Help on Waltham serial number

[Simon Bissmire]

Hi all, I wonder if anyone has any ideas or facts on the following Waltham serial number anomaly: 17469296 which the database says is a 1908 Traveler but the photo attached shows it as a Marquis! In my naivety and limited knowledge, am I missing something that would explain why the grade is different? Many thanks for any help/thoughts.

 

[topspin]

What to say - it's stamped Marquis so it's a Marquis. The 15J is also consistent with that (whereas most Travelers are lower jewelled.)

Feel free to submit a "No" report and enter details.

Beyond a certain point in time, the PWDB uses as its primary source an old publication known as the Gray Book. The fundamental purpose of this book was to assist watchmakers in knowing what spare parts to order. Therefore, smaller runs of similar grades were sometimes mashed together into a single entry. The authors simply were not thinking about the needs of us pernickety watch collectors, 70 years later. Tut!

 

[roughbarked]

The reader should note: That the other pictures listed on the page have seven jewels. Maybe someone will come along and tell us that a Marquis was a fifteen jewelled Traveller?

 

[Simon Bissmire]

What to say - it's stamped Marquis so it's a Marquis. The 15J is also consistent with that (whereas most Travelers are lower jewelled.)

Feel free to submit a "No" report and enter details.

Beyond a certain point in time, the PWDB uses as its primary source an old publication known as the Gray Book. The fundamental purpose of this book was to assist watchmakers in knowing what spare parts to order. Therefore, smaller runs of similar grades were sometimes mashed together into a single entry. The authors simply were not thinking about the needs of us pernickety watch collectors, 70 years later. Tut!

Thank you - I understand and appreciate your feedback

 

[topspin]

Re: "Maybe someone will come along and tell us that a Marquis was a fifteen jewelled Traveller?" - that's one way of looking at it.
One could equally well posit that a 610 is an unmarked Traveler, and a 620 is an unmarked Marquis.

Bonus points for also deciding whereabouts the 615 and 618 grades should be fitted in.