Time Capsule
Vintage Personalized Wristwatches & the Stories They Tell
"You never actually own a watch...You merely look after it for the next generation" **
** Thank you, Patek Philippe
What are Time Capsule Watches?
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They are vintage personalized timepieces engraved with the original owner’s name & other information enabling me to uniquely identify, research, and (hopefully) return them to the owner’s family.
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Most belonged to servicemen (WW1 / WW2) or athletes, but there are also watches owned by an Alaska Gold Rush pioneer; an aviatrix friend of Amelia Earhart; and a notorious 1930’s St. Paul gangster.
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Click thru Menus above. Enjoy the stories -- and wristwatches -- of these remarkable people!
New!
Mary F. Starr: WW1 Red Cross Ambulance Driver​​
1918 Waltham Depollier Trench Watch
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Mary Starr (1884 - ??) was a WW1 heroine, serving as one of the first female battlefront ambulance drivers for the American Red Cross (ARC) Overseas Motor Corps.
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ln September 1918, prior to sailing on a troop ship to Europe, she purchased a silver, 15-jewel Waltham Depollier-cased trench watch, engraved on the back, “Mary F. Starr ~ 4772 ~ A.R.C. ~ A.E.F. 18”. As she explained after arriving in France,
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"​​I have my [A.R.C.] disk with my number on it and attached to a silver chain around my neck. I have this engraved on the back of my wrist watch, “Mary F. Starr No. 4772 A.R.C.”. The same number appears on the disk. If my head is blown off the number will be on my wrist, and if my arm is torn off the number will be on my neck. I am going into a dangerous sector…..”. ​
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Click below to read her incredible story:
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WW1 Military Watches
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WW2/Cold War Military Watches
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Athletes Watches
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Presentation/Personal Watches
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The Time Capsule Collection of Vintage Watches
Bob Stokes
​"You never actually own a watch....you merely look after it for the next generation"
I have spent my entire life collecting something. 1950s baseball cards (yup, I had all the Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays cards...) -- and of course my Mom threw them all out when I went to college. Over the next fifty years, that morphed into Victorian Furniture, Victor Talking Machines / Nipper collectibles, 19th Century Advertising; Opera memorabilia – and finally, vintage personalized wristwatches.
Why? First, through the miracle of the Internet, the lives of the original owners have have been documented and preserved -- military heroes; athletes; community leaders. Second, each watch is unique -- it is the only one in the world. If you don't buy it, no amount of money can get it for you. And third, when I research the owner's family, I can return it to them for posterity.
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CONTACT ME
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