Signed watches

On the back of a case, a discreet inscription catches my eye. A name, a date: the watch becomes a human archive.

An engraving on the caseback

A signed watch bears an engraving on its caseback: a name, a date, a dedication. That inscription sets it apart from an ordinary collectible watch.

It is not a mere object. It carries the trace of a hand, a gesture, a particular intention.

The engraving does more than adorn the metal: it holds on to a fragment of a life.

Every scratch, every engraving, every sign of wear — even the slightest — tells something that official archives often forget.

The investigation

When a watch is signed, I investigate to find out who wore it.

My latest search concerned a gold Longines 23ZS. The caseback bore the engraving “Bob Mc Carron, OHIO TAPPI Treasurer 1948-53”.

This vintage watch was given for a thirty-five-year career, in the industrial America of the 1950s. Back then, some companies rewarded their most loyal executives with engraved Swiss watches.

The engraving mentioned a treasurer’s post and specific years. Those details allowed me to pinpoint the association.

I wrote to the TAPPI association: they replied. That correspondence gives the object back its story.

The engraving becomes a clue. It links a name to a life’s path, an object to an era.

I am writing a book about engraved watches, to be published soon.

Your engraved watch

Do you own an engraved watch? Send me a photo of the engraving. I’ll investigate.

Every account helps me trace lives and piece together the stories of watches that time erases.

Your watch may have a story much like this one.