The Smallest Watch in the Collection
I was going to post this for #WRUW, but it’s such an obvious cheat. I can’t wear it, even if I would risk doing so. It’s completely unadjustable in its bracelet size, and the bracelet is one piece with the case.
It is however, a Swiss automatic watch, that belonged to my grandmother (still keeps good time so far as I can tell) and I am not even sure who manufactured it. (I think Lanco, the same as my Grandads watch… the very first watch I shared on here)
I thought people would be interested to see it — even though it is difficult to dust and clean what with being tiny and intricate — and would be curious if anyone knows anything about it.
It’s by far the smallest working watch I have ever seen, and I found out it was automatic by accident (it started ticking before winding after I moved it about a bit cleaning it — not the most scientific test) and for scale, here it is beside an F91W:
Her other watches were mostly quartz Ingersoll, and most seem not to want to work even after chewing them up removing the backs and sticking in fresh batteries. But this little mechanical wonder keeps ticking. I keep it as a pair with my Grandads, and now and then I wind them both, and let them tick next to each other again. A small horological memorial to a pair who were and are something of an inspiration to me.
Fortysomething stay-at-home father. Descendant of tinkerers, engineers, and owner of many pencils, tools, and arcane measuring devices.
I guess it has some jewelry-like clasp?
Great story! Interesting bracelet too, I’ve never seen one like it.
Awesome. I've seen some pretty small watches in rings before. Jaeger-LeCoultre have made some damn small movements too.
It might not be an automatic (not that it matters). There might have been just enough energy in the mainspring (and the oils dry enough) that moving it around got the balance going.
Thanks for sharing!
I guess it has some jewelry-like clasp?
Yup, small fold over latch.
Ive also got one tiny Watch from my Grandmother when she died. Its a Junghans with 17 Jewels, Handwound in 17mm Case diameter.
This is it next to my 40mm Farer Stanhope 2
It runs for about 5 Minutes and stops again, so it needs a Service but it just so tiny for me so i dont bother about it.
A lovely memorial treasure from you grandma. I got my grandma’s Hamilton which is tiny too. Do ladies even wear tiny watches anymore?
Ive also got one tiny Watch from my Grandmother when she died. Its a Junghans with 17 Jewels, Handwound in 17mm Case diameter.
This is it next to my 40mm Farer Stanhope 2
It runs for about 5 Minutes and stops again, so it needs a Service but it just so tiny for me so i dont bother about it.
It seems weird doesn’t it, the way they literally fit between the lugs of most ‘usual’ watches.
A lovely memorial treasure from you grandma. I got my grandma’s Hamilton which is tiny too. Do ladies even wear tiny watches anymore?
I know some ranges do them, but it’s something that very much switched to quartz I think.
My wife wears a wide variety of watches. She is lucky in that although she has a small wrist, it is wide and flat which allows her to wear larger watches comfortably. These are both watches that she wears and many more in between these sizes.
My wife wears a wide variety of watches. She is lucky in that although she has a small wrist, it is wide and flat which allows her to wear larger watches comfortably. These are both watches that she wears and many more in between these sizes.
That gives a sense of scale doesn’t it? XD
I think it’s all about individual taste.
Though that does remind me of when I was a teen and used to stick a post-it note on my watch with a shopping list on for some reason.