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ChronoMATT
- Master of Time
- Posts: 2431
- Joined: June 8th 2011, 10:00pm
- Location: Sun Diego, California
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1950s Lord Elgin Direct Reading/Jump Hour
I'm no wristwatch historian, just an admirer of cool timepieces and appreciate mid century design. Company and model backgrounds are from what I have read and learned through the years, mostly from the internet and fellow collectors. If anyone has corrections or additions, please post! All watch photos are from my personal collection.
Right-Click photos for an expando-view.
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1950s Lord Elgin Direct Reading/Jump Hour
Highlighted in this post is a watch acquisition I made about ten years ago, a 1950s Lord Elgin Direct Reading, also commonly referred to as "Jump Hour". Though engineered and offered by watch manufacturers as early as several decades prior, as the space age arrived, there was a resurgence of interest in this form of mechanical digital display as a way to tell time in a "contemporary" or maybe 'futuristic" fashion. As the minutes wheel rotates to its printed zero marker, the coordinated hours disk instantly click-moves or "jumps" one hour unit. It does not constantly and smoothly revolve as does its minutes partner.
There have been modern offerings with smooth rotating hours disks similar to a mystery dial movement (see Invicta example below). By definition, they are not Jump Hour watches despite lazy (or worse, ignorant) marketing claims.
The Elgin model spotlighted in this post has been nicknamed "The Chevron" by collectors which originates from the sculpted case top shape.
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It doesn't get much retro cooler than this.
_____________________
My example is rare New Old Stock, complete with the original case back sales sticker intact. Receiving this prize led me to a surprise after seeing dozens of collectors' photos: The case top shipped from the factory with a matte and polish finish. Over the decades, most wristed examples have had their 14K yellow gold filled cases polished (multiple times in most cases) by watchmakers during servicing in an effort to remove scratches. By doing so, the matte portion of the case eventually disappeared, leaving a fully polished appearance. This left the more casual collector (including myself) mistaking it as being the original finish by design. The original two-finish approach enhances the sculpted case top chevron shape and adds a higher-end richness. It is also common to find the chevron's raised tip point showing gold fill wear-through (or "brassing").
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A close-up view of the classic. Note case top finishes and disk configuration.
_____________________
The "Lord" in Lord Elgin refers to the model being from Elgin's premium product line. Think Toyota's Lexus line. Most Lords were equipped with higher-end, higher-jeweled (typically 21) movements and gold filled cases. Most standard Elgin models sold with lesser movements (typically 17 to 19 jewels) and base metal cases. The Chevron is fitted with an unusually high 23 jewel movement which I suspect is to assist the jump hour disk complication.
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The Chevron Model offers a high-end, unusually high 23 jeweled manual wind movement.
_____________________
Founded in Elgin, Illinois, by ex-Waltham Watch Company employees, Elgin was an American company that started with pocket watches and evolved to dominate the watch industry in the 1940s through 1950s with quality fashionable wristwatches. Like many contemporary watch manufacturers, Elgin actively hired celebrities to publicly endorsed its brand.
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A NOS example with its matte finish case back and sales sticker intact.
_____________________
After a multi-decade run, Elgin closed its last factory doors in 1967, mostly due to loosing the market to quartz watches made by Timex and cheaper imports. The rights to the name has bounced among different owners through the years with most product produced being that of the cheaper throw-away-style that ironically forced the original classic organization out of business.
_____________________
Two other 1950s Elgin Direct Reading offerings known to collectors as "The Golf Ball" (obvious by its appearance) and "The Elvis".
_____________________
Why called "The Elvis"? Along with the Hamilton Electric Ventura, The King is closely associated with Lord's rectangular-shaped direct reading offering that was similar to The Chevron. I have come to admire his adventurous sense of style. He always was seen wristing innovative timepieces.
_____________________
Sorry Mr. Lalo. No matter how hard you pushed and marketed the Model 2838 on ShopNBC as a "Jump Hour" watch, it never was. Many modern timepieces that appear to be Jump Hour models are not. Hour disks that rotate similarly to a mystery dial but do so in a smooth, continuous manner (as within the Invicta 2838 above) are based on somewhat easily modified automatic or quartz movements. By definition, the hour disk must jump-click hour-to-hour to qualify and is accomplished by mechanics specifically engineered for the complication.
Right-Click photos for an expando-view.
_____________________
1950s Lord Elgin Direct Reading/Jump Hour
Highlighted in this post is a watch acquisition I made about ten years ago, a 1950s Lord Elgin Direct Reading, also commonly referred to as "Jump Hour". Though engineered and offered by watch manufacturers as early as several decades prior, as the space age arrived, there was a resurgence of interest in this form of mechanical digital display as a way to tell time in a "contemporary" or maybe 'futuristic" fashion. As the minutes wheel rotates to its printed zero marker, the coordinated hours disk instantly click-moves or "jumps" one hour unit. It does not constantly and smoothly revolve as does its minutes partner.
There have been modern offerings with smooth rotating hours disks similar to a mystery dial movement (see Invicta example below). By definition, they are not Jump Hour watches despite lazy (or worse, ignorant) marketing claims.
The Elgin model spotlighted in this post has been nicknamed "The Chevron" by collectors which originates from the sculpted case top shape.
_____________________
It doesn't get much retro cooler than this.
_____________________
My example is rare New Old Stock, complete with the original case back sales sticker intact. Receiving this prize led me to a surprise after seeing dozens of collectors' photos: The case top shipped from the factory with a matte and polish finish. Over the decades, most wristed examples have had their 14K yellow gold filled cases polished (multiple times in most cases) by watchmakers during servicing in an effort to remove scratches. By doing so, the matte portion of the case eventually disappeared, leaving a fully polished appearance. This left the more casual collector (including myself) mistaking it as being the original finish by design. The original two-finish approach enhances the sculpted case top chevron shape and adds a higher-end richness. It is also common to find the chevron's raised tip point showing gold fill wear-through (or "brassing").
_____________________
A close-up view of the classic. Note case top finishes and disk configuration.
_____________________
The "Lord" in Lord Elgin refers to the model being from Elgin's premium product line. Think Toyota's Lexus line. Most Lords were equipped with higher-end, higher-jeweled (typically 21) movements and gold filled cases. Most standard Elgin models sold with lesser movements (typically 17 to 19 jewels) and base metal cases. The Chevron is fitted with an unusually high 23 jewel movement which I suspect is to assist the jump hour disk complication.
_____________________
The Chevron Model offers a high-end, unusually high 23 jeweled manual wind movement.
_____________________
Founded in Elgin, Illinois, by ex-Waltham Watch Company employees, Elgin was an American company that started with pocket watches and evolved to dominate the watch industry in the 1940s through 1950s with quality fashionable wristwatches. Like many contemporary watch manufacturers, Elgin actively hired celebrities to publicly endorsed its brand.
_____________________
A NOS example with its matte finish case back and sales sticker intact.
_____________________
After a multi-decade run, Elgin closed its last factory doors in 1967, mostly due to loosing the market to quartz watches made by Timex and cheaper imports. The rights to the name has bounced among different owners through the years with most product produced being that of the cheaper throw-away-style that ironically forced the original classic organization out of business.
_____________________
Two other 1950s Elgin Direct Reading offerings known to collectors as "The Golf Ball" (obvious by its appearance) and "The Elvis".
_____________________
Why called "The Elvis"? Along with the Hamilton Electric Ventura, The King is closely associated with Lord's rectangular-shaped direct reading offering that was similar to The Chevron. I have come to admire his adventurous sense of style. He always was seen wristing innovative timepieces.
_____________________
Sorry Mr. Lalo. No matter how hard you pushed and marketed the Model 2838 on ShopNBC as a "Jump Hour" watch, it never was. Many modern timepieces that appear to be Jump Hour models are not. Hour disks that rotate similarly to a mystery dial but do so in a smooth, continuous manner (as within the Invicta 2838 above) are based on somewhat easily modified automatic or quartz movements. By definition, the hour disk must jump-click hour-to-hour to qualify and is accomplished by mechanics specifically engineered for the complication.
Last edited by Anonymous on July 25th 2011, 8:19am, edited 13 times in total.
