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Seth Thomas Watch Specifics
Unique Designs
Seth Thomas watches, like most brands, had many components in common and a few that were unique to their designs. This page is for the nuts and bolts of the factory models, from plate finishes and balance staffs, to regulator styles and the meaning of Adjusted. Don't miss the section at the bottom of the page for the latest discoveries.
Dial Feet Locations
Any 18-size dial will fit an 18-size movement, regardless of its configuration, assuming the number of feet is correct. The 16-size Model 21 and 12-size Models 22 and 23 were open-face only. The smaller sizes were offered with optioned dials that could be used for open-face or for hunter, though without a seconds bit when the dial was oriented opposite its intended purpose.
Plate Layouts
Full Plate
Bridge Plate
Full Plate
The Model 5 was the factory's sole full plate design, where the only visible component was the balance wheel.
3/4 Plate
Bridge Plate
Full Plate
Every other model was a variation of the 3/4 plate, where the balance wheel was between the upper and lower plates.
Bridge Plate
Bridge Plate
Bridge Plate
The only bridge design was the 12-size Model 23, which had separate bridges for the pallet, and the escape and 4th wheels.
Plate Finishes
Gilt
Nickel
Nickel
Gilt was the earliest finish, used on the Model 1, and continued on every 18-size model. It was also used on the 6-size Model 14.
Nickel
Nickel
Nickel
The earliest known nickel finishes were used on the Model 2, and were used on every model except for the gilt Models 1 and 4.
Flashed Gilt
Flashed Gilt
Flashed Gilt
Flashed gilt was the rarest plate finish, reported in small runs of the Model 5, and on individual watches in Models 1 and 2.
Two-Tone
Flashed Gilt
Flashed Gilt
Nearly every model had at least some two-tone finishes, except for the gilt Models 1 and 4, and the nickel Centennial Series.
Mainsprings and Barrels
T-End Spring
T-End Spring
T-End Spring
Seth Thomas exclusively used a T-end mainspring in all of their models.
Going Barrel
T-End Spring
T-End Spring
A standard going barrel was used on all of the models, unjeweled with a snap-on lid.
Motor Barrel
T-End Spring
Motor Barrel
The only known instance of a motor barrel is on the 19-jewel research-grade 262.
Balance Staffs
Single Roller
Any anchor or lever escapement requires a roller jewel, which is mounted in the roller table. On every cycle of the balance wheel this jewel gives an impulse to the pallet fork via the cup at the end of the pallet arm. A guide pin behind the cup prevented the pallet fork from drifting too early by meshing with a crescent-shaped cutout milled in the edge of the roller table. The overwhelming majority of Seth Thomas watches had single-roller escapements.
Double Roller
Overbanking occurs when the roller jewel becomes misaligned with the pallet, which was possible with the single roller design. The double roller was developed to address this, using a smaller lower table with an indent to mesh with a horizontal guard pin. This allowed the pallet arm to swing only when the roller jewel was in the cup, virtually eliminating overbanking. The only watches to be fitted with a double roller were the final runs of high-grade pieces.
Hairsprings
Flat
The hairspring is the balance wheel's rebound mechanism, oscillating in and out five times every second. The coils of a flat spring all lay on the same plane, anchored at either end. At the center is the collet, a brass split-ring that grips the balance staff, and at the tail is the stud, produced in many different styles. The factory installed flat hairsprings on all of its lower grades.
Breguet
Prussian watchmaker Abraham Breguet is credited for inventing the overcoil hairspring, which put the final turn of the hairspring above all the other coils. While a flat hairspring applies lateral friction to the balance staff when it oscillates, the overcoil minimizes this effect by moving a much smaller distance. Seth Thomas used the Breguet hairspring on the majority of its higher grades.
The Regulator Styles
Model 1
Models 2 and 3
Models 2 and 3
A simple whip with a variant of the Reed gooseneck on the later and higher grades.
Models 2 and 3
Models 2 and 3
Models 2 and 3
A simple whip with or without a variant of the Reed gooseneck in mirror image.
Model 4
Models 2 and 3
Model 4
A mirror image of the Model 1 whip but without the Reed gooseneck spring.
Model 5
Model 5 Railway
Model 4
An inboard or outboard whip, with or without a variant of the Reed gooseneck.
Model 5 Railway
Model 5 Railway
Model 5 Railway
A star prototype, found only on the Model 5 Railway and possibly on the 17J Model 21.
Models 6 to 9
Model 5 Railway
Model 5 Railway
A simple whip with or without a variant of the Reed gooseneck in mirror image.
Models 12 and 13
Models 12 and 13
Models 12 and 13
A whip with or without a variant of the Reed gooseneck spring in mirror image.
Model 14
Models 12 and 13
Models 12 and 13
A simple left-facing whip with no Reed gooseneck for flat or Breguet hairspring.
Models 15 to 20
Models 12 and 13
Models 21 and 22
A simple left-facing whip with no Reed gooseneck for flat or Breguet hairspring.
Models 21 and 22
Models 21 and 22
Models 21 and 22
A simple right-facing whip with no Reed gooseneck for flat or Breguet hairspring.
Model 23
Models 21 and 22
Model 23
A simple whip with or without a miniature variant of the Reed gooseneck spring.
Model 24
Models 21 and 22
Model 23
A simple right-facing whip with no Reed gooseneck for flat-only hairspring.
The Meaning of Adjusted
Most of the surviving information on Seth Thomas watches is ambiguous at best, and to date no paper of any kind has been reported to define what the factory meant by 'Adjusted', though that word was stamped seemingly at random on several models.
Adjusted
Before the turn of the century an adjusted watch was taken to mean that it had been fine-tuned for the three most common positions of dial up, dial down, and pendant up, and temperature swings. Since there is no mechanical difference between an adjusted watch and an un-adjusted one, it could have been a simple marketing trick for higher prices. Both watches can certainly attain identical accuracy.
Adjusted to Temperature & Position
If the word 'Adjusted' meant that a watch had been fine-tuned for temperature changes and the three most common positions, then there was clearly no need to spell it out. The Grades 506 and 508 both specified these extra calibrations, though it's not clear which positions were being referred to. Since the Henry Molineux grade was simply marked Adjusted, it's possible that the Grades 506 and 508 would've superseded the Molineux in the same jewel count.
3 Positions
Again, if the word 'Adjusted' meant that a watch had been fine-tuned for changes in temperature changes and the three most common positions, then clearly there was no need to spell it out. The 18-size Grade 282 and the 12-size Grade 28 did just that, with the 282 preceding the 28 by well over a decade. The earliest known 282 dates from roughly 1897, well before the new railroad criteria.
5 Positions
After 1907, one industry requirement was the number of positions to which a watch was adjusted had to be clearly marked on the upper plate. Five positions refer to dial up, dial down, pendant left, pendant right, and pendant up. The only Seth Thomas watch to carry these markings was the 17-jewel Grade 382, which appeared in the second and fifth (final) serial number block, and since it was lever-set it was considered railroad grade by some accounts.
5 Positions and Temperature
Since the word Adjusted was taken to mean that a given watch was compensated for changes in temperature, it seems an unnecessary step to mill that on its plates. The only watches to carry this unique marking was the final run of the 21-jewel Grade 260 and last three runs of the 21 and 25-jewel Maiden Lane.
6 Positions
Six positions could also mean nine adjustments - the six positional ones, plus isochronism, plus one each for hot and cold. It was the highest marking grade and only the 21-jewel Grade 260 and the 25-jewel Maiden Lane carried them, and both were railroad grade.
17-jewel Old Eagle
The company did advertise the Old Eagle line in counts of seven to seventeen, but only a couple of 15-jewel variants have been reported. Recently a 17-jewel Model 6 surfaced, but while it does (or did) have a full count (the lower center jewel is missing) it does not appear to be a regular-production piece from the factory floor for several reasons, including the dial, the regulator, and the jewels themselves.
New Highest Serial Number
The previous highest-logged SN was 4016753, a 15-jewel nickel Model 18 in the Republic grade, which was thought to be the final output by the factory before 1915. Recently a 15-jewel Model 12 Republic has been reported with SN 4068501, some 50,000 numbers higher, and without a marked jewel count. This is puzzling, because the known Model 12 run peters out at just over SN 1300000, leaving plenty of room to continue its production before the hunting Model 13 began at SN 1700001.
First Adjusted Model 14
The first adjusted variant of the 15-jewel Model 14 has been reported and been assigned as Grade 125. It's a private label with nickel plates for James Connell of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
First Oregon Private Label
All three west-coast states are now represented, along with California and the state of Washington, with the first PL from Oregon having been reported. It's a dial for a UB Vogle from the city of Cornvallis on a 7-jewel gilt Grade 46 Model 14 with standard markings.
A Bismark Finally Surfaces
The open-face Bismark grade has been a rumor for years until a Model 3 was finally submitted last week by a collector in Australia. It is not known for whom or for what reason the grade was created (the German Chancellor seems a possible choice although the spelling is wrong), but both the Model 2 and the Model 3 are 11-jewel movements on nickel plates with matching dials. While it's believed that the total production of the hunting Model 2 is a maximum of a hundred between SNs 86401 and 86500, this Model 3 is so far the sole reported example in a block of three hundred between SNs 87601 and 87900.
Model 24 Private Labels
The first private label has been reported in the 6-size Model 24. The factory produced this model with the standard Seth Thomas markings, along with six known named grades: the Adonis, Centennial, Century, Knickerbocker, Republic, and Waldorf in jewel counts of seven and fifteen. This example is a 7-jewel Grade 320 for the Bennett Mfg Co in New York, though unfortunately there was no dial.
Mystery Solved?
For years the number 280 has been assigned to this mystery grade, the only 21-jewel Model 5 on two-tone plates that was not a Maiden Lane. No known catalog mentioned it, though most have been reported with a 24-hour dial, which was produced in four separate blocks and totaling around 1,100 pieces. A tentative identification as Grade 291 has now been established with the discovery of one known catalog of New York jeweler Nicholas Gamse, who had an office at 54 Maiden Lane. The use of the word "special" is indicative of a possible contract piece.
Submitted by Gary L of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Earliest Known 21J Maiden Lane
The very first block of Maiden Lanes occupies SN 205501 to 205600, and were thought to be all 17-jewel, except for SN 205576, which has been verified as having 22 jewels (a standard 21-count, along with a barrel jewel). This new discovery of SN 205597 establishes an earlier starting point than the previous one of SN 208801 for the 21-jewel variant, and lowers the possible totals of the 17-jewel models down to around 80, making them the rarest of all.
New Grade
A new Stratford grade has been discovered, reported so far in 7-jewel nickel in the 950,001 to 1,000,000 block of the Model 18. This raises the number of known M15 to 19 named grades to thirteen: the Athabasca, Adonis, Century, Columbia, Countess Janet, Edgemere, Knickerbocker, Lakeshore, Republic, Rose, Sentinel, Stratford and Waldorf.
Found Buried
"I'm sending these photos because this serial number (652) isn't in your database. This watch was a beach find, buried in the sand at Long Beach, Washington. When we got it apart we were amazed at what we found. Obviously it will never run again but at least it still exists!"
Submitted by Pam L of Castle Rock, Washington
Seth Thomas Highlights
The rarest regular-production two-tone pattern of all, made in one block of seventy - and then never again.