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New England Telephone Stopwatch

Started by Sargeguy, March 12, 2014, 07:06:40 PM

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Sargeguy

A cool old piece of telco equipment-C.L. Guinand & Locle stop watch with a case inscribed N.E.T. & T. Co. SOUTH DIV. TRAFFIC.  Appears to date from the early 1900s. 
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Contempra

I see a lot of Pocket watches but it is the first time I see one like this..is it yours sargeguy?

Sargeguy

It is now.  This was listed as a police pocket watch, probably due to the traffic reference.  I saw it originally at $129, then $99, then finally $79.99.  I am a sucker for NET&T marked equipment.  These watches are relatively inexpensive so it should be easy to find a parts watch to replace the crystal and the faceplate. 
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Contempra

Quote from: Sargeguy on March 12, 2014, 08:36:41 PM
It is now.  This was listed as a police pocket watch, probably due to the traffic reference.  I saw it originally at $129, then $99, then finally $79.99.  I am a sucker for NET&T marked equipment.  These watches are relatively inexpensive so it should be easy to find a parts watch to replace the crystal and the faceplate. 

Nice stop Watch.. I collected some Pocket watches over the years but they are sold now. i've never had a stopwatch. probably one day ;)

Sargeguy

#4
The phone arrived today and it works fairly well considering.  After 15 minutes of running it is within a second of my digital timer.  This type of 100 second stop watch is known as an "industrial stop watch".  I wonder what it was used for? 
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

rdelius

possibly to time toll calls instead of a Calcaugraph

xhausted110

Quote from: Sargeguy on March 17, 2014, 05:48:21 PM
The phone arrived today and it works fairly well considering.  After 15 minutes of running it is within a second of my digital timer.  This type of 100 second stop watch is known as an "industrial stop watch".  I wonder what it was used for? 
you are so used to getting phones in the mail that you called it a phone!
- Evan

DavePEI

Quote from: xhausted110 on March 17, 2014, 08:27:14 PM
Quote from: Sargeguy on March 17, 2014, 05:48:21 PM
The phone arrived today and it works fairly well considering.  After 15 minutes of running it is within a second of my digital timer.  This type of 100 second stop watch is known as an "industrial stop watch".  I wonder what it was used for? 
you are so used to getting phones in the mail that you called it a phone!
I saw that, but I wasn't going to rub it in... Glad you did! :)

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

Sargeguy

#8
That's what happens when you have a 5-year old crawling on your lap demanding to watch the second half of "Free Birds".
Quote
possibly to time toll calls instead of a Calcaugraph

I thought about whether they were used to time calls but I thought they would use a calcugraph or something simpler to operate.  They would have needed a lot of watches.  Then I noticed that it was engraved "119" on the side.  I also noticed several marks scratched into the inside of the lid.  They were all the letter A followed by 3 numbers.  There is also a mark "W.E. 48"  Maybe this watch pre-dates the calcugraph?
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

G-Man

Worthless for timing toll calls. Possibly used for timing dialtone delay for traffic studies, determine dial speed, call answering, etc.

Sargeguy

I think this watch is pre-WWI based on the markings, which seem older than some WWI era examples.  This would mean it predates the use of dials by NET&T.  I am trying to get a date based upon the serial # which should narrow it down.  I agree that it would be awkward to use one of these for tracking toll calls, but why would it be useless? 
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

poplar1

Well, if it does predate New England T&T's use of dials, then it would have been "worthless" for "timing dial tone delay" or "determining dial speed."
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

Sargeguy

I mean useless for timing toll calls.  It seems to me you could time at least one call.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

G-Man

Worthless as in it would be far too cumbersome to have a half-dozen or more at each operator's position to time toll calls.
However it could have been used for other traffic studies and of course it SHOULD go without saying that it would not have been used for measuring dialtone delay if its use predates automatic equipment.

G-Man

Quote from: G-Man on March 18, 2014, 11:09:50 PM
Worthless as in it would be far too cumbersome to have a half-dozen or more at each operator’s position to time toll calls.
However it could have been used for other traffic studies and of course it SHOULD go without saying that it would not have been used for measuring dialtone delay if its use predates automatic equipment.

Also, I should have added that it IS a nice collectable and it would be nice to find out precisely what its intended use was.