Waltham Non Magnetic

[Howard Marken]

Recently on Ebay there was a Waltham '83 listed as NOT being a non magnetic but it had a white hairspring, implying that a special hairspring is what made the non magnetic different from other '83s. I recently bought a non magnetic movement but it has a black, (not blue) hairspring. All the parts are orginal, serial #s match, but of course, the balance could have been changed. Was a special hairspring what made a non magnetic unique, or were there other factors also? Was the '83 the only non magnetic movement Waltham offered? Thanks for any information. Howard

[Howard Marken]

Recently on Ebay there was a Waltham '83 listed as NOT being a non magnetic but it had a white hairspring, implying that a special hairspring is what made the non magnetic different from other '83s. I recently bought a non magnetic movement but it has a black, (not blue) hairspring. All the parts are orginal, serial #s match, but of course, the balance could have been changed. Was a special hairspring what made a non magnetic unique, or were there other factors also? Was the '83 the only non magnetic movement Waltham offered? Thanks for any information. Howard

[Steven Mercer]

Howard

From what I understand, on a non-magnetic watch the hairspring, balance wheel and pallet are all made from a non-magnetic material. There could be other parts but I am not a watchmaker and have never had a watch apart. Hopefully somebody more knowledgable will post if there are any other parts of information to add.

I do know that the non-magnetic hairspring breaks easier than the regular blue hairspring and over the years are replaced more often than not with the regular hairsprings.

On the Chapter 149 board we have a thread going for old ref::Non-Magnetic Walthams. Waltham made non-mag watches in a variety of models.

[Kent]

Howard:

To add to what Steve said, when Waltham introduced their Non-Magnetic watches in November 1887, they explained what parts were changed. They also announced a retrofit service for existing watches (see link below). The Non-Magnetic hairsprings were white.

[Kent]

A year or so later, additional Non-Magnetic models and grades were being announced.

[mikeh]

Howard,

Since you asked about the parts used in these, another interesting variation (to me anyway) is this model 83 (http://www.knology.net/~hodo/images/83_atco_gd2.JPG). There are two pair of white screws (presumably platinum) on the balance wheel, and the bimetallic wheel itself is made of different metals than the usual ?brass? and steel. These have been seen in at least two different runs, but not all watches in those runs have this configuration.

[Howard Marken]

Thanks to everyone. I guess my non magnetic is not so non magnetic any more. I took the balance out and the serial # on the arms is different from the watch so it has been changed. I wonder if there is any record of what material was actually used in the balance and hair spring. It is still a nice watch and runs very well after I cleaned and oiled it. Thanks again for your help.

[Jon Hanson]

It has been SWITCHED!

[Howard Marken]

Mike, that watch is a honey. I think my balance must be like yours except all my screws are gold. I looked at it with a loupe and it is two metals. (My first statement was an error, but it was an accident, like all my other mistakes!) The balance arm mateiral is shiny and is very thin on the inside, covered with a whiteish material, four or five times thicker, which has a matte or anodized appearance. The hair spring is blue but could well have been changed. Did this start out as a non magenetic? Were there non magnetics not marked as such? Thanks. Howard

[mikeh]

Howard,

Thanks, it's one of my favorite watches.

Your balance sounds correct. You can always check the Online Waltham Database (http://www.nawcc-info.org/WalthamDB/LookupSN.asp) for your serial number. It may be listed in the comment field.

I don't have any facts and figures to back it up, but it's my gut feeling that there were as many model 83 Non-Mags unmarked as there were marked, and maybe more.