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
New!
​​​Major Lachlan Mitchell: 1917 WW1 Trench Watch
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“...Sohag [Egypt] is still as hot as ever & between two & four I lie in my tent stark naked with nothing on but a wristwatch!!”
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Major Lachlan Mitchell (1887–1956) was a Scottish doctor who bravely served in the British RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) from 1914-1918. In 1916, his medical unit became part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in their fight against the Ottoman Empire. ​​​​While serving in Egypt and Palestine in 1917, Dr. Mitchell scratched the following on the back of his trench watch: ​​
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​“Major L. M. V. Mitchell ~ RAMC TF ~ EEF 1917”
[Major Lachlan Martin Victor Mitchell ~ Royal Army Medical Corps Territorial Force ~ Egyptian Expeditionary Force 1917]​​​​
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Click photo below to read his story:
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​Dr. Mitchell's watch was returned
to his grandson George Harvey in March 2025
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!
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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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