How to Determine the Size of a Watch

Jeff Sexton
jsexton@elgintime.com

Watch Size Systems

The size of the movement is measured as the narrowest distance across the dial plate. On a typical
round pocketwatch, this is just the distance straight across to lower plate, through the center.
Measuring the dial itself will come pretty close on most watches, but that distance will often be a bit
less. Importantly, this measurement is the dial side of the movement, not the size of the watch
case.
A "lignes", pronounced like "lines", is 1/12th of an old style French inch, which is a bit larger than
an English inch. One lignes is 2.25583mm. Swiss watches are often seen described by their
size in lignes.
The Lancashire Gauge for determining watch sizes is of English origin, although its exact roots
are not known. In this system, 1 5/30th of an inch is taken to be a base figure of zero. This system
of watch sizes, sizes like 18, 12 and 16, is typically used in describing vintage
American pocketwatches.
The measurements in the following table are commonly referred to pocketwatch movement sizes
from large to small.

Watch Size

Inches with 30ths

Decimal Inches

Lignes

Millimeters

18s
17s
16s
15s
14s
13s
12s
11s
10s
9s
8s
7s
6s
5s
4s
3s
2s
1s
0s
2/0s
3/0s
4/0s
5/0s
6/0s
7/0s
8/0s
9/0s
10/0s
11/0s
12/0s
13/0s
14/0s
15/0s
16/0s
17/0s
18/0s
19/0s
20/0s
21/0s
22/0s
23/0s
24/0s
25/0s
26/0s

1 23/30
1 22/30
1 21/30
1 20/30
1 19/30
1 18/30
1 17/30
1 16/30
1 15/30
1 14/30
1 13/30
1 12/30
1 11/30
1 10/30
1 9/30
1 8/30
1 7/30
1 6/30
1 5/30
1 4/30
1 3/30
1 2/30
1 1/30
1 0/30
29/30
28/30
27/30
26/30
25/30
24/30
23/30
22/30
21/30
20/30
19/30
18/30
17/30
16/30
15/30
14/30
13/30
12/30
11/30
10/30

1.766
1.733
1.700
1.666
1.633
1.600
1.566
1.533
1.500
1.466
1.433
1.400
1.366
1.333
1.300
1.266
1.233
1.200
1.166
1.133
1.100
1.066
1.033
1.000
.966
.933
.900
.866
.833
.800
.766
.733
.700
.666
.633
.600
.566
.533
.500
.466
.433
.400
.366
.333

19.87
19.50
19.12
18.75
18.37
18.00
17.62
17.25
16.87
16.50
16.12
15.75
15.37
15.00
14.62
14.25
13.87
13.50
13.12
12.75
12.37
12.00
11.62
11.25
10.87
10.50
10.12
9.75
9.37
9.00
8.62
8.25
7.87
7.50
7.12
6.75
6.37
6.00
5.62
5.25
4.87
4.50
4.12
3.75

44.86
44.02
43.17
42.33
41.48
40.63
39.79
38.94
38.09
37.25
36.40
35.55
34.71
33.86
33.01
32.17
31.32
30.47
29.63
28.78
27.93
27.09
26.24
25.39
24.55
23.70
22.85
22.01
21.16
20.31
19.47
18.62
17.77
16.93
16.08
15.23
14.39
13.54
12.69
11.85
11.00
10.15
9.31
8.46