need help identifying waltham

Hello, Jesse. Sounds like you have a swing out case. Try pulling up on the winding crown as you would a pendant set watch and see what happens. I have several in swing out style cases and this is the norm. Give it a try and let us know what happens. Be sure to include the movement serial no. to help ID the watch. Hope this helps, Aaron

[terry hall]

Try reading this ......a tutorial on opening cases. http://www.knology.net/~ksinger/opencase.txt

[mikeh]

Hi Jesse,

Put the screwdriver down!

That slot is not for opening the case. Rather, it is a slot for lever set movements. If your watch is lever set, there will be a small piece of metal sticking up right beside the dial. When you catch it with your nail, you can pull it out about a quarter of an inch and then turn the crown to set the hands to the correct time. Afterwards, you can slide the lever back in and replace the bezel.

That being said, if there is no lever in that slot, then your watch is pendant set, and the crown should be pulled out in order to set the hands. If you cannot pull the stem out, then it's possible that the swingout ring holding the movement cannot be opened safely. Again, if there is no lever, you should be able to pull the crown out a click.

Good luck,
Mike

[This message has been edited by mikeh (edited 06-27-2002).]

[mikeh]

Jesse,

Something else I just noticed in your picture is the copper colored piece just below the crown. This is a screwed on dust cap that does exactly what you might think. Some watches with dust caps have stems that won't pull out. In this case, you will need to unscrew this cap which should allow to stem to lift enough to open the swingout ring.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Mike

[crsides]

Try turning the crown just a bit as you lift it. Kind of a twist and up. Go ahead a put some upperward pressure on it. I have one that was a little stubborn and this seemed to help. It likes to be turned a bit going in also.

Once it clicks, put your thumb nail in the slot at 6 O'clock and lift it up (carefully)- don't drop it.

Charlie

[This message has been edited by crsides (edited 06-27-2002).]

[Kent]

Jesse:

According to information in "Waltham Pocket Watch Identification and Price Guide," Roy Ehrhardt, Heart of America Press, Kansas City, MO, 1976 (A new edition is still in print - see Heart of America Press), serial number 16,573,722 is a model `83, grade No. 820, a 15-jewel, 18-size watch, built about 1907.

If so, it ought to look like the movement shown in this No. 820 Factory Specification. I wish I could identify where this spec came from, but the file's been lying around so long, it was before I started annotating the images and I no longer remember the source. Anyway, I hope that itmatches your watch.

Good luck,
Kent