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The Dials
Duff & Sollace
Seth Thomas offered a remarkable selection of glass-enamel dials in different styles and fonts, manufactured by the local firm of Duff & Sollace until late October in 1897, when a fire destroyed their small factory at the corner of Center and Litchfield Streets in Thomaston.
Single-piece pressed dials from Switzerland were by far the most common after the turn of the century and were used for most of the named grades and all the lower-grade models. Single-sunk dials are assembled from two pieces of copper soldered together, which are fairly scarce and much thicker than imitation dials, and were installed on just about every Model 1 through 4. Double-sunk dials were assembled from three pieces of copper and are rare, especially the Gothic-font variants, found on only the highest grades, including Henry Molineux and Maiden Lane. Fancy dials were also single-pressed and are very hard to find, using gold or silver filigree on top of a colored base.
No Ferguson dials have been reported so far.
Their Factory
The Duff & Sollace Dial Co was organized on November 19, 1895 in Thomaston, Connecticut by George Duff with a capital stock of $5,000. The new venture, led by Joseph Sollace, began supplying enamel dials for the nearby Seth Thomas watch factory. The firm relocated to a small machine shop owned by Charles Smith the following year, which was destroyed by a fire on the night of October 25, 1897.
Dial Feet Locations
An 18-size dial will fit either open-face or hunting configurations. They came with only two dial feet at 13 and 45 minutes prior to 1900, when a much-needed third foot was added near the 34-minute-mark.
The Imitation Pressed Dials
No. 1216
No. 1216
No. 1216
Roman, pressed seconds, black marginals
No. 1217
No. 1216
No. 1216
Arabic, pressed seconds, black marginals
No. 1224
No. 1216
No. 1224
Roman, pressed seconds, red marginals
No. 1225
No. 1225
No. 1224
Arabic, pressed seconds, red marginals
No. 1226
No. 1225
No. 1226
Roman, pressed seconds, RR, red marginals
No. 1227
No. 1225
No. 1226
Arabic, pressed seconds, RR, red marginals
The Heavy Pressed Dials
No. 1220
No. 1220
No. 1220
Heavy Roman, pressed seconds, no marginals
No. 1221
No. 1220
No. 1220
Heavy Arabic, pressed seconds, no marginals
No. 1222
No. 1220
No. 1222
Heavy Roman, no seconds, no marginals
The Single-Sunk Dials
Unknown number
Unknown number
Unknown number
Roman, cut seconds, no marginals
No. 1219
Unknown number
Unknown number
Arabic, cut seconds, black marginals
Unknown number
Unknown number
Unknown number
Roman, cut seconds, red marginals, cursive
Unknown number
Unknown number
Unknown number
Arabic, cut seconds, RR, red marginals
Unknown number
Unknown number
Unknown number
Arabic, cut seconds, RR, red marginals, radial
Unknown number
Unknown number
Unknown number
Arabic, cut seconds, RR, red subs, Gothic
The Double-Sunk Dials
No. 1229
No. 1229
No. 1229
Arabic, double sunk, red marginals
No. 1230
No. 1229
No. 1229
Roman, double sunk, RR, red marginals
No. 1231
No. 1231
No. 1231
Arabic, double sunk, RR, red marginals
No. 1231
No. 1231
No. 1231
Arabic, double sunk, RR, red subs, Gothic
The Fancy Dials
No. 1234
No. 1234
No. 1234
Fancy Roman, pressed seconds, 1st quality
No. 1235
No. 1234
No. 1234
Fancy Arabic, pressed seconds, 1st quality
No. 1235
No. 1234
No. 1235
Fancy Arabic, pressed seconds, 1st quality
No. 1235
No. 1235
No. 1235
Fancy Arabic, pressed seconds, 1st quality
No. 1237
No. 1235
No. 1237
Fancy Arabic, pressed seconds, 2nd quality
No. 1237
No. 1235
No. 1237
Fancy Arabic, pressed seconds, 2nd quality
The 24-Hour Canadian Dials
No. 1238
Unknown number
Unknown number
Roman, pressed, black 1-12, black 13-24
Unknown number
Unknown number
Unknown number
Arabic, cut seconds, black 1-12, black 13-24
No. 1240
Unknown number
No. 1240
Roman, pressed DS, black 1-12, red 13-24
No. 1241
Unknown number
No. 1240
Arabic, pressed DS, black 1-12, red 13-24
No. 1244
Unknown number
Unknown number
Roman, double sunk, black 1-12, red 13-24
Unknown number
Unknown number
Unknown number
Arabic, DS, black 1-12, red 13-24, red subs
The Montgomery Dials
No. 1227
No. 1227
No. 1227
Arabic, imitation DS, red marginals
No. 1245
No. 1227
No. 1227
Arabic, double sunk, black 1-12, red 13-24
No. 1281
Unknown number
Unknown number
Hour and minute, spade, blued, 1st quality
Unknown number
Unknown number
Unknown number
Seconds, ball tip, blued, 2nd quality
No. 1282
Unknown number
Unknown number
H/M, spade, blued, RR, 1st quality
Unknown number
Unknown number
Unknown number
H/M, spade, blued, RR, Maiden Lane only
No. 1283
Unknown number
No. 1283
Seconds, spade, blued, 1st quality
No. 1284
Unknown number
No. 1283
H/M, Fleur-de-Lis, blued, 1st quality
No. 1285
Unknown number
Unknown number
H/M, Morning Glory, blued, 1st quality
Unknown number
Unknown number
Unknown number
Hour and minute. open kite, blued
No. 1287
Unknown number
No. 1287
Hour and minute, Louis XIV, gilt
No. 1288
No. 1288
No. 1287
Seconds, Louis XIV, gilt
No. 1291
No. 1288
No. 1291
Hour and minute, spade, blued, KW only
No. 1292
No. 1288
No. 1291
Hour and minute, spade, blued, extra broad
Seth Thomas Highlights
The rarest regular-production two-tone pattern of all, made in one block of seventy - and then never again.