Last Waltham

[Dr. Jon]

What was the last Waltham pocket watch made and its serial number? We all look for the earliest but I started wonder about the last.

I know a lot of workers made up watches from stock, usually with tacit company approval, so I 'd like to limit this to factory production.

[Dr. Jon]

What was the last Waltham pocket watch made and its serial number? We all look for the earliest but I started wonder about the last.

I know a lot of workers made up watches from stock, usually with tacit company approval, so I 'd like to limit this to factory production.

[CZHACK]

I do not have a clue ....... but like the question a lot. I look forward to responses from the experts on Waltham and can think of other makers where this would be very interesting (companies that went out on an upward trend in technology, others that had moved from high quality roots to mass market etc).

[doug sinclair]

Dr. Jon,

I don't know about the LAST one, but here is a very LATE one pictured (http://members.shaw.ca/doug.sinclair/P1010072.JPG) here. It is S # 33768571. If my copy of the grey book is to believed, this one is from the last run of Vanguards, and was produced in January, 1953. Grade 1623, 23-jewels. The last serial number was 33780900. This watch was purchased new in Southern Alberta (Canada) in 1954, placed in a pocket watch protecting case, and put into a drawer. In 1971, when the original owner was downsizing late in life, he called a friend to see if he was interested in the watch. He was, and he bought it and likewise, took it home and put it into a drawer. I bought it from him in 1999, and likewise, I've never used it. It has been cleaned once, by me. Completely original in every way except the glass crystal was cracked and I replaced it with another glass one. Picture quality is not the greatest. I could do better.

[Jerry Treiman]

The last pocketwatch listed is a 21-jewel grade 1621 in the serial number run 33,824,401-33,825,400 from June 1953. It was followed by a time lock, a wristwatch and an aircraft clock (November 1953). One of those 1,000 late pocketwatches probably will turn up if you look for it.

[Kent]

Actually, the serial numbers go above 34,500,000. I own a 1623 Vanguard, serial number 34,501,639 and Ed & I have a few higher numbered ones in our data base.

[Jerry Treiman]

Hmmm... I have two different copies of the Waltham serial number list (gray book), apparently from different vintages and each stops at different numbers. The highest number listed in mine is 33,843,800 (8-day aircraft clock). Does anyone have a production list that goes as high as Kent's watch or higher?

[Jon Hanson]

I have a 23J one signed 71,000,000!

[Jon Hanson]

I have ne thatis 71,000,000!

[Jon Hanson]

I have one that is 71,000,000!

[Dr. Jon]

Thanks for the neat information.

I looked at my Gray book which goes to 1953 and I noticed some 1623 and some 1908 Vanguard runs alternating. What is the difference between these late 1908 models and the 1623 model?

[Kent]

During the late 1930s, there was a transition during which the lever was moved from the 6 minute position to the 56 minute position, the damaskeening was reduced to a simple bar pattern and the screw-down jewel settings were eliminated. I'm not clear what other differences exist and when it stopped being a model 1908 and became a 1623. I don't think that these transitions were as sharp as might be indicated in the gray book.

On the other hand, I've never actually looked that carefully to correlate the model listed in the gray book to the examples I've seen.

[Barry J. Fish]

Good morning,

How is a 71 MILLION Waltham possible?

Is this a fake, an error or typo?

Barry

[Dr. Jon]

That part of the discussion continues on the board of the chapter that can not be named.

[Jerry Treiman]

In brief, the movement is a 23-jewel Waltham bridge model that was made for Keystone-Howard with a visible serial number in the 1-millions (Howard number) on the barrel bridge. It was made circa 1905. It is my theory that as Keystone finally began production of their own movements they ceased selling the equivalent movements made for them by Waltham. Keystone removed the Howard name from these and refinished them as nameless movements, probably to be jobbed out anonymously. Perhaps uniquely, this movement had a "7" stamped in front of the rest of the serial number -- 71005344.
http://static.flickr.com/76/168706248_20fc9f90d6_o.jpg
(photo courtesy of Jon Hanson)

[Fred Hansen]

Very beautiful movement!

Fred

[wally waltham]

Hi All,
I have 33,776,569 a late Vanguard 1623 and 33,861,821 a Waltham movement in a Mosler time lock.
Just to confuse the issue, I also have a Crescent St Colonial Series with the SN 99,999,999. See here:

old ref::http://nawcc-mb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/431603546...906055461#2906055461

Enjoy your day, I'm off to the estate sales!
Timely Regards,
ww

[Jerry Treiman]

WallyW - would it be possible to see a scan or photo of your Colonial Cres.St.? I wonder if it might have been a pre-production model. Although I have not heard of other odd numbers out of Waltham, Elgin is known to have put #12345678 on several prototype movements.