Description:

Elgin DeLuxe 17J wrist watch, vintage mechanical manual-wind movement, single sunk (SS) champagne-toned metal dial with fancy raised gold Arabic numbers and a black Star Cars logo, gold steel baton style hands and a subsidiary seconds register, nice rectangular yellow gold filled (YGF) smooth polish case with a narrow bezel and tapered segments connecting to the classic, short extended lugs, measures approx. 22mm wide x 38mm lug to lug x 10mm thick (crystal included), textured black leather band. A handsome vintage Elgin advertising watch in excellent condition!


Item Specifics:

  • Age Description: 02Vintage (1940-1980)
  • Company: Elgin
  • Jewels: 1117J
  • Setting/Movement Type: manual-wind
  • Model/Grade: DeLuxe
  • Dial Material: metal
  • Dial Color: champagne
  • Dial Details: Star Cars advertising
  • Hand Style: baton - light
  • Case Style: rectangular
  • Case Material: Gold Filled - Yellow
  • Case Width, without crown: 22mm (0.87 inches)
  • Case Length, lug to lug:  38mm (1.50 inches)
  • Case Thickness:  9mm (0.35 inches)
  • Interior Lug Width:  16mm (5/8")
  • Band Size: 7in. to 7.99in.
    (measurement range includes watch length & band)
  • Band Material: leather strap
  • Crystal Material: plastic
  • Condition: Excellent
  • Gender: Unisex

Logo Info:

On all but a few of the advertising logos, mainly Packard from the Hamilton company and Studebaker from South Bend, the logos would have been commissioned through a professional dial company after they left the factory to have the logo applied. For instance, a car dealership might have them added as a promotion, a motorcycle club would have ones done for each of their members, etc.


On the watch/logo combinations that may not match up on a timeline (the watch was made prior to the automobile company being formed, for instance), what we understand could have happened is, say for a car club, the members would need to provide their own watch to which the emblems would be added. Someone might have wanted a Harley logo on "Grandpa Bob's" old pocket watch, and would have had the dial pulled from that. Other than the Packard/Hamilton & Studebaker/South Bend arrangements, it was a free-for-all on the pairings and you could find just about any combination of manufacturer with the different logos.


We do also have a pretty good selection of the vintage dials that have emblems on them, but that are not attached to a watch yet. Often in the past, a customer would want a watch without the advertising, so we would just pull the printed dial and replace it with a similar-style plain dial, then set the printed one aside. If you have something specific you are looking for, please drop us a note to see if we have anything in our stock that might work for you.