SERVICE & REPAIR: Elgin 571 Railroad grade 16s Pocket Watch

A complete service and some repair was needed. The stem is removed by loosening the small screw on the back plate before the movement can be uncased. Although a lever set watch, the stem was often mistakenly pulled out to try to set the watch. The lever that held the stem in was subsequently broken. This watch was missing the entire lever, and a new one had to be made. For ease of manufacture, the lever was formed out of brass, and a steel pin and threaded bushing were pressed into the lever. The photos below sequence the process. The watch is the assembled, oiled, and timed, achieving an excellent rate over 6 positions.

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For additional information on watches we work on please visit these pages:  Vintage Rolex repair— Vintage Breitling repair —Vintage Omega repair — Vintage Heuer repair —Bulova Repair, and Pocket Watch Repair. See my FAQ for additional information, and visit Watch Repair Case Studies.

Elgin 571 History

The Elgin 571, (manufactured in the early 1950s) was one of the last Railroad pocket watches produced by Elgin (one of the last Railroad Grade pocket watches for that matter). The “dp” on the dial (see picture at bottom of page) refers to “DuraPower”, Elgin’s version of the “white aloy” mainspring. It was made of “Elgiloy” (Trademarked by Elgin of course) guaranteed not to break or rust (although they can break and rust). This state of the art 21 jeweled pocket watch kept excellent time, and is still a very affordable quality pocket watch for collectors on a budget.