Many of you know already that I am high on Waltham's “Riverside” grade. The Riverside was offered by Waltham as their most popular movement. Over the course of 60 years Waltham offered this grade in at least 22 models and at least a dozen sizes, with many variations.
I wanted to take a look here at just the 12-size 1894 model Riverside and the few derivatives that use almost all of the same parts. All have a double-roller escapement, micrometer regulator and at least 17 jewels. Let's start with the standard 12-size movement, which was first produced in 1896. The 12-size Riverside was advertised as the best choice for a gentleman's watch, as seen in this ad from 1898.
The first-run examples have a 3/4-plate movement, 17 jewels and a script signature. The next few runs had the same damascening pattern but a new signature style and a gold center wheel, both of which came to be standard for this model. A cupped and polished dome around the upper balance jewel was introduced during this period. Waltham also produced a numbered grade movement (grade no.250) that was equivalent to the Riverside in quality and finish, yet they asked (and got) a $2.50 premium for the Riverside name. The grade 250 was not offered for very long.
By around 1900 Waltham had added conical pivots and cap jewels to the escape wheel and, with this addition, the Riverside became a 19-jewel watch. The "19 Jewels" notation appeared in two different locations on the barrel bridge. The damascene pattern is also a little simpler than the first production, lacking the arcaded swirls around the outside of the earlier examples. (If this were an Illinois Bunn Special these changes would be a big deal). We also see cupped winding wheels at this point.
Around 1902 Waltham changed the plate pattern for their better grade 12-size movements, using what I call a semi-bridge layout. For the Riverside, they switched to a jeweled mainwheel rather than the capped escape wheel to make 19 jewels. Other than these changes, this movement is mechanically identical to the earlier style and is still considered an 1894 model. This model and grade was used for a few private-label movements as well.
A rather scarce variant on the Riverside was produced around 1904-1906. This model was originally made to be a contract movement for Keystone-Howard and displays the unique plate variant and regulator index designed for the Howard contract. [This plate pattern was used several years later for Waltham’s Equity model and for some export movements]. A whiplash regulator was used here, instead of Waltham’s patented star wheel regulator; the whiplash regulator was not otherwise used until much later, except for some contract watches such as this one was intended to be. Hunting-case movements have the early damascene pattern and the open-face movements have the later damascene pattern.
By the mid-twenties Waltham saw fit to up-jewel the grade again, re-introducing the capped escape wheel to make a 21 jewel movement. Most of these are the Riverside-equivalent grade 250 (resurrected from a 25 year hiatus) but some are also marked Riverside. By now Waltham is regularly using a whiplash regulator on some of their best movements.
The preceding examples account for most of the standard 12-size Riverside movements. Up until the twenties they were made in both open-face and hunting-case configurations.
I wanted to take a look here at just the 12-size 1894 model Riverside and the few derivatives that use almost all of the same parts. All have a double-roller escapement, micrometer regulator and at least 17 jewels. Let's start with the standard 12-size movement, which was first produced in 1896. The 12-size Riverside was advertised as the best choice for a gentleman's watch, as seen in this ad from 1898.
The first-run examples have a 3/4-plate movement, 17 jewels and a script signature. The next few runs had the same damascening pattern but a new signature style and a gold center wheel, both of which came to be standard for this model. A cupped and polished dome around the upper balance jewel was introduced during this period. Waltham also produced a numbered grade movement (grade no.250) that was equivalent to the Riverside in quality and finish, yet they asked (and got) a $2.50 premium for the Riverside name. The grade 250 was not offered for very long.
By around 1900 Waltham had added conical pivots and cap jewels to the escape wheel and, with this addition, the Riverside became a 19-jewel watch. The "19 Jewels" notation appeared in two different locations on the barrel bridge. The damascene pattern is also a little simpler than the first production, lacking the arcaded swirls around the outside of the earlier examples. (If this were an Illinois Bunn Special these changes would be a big deal). We also see cupped winding wheels at this point.
Around 1902 Waltham changed the plate pattern for their better grade 12-size movements, using what I call a semi-bridge layout. For the Riverside, they switched to a jeweled mainwheel rather than the capped escape wheel to make 19 jewels. Other than these changes, this movement is mechanically identical to the earlier style and is still considered an 1894 model. This model and grade was used for a few private-label movements as well.
A rather scarce variant on the Riverside was produced around 1904-1906. This model was originally made to be a contract movement for Keystone-Howard and displays the unique plate variant and regulator index designed for the Howard contract. [This plate pattern was used several years later for Waltham’s Equity model and for some export movements]. A whiplash regulator was used here, instead of Waltham’s patented star wheel regulator; the whiplash regulator was not otherwise used until much later, except for some contract watches such as this one was intended to be. Hunting-case movements have the early damascene pattern and the open-face movements have the later damascene pattern.
By the mid-twenties Waltham saw fit to up-jewel the grade again, re-introducing the capped escape wheel to make a 21 jewel movement. Most of these are the Riverside-equivalent grade 250 (resurrected from a 25 year hiatus) but some are also marked Riverside. By now Waltham is regularly using a whiplash regulator on some of their best movements.
The preceding examples account for most of the standard 12-size Riverside movements. Up until the twenties they were made in both open-face and hunting-case configurations.
Last edited by a moderator:
