Standard Time

Webb C. Ball Rejects “Freakish” Railroad Dials

By Nathan Moore

Shortly after Henry S. Montgomery introduced the new generation of his “Safety Dial” design in April 1920, Webb C. Ball launched an attack rejecting any dial with “fantastic figures or freakish designs.” Ball was arguably the most prolific figure associated with time inspection on the...

Dials , History , Railroad Watches , Railroads , Time-Telling

Adoption of the 24-Hour Standard Time System on Canadian Railroads

By Nathan Moore

In June 1886, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company established new requirements for dials, specifying that the figures 13 to 24 must accompany the conventional hour indicators, aligning with the newly-adopted.

Dials , History , Railroad Watches , Waltham

The Introduction of the Twenty-Four Hour Division Dial (The “Canadian Dial”)

By Nathan Moore

Pictured: Waltham “Twenty-Four Hour Division Dial” Fitted on a 18-Size P.S. Bartlett Movement, c.1907. The adoption of standard time by the railroad industry in 1883 spurred a flurry of innovative.