Guest Flexibleflyer3 Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Hello everyone, My name is Kimberly and I recently came across a watch that has been past down in the family years ago. I am looking for information on the watch but have not been able to find anything. I have attached photos of watch face and inside parts. Please help me find the information needed on this watch. Thank you Kim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Hello everyone, My name is Kimberly and I recently came across a watch that has been past down in the family years ago. I am looking for information on the watch but have not been able to find anything. I have attached photos of watch face and inside parts. Please help me find the information needed on this watch. Thank you Kim Hello flexibleflyer3, welcome to SheffieldHistory and thank you for posting. I'm sure someone on here will be able to help. Your first picture of the watch face reminds me of another topic we have on here about dodgy clocks. This watch really is dodgy isn't it. A SWISS watch (a sign of quality), but made in THAILAND (presumably for cheap labour) and a dial without numbers but which carries the word SHEFFIELD , very British sounding but more usually associated with knives and forks. How interesting Would certainly be nice to find out a bit more about it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Hello everyone, My name is Kimberly and I recently came across a watch that has been past down in the family years ago. I am looking for information on the watch but have not been able to find anything. I have attached photos of watch face and inside parts. Please help me find the information needed on this watch. Thank you Kim When you say it was passed down in the family years ago can you be a bit more specific with an approximate date? The second picture showing the internal mechanism cleary shows it to be an electronic quartz movement rather than a mechanical wind up watch, so are we looking at less than 60 years old? The first quartz clocks date back to 1927, but quartz watches are much later due to problems required in miniturisation. They are definately post war and were not available before 1954, at which time they would have to compete with established mechanical watches on price, timekeeping and reliability so it was many years after that they became popular. A date may help with further identification of this watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayleaf Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Don't know if this helps, but this refers to a 'Swiss Sheffield' movement. The word Sheffield on the dial appears similar to that on the one in the post, so the Sheffield connection would appear to be not to our Sheffield but to the type of movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Don't know if this helps, but this refers to a 'Swiss Sheffield' movement. The word Sheffield on the dial appears similar to that on the one in the post, so the Sheffield connection would appear to be not to our Sheffield but to the type of movement. Gets even more interesting, - and I like to learn something new. I have never heard of a Swiss Sheffield watch. I don't think the word Sheffield refers to the movement as the one shown by flexibleflyer3 is a quartz electronic movement (note the battery and coil set up) while the one in your link is a mechanical movement (note the balance wheel to the left and the bearings on the block), yet both are Swiss Sheffield watches. I wonder if it simply means that the watch casing and mechanical components are made of stainless steel (common in watches and often stamped on the back of their cases "stainless steel") from Sheffield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayleaf Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Gets even more interesting, - and I like to learn something new. I have never heard of a Swiss Sheffield watch. I don't think the word Sheffield refers to the movement as the one shown by flexibleflyer3 is a quartz electronic movement (note the battery and coil set up) while the one in your link is a mechanical movement (note the balance wheel to the left and the bearings on the block), yet both are Swiss Sheffield watches. I wonder if it simply means that the watch casing and mechanical components are made of stainless steel (common in watches and often stamped on the back of their cases "stainless steel") from Sheffield. On the other hand they are both swiss watch movements, and the quartz may simply be a later generation of the earlier mechanical movement, still bearing the name Swiss Sheffield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 On the other hand they are both swiss watch movements, and the quartz may simply be a later generation of the earlier mechanical movement, still bearing the name Swiss Sheffield. Still seems a strange choice of name, as the Swiss are rightly proud of their worldwide reputation for quality watchmaking, why not the Zurich movement, or the Berne movement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syrup Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 There seems to be plenty of Sheffield Watches on E-Bay. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=sheffield+watch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syrup Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 New York Based. Sheffield Watch, Inc 417 Fifth Ave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayleaf Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 According to one of the websites, Sheffield watches were the Timex of their day. The only one with any value is their divers' watch. The 'Sheffield' on Syrup's cerificate looks a lot like the one on the watch dials. So do we have a swiss watch, with a movement designed by an American company, assembled in Thailand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 According to one of the websites, Sheffield watches were the Timex of their day. The only one with any value is their divers' watch. Timex were only cheap and low value because thaey were mass produced. They were still a good reliable timepiece and many of my generation learned to tell the time with one and had one as their first watch. Does your website quote merely imply that the Sheffield watches were mass produced to keep the unit cost down? The divers watch would be more expensive as it would have to be waterproof to a specified depth / water pressure, although it could contain the same cheaply produced mechanism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 According to one of the websites, Sheffield watches were the Timex of their day. The only one with any value is their divers' watch. The 'Sheffield' on Syrup's cerificate looks a lot like the one on the watch dials. So do we have a swiss watch, with a movement designed by an American company, assembled in Thailand? I agree with writing style, looks very similar to me. So, Swiss, American, Siamese and a British name! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayleaf Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Timex were only cheap and low value because thaey were mass produced. They were still a good reliable timepiece and many of my generation learned to tell the time with one and had one as their first watch. Does your website quote merely imply that the Sheffield watches were mass produced to keep the unit cost down? The divers watch would be more expensive as it would have to be waterproof to a specified depth / water pressure, although it could contain the same cheaply produced mechanism. Quoting from here, The discussion is not unlike the one we've been having! Reading down, they would seem to be cheap but durable, but mostly cheap costume jewellery type watches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Quoting from here, The discussion is not unlike the one we've been having! Reading down, they would seem to be cheap but durable, but mostly cheap costume jewellery type watches. That link, if you follow the full thread, throws up a lot of interesting points, not only to do with value and collectability. It seems that Sheffield watches were made in many places and that providing the movement was made in Switzerland it can describe itself as "Swiss" Swiss movement manufacturers exported their parts so that they could be assembled elsewhere The Sheffield watch co. appears to be in New York, USA, but countries such as Thailand and West Germany also appear on dials and backs of these watches. Still a bit of a mystery worthy of further delving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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