I recently purchased a pocket-watch type timepiece. Its only apparent
purpose is to detirmine production rate per hour, so I suppose I
should refer to it as a tachymeter. It is 2" in diameter, the crystal
looks to me like plastic, and the case is made of metal which is
silver in color. There are two dials on the face, the "main" dial,
which is read by the larger hand, and a smaller dial in the "12
o'clock" position whch is read by the smaller hand. The large hand
sweeps around 3 rows of numbers. The outer-most ring reads from 3600
at the top, and continues around the face to 60. The second ring reads
from 59 to 30, and the inner-most ring reads from 1 to 100, so it
would measure 1/100th of a minute increments. I have timed the large
hand, and it makes one full rotation per minute. The small dial reads
from 1 to 30 and indicates minutes. The only words on the face are
"production in an hour" near the top, and the words "sterling" and
"swiss". The face itself is white in color and appears to be porcelain
(it has hairline cracks). The back of the case is engraved/stamed
"TELETYPE" and ET-737-49. The back of the case opens, and the inside
is engraved with "Leonidas Watch Fy", "108717" which I assume is a
serial number, and "unadjusted 7 jewels". This piece is not solid
silver, since the "silver" on the back of the piece is worn & looks
like brass underneath. The hands are set into motion (and stopped) by
a sliding "switch" near the top of the piece on the left side, and the
hands are reset by depressing a knob at the top which is also used to
wind it up. The piece is in perfect working order but the case is
well-worn and the face has cracks running across it. Oh, yes, this is
supposed to be a question. Can you find an approximate value for this
piece? I should state that I have already spent two+ hours searching
the web for information. I found that Leonidas Watch was purchased by
TAG (of TAG-Heuer fame) in the mid-sixties. I've also found numerous
watches made by Leonidas that have a tachymeter function, but can not
locate a piece that was made exclusively as a tachymeter. I suppose
the researchers could view this as either a warning or a challenge
(hopefully as a challenge) |
Request for Question Clarification by
missy-ga
on
13 Jul 2002 07:21 PDT
Dear zappafan,
Though you have given us a terrific description of your tachymeter,
Researchers cannot offer appraisals. Much more goes into determining
the value of something than reading a description and looking the
piece up on the internet - indeed, vast as the 'Net seems, not
everything is available online. For a true and accurate valuation of
your piece you'll need to take it to an appraiser
We *can* help you find those. There are "internet appraisers" that
ask for a detailed description, copies of any paperwork associated
with the piece, and a photo, or if you're comfortable telling us what
city and state you live in, we can find a reputable apparaiser in your
area for a physical appraisal.
Please let us know, and one of the Researchers will be happy to find
one (or several) for you.
Regards,
missy-ga
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