Hadlebar mounted Pocket Watch or stopwatch

[NiteOwl]

I remember my granddad had an old pocket watch or timer attached to his handlebars of his old Harley, it might have said AMA or Harley Davidson, I really can't remember. The watch clipped to the handlebars and the face of the watch was covered except for an opening (hole) to see the time while the glass was still protected.

Does anyone know what this was or have any information on one of these?

[34 cac]

Here is my Watch holder on my 1912 Harley. They are pretty rare I think. I also remember some were triangle shaped. Gary

[pfindlay]

Here is the view from the seat of my '13 Henderson. I have one of the triangular ones on my bars.

5D3B3471a.jpg

[Rubone]

From the 1919 H-D accessory catalog

[NiteOwl]

Here is the view from the seat of my '13 Henderson. I have one of the triangular ones on my bars.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19321[/ATTACH]

Thats exactly what i am searching for to buy. Thankyou for the photo. Looks great.

[Steve Swan]

Is this something that a pocket watch fits in to or is the whole thing a pocket watch ?

Or were both a holder for a watch and an entire watch that was designed to fit the handlebar both options ?

I have a speedometer and ammeter on my 27JD, the watch accessory would be a really nice feature.

[34 cac]

The correct size pocket watch fits in the holder. The top of my case screws off. Gary

[Tommo]

The hard thing is to find a watch with the winder at 6 o'clock.
It's like that so the water doesn't enter the watch down the winder quill while you're riding along in the rain.
Here in NZ I've looked at hundreds of watches and have only ever seen two motorcycle ones, neither for sale.
When you ask antique dealers for a watch with the winder at 6 o'clock all you get is a blank look.

[NiteOwl]

I see its going to be a challenge to find one. Thats part of the fun.

[Rubone]

Any watch repairman worth his claim can reverse the face. The internals don't care...

[Steve Swan]

any thoughts on this one ?

Watch.jpg

[NiteOwl]

Very nice. Does the backside have a lockable mount as suggested in some of the literature?

[Steve Swan]

i don't know, i found the picture on the internet. wondering what era of the factory's history it could be.

[Rubone]

Steve, Most of those watches, Elgin in particular, are fakes. The factory never did them, but watchmakers of the time had many logo faces they could add to customize watches. In the '80s and '90s lots of fakes were created with screened faces. Older original logo watches from Elgin were fired porcelain faces or steel faces. Most repop are screened or water transfer decals. Be very wary of any claims.

Here is a custom faced watch owned by an old dealer with his initials and surname on the face. This is an etched steel face.

[Steve Swan]

Very Nice ! Thanks for sharing Robbie !