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Most obscure/strange watch or clock you have

Posted: August 23rd, 2023, 8:26 pm
by Hypnogagia
I’ve got some weird watches, clocks and timers. From darkroom timers to watchman’s clocks to a pocket watch for timing parking meters and stuff that I don’t even know what the hell it was meant for. I also have a thing for Geiger counters. I was wondering what kind of odd horological creatures you guys have lurking in the collection.

Here’s one of my favorites, purchased from an old military surplus warehouse in Denver, Co.. The building was five or six floors, completely jam packed with electronics, supplies, chemicals, machinery and such from the 1930’s-60’s. The owner of this warehouse had several buildings right in the middle of downtown, and after he died they opened the doors and started liquidating everything. It was shut down after a few days because it turns out there were a lot of containers of unsafe chemicals and honestly, the way it was all crammed in there it wasn’t at all safe to be walking around in.

I pulled these from a big metal cabinet, about the size of a closet. It looked like the most complicated video game cabinet ever, and had dozens of switches, screens and lights. I’d guess it was from the 1950s maybe. I wanted to buy the whole thing, but only having a motorcycle at the time I had no way to get it home. It’s possible what remained of it is in the archives of the Smithsonian, or possibly in one of those warehouses in Area 51.

The doomsday clock:

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Ancient, rare, obscure, haunted, or of alien origin; what’s in the dark corners of your collection?

Re: Most obscure/strange watch or clock you have

Posted: August 24th, 2023, 4:01 pm
by Yoda
I found a completely smashed Elgin grade 37S some 10 years ago and found the needed parts in the desert with a Navajo family, pretty unusual.
Anyway, I needed the center wheel, second, third and fourth wheel and a dial. They had it all. I just "what"?
Anyway, I think that the movement was used as a timer of some kind, but that is where my imagination ends.

Re: Most obscure/strange watch or clock you have

Posted: August 24th, 2023, 4:27 pm
by Hypnogagia
That Elgin, an 8 day? That might be one that was used in military equipment. I was digging deep into tank/plane/boat clocks for a bit, so many beautiful designs. Was it like this one?

[url] https://www.ebay.com/itm/USAAF-USN-Hami ... ect=mobile[/[url]

Re: Most obscure/strange watch or clock you have

Posted: August 25th, 2023, 11:24 am
by Yoda
Hypnogagia wrote: August 24th, 2023, 4:27 pm That Elgin, an 8 day? That might be one that was used in military equipment. I was digging deep into tank/plane/boat clocks for a bit, so many beautiful designs. Was it like this one?

[url] https://www.ebay.com/itm/USAAF-USN-Hami ... ect=mobile[/[url]
Yes, 8 day. Double barrel size 37 S and it weighs 375 grams with its fat bridges.