The serial number of a watch has several purposes. Monarch 14K Gold-Filled Case Advertisement.Most premium watch manufacturers engrave their watches with serial numbers. Most of the 'tests' for gold are not at all foolproof, almost invariably those 'tests' are intrusive, the acid remains and burns the case often permanently damaging the movement.Ĭhecking page 59 of the Ehrhardt Trade Mark Book reveals a direct reference to 'Monarch' and a number of other 'Gold-Filled' model names, one must also consider the advertisement below this posting. The only exception I can think of is 'Brooklyn Eagle' which is an 8K Solid-Gold case. It is important to remember that if you find 'Monarch' along '14K' it means '14K Gold Filled' and if you see 'Monarch' or practically any other name from a very long list of 'Gold-Filled' model names alone with the manufacturers name it will almost invariably turn out to be a Gold-Filled case. If you do an IHC185 Find-Or-Search for 'Monarch Case' the information found there may help in this discussion. Questions about 'Monarch' and other names have been raised in our forums numerous times over the years.

Steve's case would have been made before the stated content law took effect. They could keep their names but content had to be clearly stated. The problems were so great that by the early 1920s the government stepped in and did away with all the time-statements, requiring gold content to be specifically stated on all jewelry items which of course included watch cases. In the jewelry trade all the various model names were well known, nobody was fooled there, but among the public it was and is even today a whole different story.

The name 'Monarch' was a well-known trade mark and it was used only on Gold-Filled cases. When you see 'Monarch' then it is ALWAYS a Gold-Filled case, there is no if, no but, no maybe, period.Ĭase companies were absorbed, one into another, the 'Monarch' trade marked name originated with Fahys as a Gold-Filled Case and that continued over the years through a succession of owners. The majority of 'Brooklyn Watch Case Company' cases are solid-gold, but the 'dog-bone' trade-mark should be accompanied by a form of '14-K' or better yet the 'Warranted to U.S. The easy answer to Steve's question is NO, THAT IS NOT a Solid-Gold case.

Fahys watch case serial numbers