Railroad Regulator Pocket Watch

by William Courtier
(Norfolk, VA)

Is this a Railroad Regulator Pocket Watch.

My grandfather gave me a pocket watch when I was only 12 years old. He had very little history on the watch, other than he had owned it for quite some time. He said that it is a railroad regulator's pocket watch. He also said they had an incredible reputation for being very accurate and that they were kind of rare. He knew nothing else. He grew up and lived mostly in the states of Missouri and Iowa, with a short residence in Minnesota. He was always trading and bartering, yet never was willing to part with this item due to his desire to pass it down the family.

So, here I am. My grandfather passed away almost 5 years ago, and I am now trying to identify this watch. I am now 25, and have no interest in selling the watch. I am just trying to identify it and figure out what the value of it in case I need to purchase special insurance for it.

The watch is pretty large, and is quite heavy. I did have it reworked about 10 years ago, and had it operating perfectly. The man I had repair it offered me $1,000 for it back then, and said that he would be purchasing it specifically to resell and make money. The watch is all original, with the exception of the minute hand (replaced since the original was broken, although incredibly close to original). The watch has since been wound too tight by my cousin, and it will only run for 6-8 hours at a time right now. I know that I need it repaired, but have been in the US Navy for the last 6.5 years and have yet to get it taken to a shop again.

The watch has no particular identifying marks that tell me a manufacturer. On the inside of the back, it does have an insignia which says "RAIL ROAD REGULATOR" with a steam engine in the center. Below that appears to be a serial number, which appears to have been hand punched into the casing. It has the following numbers: 6 2 8 0 0 or 6 2 8 8 0 (the second to last number is difficult to read). The watch has an adjustable speed, and has another insignia on the backing plate to the mechanics stating "Registered Trademark" with a single star in the center and banners on either side. One interesting point about this watch is that the watch is set by pressing in on a raised button on the upper-right hand side of the watch as looking from the front.

I have still never found another copy of this watch. I can not figure out the manufacturer, where it came from, or the history. I am just interested in figuring out anything I can about this watch.

Please help me identify my watch! Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. If you can help me, or would like more information, please respond here. Thank you very much!