From Donkeys to Elephants...

So... The time has come to auction the little chap below which was kindly donated by @Aurelian (Thank you Greg).

On paper, it was a fairly straightforward task to repair and restore this watch but, nonetheless, I still managed to make a small (😬) error with the dial which is documented here: https://www.watchcrunch.com/GasWorks/posts/gasworks-does-a-stupid-231106

I tried a few different things in an attempt to pull a pheonix from the flames (of my own making) but none were particularly marvelous. In the end, I decided to use that American classic the Airstream as my inspiration and left it... in the metal. This was definitely a choice and definitely not a convenient design hook on which to hang my sorry hat. 😏

I think it actually works quite well but I may be in an exclusive club with that opinion.

And so it goes to auction - which was always the intention.

The charity, rightfully chosen by our benefactor Greg, is the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. It's baby elephants; orphaned baby elephants. Unlike the one in the header picture which is lucky enough to still have a mummy.

https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/

The watch itself is a Santa Fe who were a pocket watch maker out of Topeka, Kansas. They were mail order but went out of business in the 1950's. (You can probably tell that bit came from Greg)

It's only 30mm in diameter, has a lug-to-lug of 41mm, a depth of 9.7mm and a lug width of 16mm.

The movement is a hand winding A.Schild AS1187. It's seen some action but, after a thorough clean and service, it's running pretty well.

It's been serviced at least 4 times as can be seen by the service marks. Some clown calling himself Gasworks has scrawled something there too 🙄

I've given the case an overhaul with polished sides and a concentric brush on top. It's been treated to a nice new acrylic crystal too.

Along with the dial... err... improvements I've re-lumed the pips at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 and also the hands.

I've put it on an oxblood, leather strap which I thought would both compliment and highlight that dark red seconds hand.

I'll run the auction until 21:00 UTC on Tuesday, 21st November at which point the highest bid wins the watch... and the eternal gratitude of dozens of little elephants.

I'll start the bidding at £10