thomas named grade Centennial. The movement is signed “Seth Thomas Centennial Thomaston, Conn.”.
The movement presents with a special Tourist 16-size Seth Thomas Arabic conversion dial with a hash marks minute track and no marginals, fitted with Seth Thomas blued spade hands 16-size. This dial converts the appearance of the movement to look like an up-side-down open-face movement with the winding stem at the 6:00 o’clock position for use in the Seth Thomas Tourist travel timepiece. Dial feet are placed at approximately 5 minutes, 16 minutes, and 43 minutes; placing the pendant at 6:00 instead of 12:00.
The movement is cased in a 16-size Illinois Watch Case Company Nickel Silver (nickel) pocket watch case with a snap back cover and special screw bezel made specifically for the Seth Thomas Tourist 16 with a special stem to be mounted into a leather case; and special bezel to screw down over and onto the leather carrying case. The serial number is O64671.
