Waltham's Canadian Railway Movements

Waltham produced a number of watch movements that were factory-marked "Canadian Pacific Railway" (CPR), bearing the CPR's Beaver-on-Shield herald, and "Made For Canadian Railway Time Service" (CRTS). The Waltham records that are available today only indicate a portion of the movements that were so marked. Even a few of those listed as being CPR-marked movements are marked differently from what is listed. The tables below contain examples that have been reported.

Waltham built two grades of watches in both 18 and 16 size, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and Canadian Railway Time Service (CRTS). The 18-size watches were originally pulled from runs of various grades of 15-jewel, model 1883 movements (with apparently no rhyme or reason and in no particular serial number order) that were apparently being made when orders for the watches arrived at Waltham. These were upjeweled to 17-jewel.

Movements from runs of the following grades, as designated in the "The Gray Book" (see Reference section, below), have been finished as CPR & CRTS watches:

No. 15 - Maybe, designated in the "The Gray Book" as 15-35
No. 25
No. 35
No. 40
No. 87 - Described by a researcher as "... looks strange ..."
AT&Co
Crescent St.
P.S. Bartlett
Special

The quality of the grades from which the individual examples were pulled do not necessarily reflect that of the CPR or CRTS grades. The CPR or CRTS watches were finished to whatever specification may have existed for the two grades. These movements were given new barrel bridges bearing either the Canadian Pacific Railway beaver-on-shield herald or the marking, "Made For Canadian Railway Time Service." The damaskeening on these replacement barrel bridges do not usually match that on the movement top plates. The barrel bridges lack serial numbers (although there have been reports of some), but if some do have serial numbers, they will not match those on the movement top plates. However, this does not necessarily apply to movements from runs designated as CPR or CRTS.

Later, complete runs of the two grades (in both 18 and 16 size) were made and these are designated in the "The Gray Book." Nevertheless, movements from these runs have been observed bearing grade names (for example, Appleton, Tracy & Co.") other than those so designated (either CPR or CRTS). There are reports that the CPR or CRTS movements are listed in catalogs or price lists issued by Waltham's Canadian office and thus they are considered to be factory grades, although apparently not offered for sale in the U.S. (of course, there's no reason why they would be offered for sale in the U.S.).

Regarding differences between the Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian Railway Time Service grades, the prices of the two were either equal, or there was about a $.25 (Canadian) difference between the two, with the CPR being the more costly (and common). Both were priced considerably less than the Appleton, Tracy & Co. grade. This can be seen for the 18-size watches in a 1901-1902 Eaton Catalog. More than ten years later, the pricing was equal, as seen on page 27 of the P.W. Ellis 1915 - 1916 Illustrated Catalogue (found online by Gordian). The 16-size watches are briefly discussed in the "Railroaders' Corner - 17-Jewel, 16-Size Standard Watches, Part 1," NAWCC Bulletin (see References, below). However, differences between the two grades (if any exist), beyond their markings, are not noted.

However, there was a difference between the two models of 18-size grades in the 1906-1908 timeframe. At that point, the model 1892 CPR and CRTS movements were being offered simultaneously with the model 1883 CPR and CRTS movements. A Canadian jobber's price list shows the model 1892 CPR and CRTS movements (both having the same description and price) as being "... adjusted to temperature and five (5) positions;" while the model 1883 CPR and CRTS movements (again, both having the same description and price) as being "... adjusted to temperature and three (3) positions;" A curious note on this is that in 1907 (presumably after the price list was issued) the Canadian Pacific Railway was requiring that watches be "... adjusted to temperature, isochronism and at least five positions ..."

Both the CPR & CRTS grades were accepted for use in railway time service without any distinction being made between the two. Also, although there have been occasional claims to the effect, no documentation has been published or posted to show that any railroad purchased or owned the CPR or CRTS watches. By the time that the first of these (18-size) movements started showing up, ownership of watches by railroads was generally a thing of the past.

The total quantities of any of the Waltham Canadian railway watches that were built are indeterminate due to the nature of their creation. As stated above, they were originally made from movements pulled from runs of various grades of 15-jewel, model 1883 movements (with apparently no rhyme or reason and in no particular serial number order). The CPR and CRTS reported movement examples from these runs are not in solid blocks of serial numbers and there are reported examples of movements bearing the runs' designated grade names interspersed between the serial numbers of the examples of CPR or CRTS marked movements. Even for later runs listed as CPR and CRTS in "The Gray Book", examples have been reported as grades other than what was listed.

At the time of this writing (November 2018), there is an insufficient number of reported examples of CPR or CRTS movements from which to form close estimates of quantities. Also needed are reports of movement markings of examples from the runs from which CPR or CRTS movements are reported to have come. Knowing which watches from these runs are not marked CPR or CRTS helps in determining which watches might be so marked.

18-size, Model 1883 Canadian Pacific Railway serial number 10033659, pendant-set, 17-jewel, open-face movement.

18-Size, Model 1892 Canadian Railway Time Service serial number 15005547, lever-set, 17-jewel, hunting-case movement, courtesy Seismicpocketwatcher.

18-Size, Model 1892 Canadian Railway Time Service serial number 22017547, lever-set, 17-jewel, open-face movement, courtesy Paul Sullivan.

18-Size, Model 1892 Canadian Pacific Railway serial number 10042564, lever-set, 21-jewel, open-face movement, courtesy Fred Hansen.

18-Size, Model 1892 Canadian Pacific Railway serial number 10082603, lever-set, 21-jewel, hunting-case movement, courtesy Fred Hansen.

16-size, Model 1908 Canadian Pacific Railway serial number 22294106, lever-set, 17-jewel, open-face movement, courtesy Phil_Dellinger.

16-size, Model 1908 Canadian Railway Time Service serial number 22066669, lever-set, 17-jewel, open-face movement, courtesy Dave Chaplain.

The movements initially listed in this table were drawn from the data base created and maintained by Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer. Other members may have added additional examples, and are encouraged to continue to do so (hopefully in serial number order), or at least report additional movements under the Discussion Tab at the top. Special thanks go to Lorne Wasylishen who has reported countless examples and, as of this writing (10-Apr-2017), still continues to do so.

The data in this table was collected from internet listings, dealer mail-order lists, reports and personal observations, mostly at NAWCC marts. As such, it is subject to errors in listing, reporting or recording. Those spotting an error when compared to a movement, or picture of a movement, are encouraged to correct it, or at least report it under the Discussion Tab at the top.

The grades of the movements are Canadian Pacific Railway or Canadian Railway Time Service. The grades shown in the table are those listed in the Waltham documentation for the serial number that the movements bear. Once Waltham drew the movements from the lot in which they were processed, or from inventory; and modified them, including mounting the barrel bridges marked CPR or CRTS, the movements ceased to be those original grades and became either CPR or CRTS grades. Thus, the factory descriptions of those original grades no longer apply.

Online Information

1901 - 1902 T. Eaton Fall and Winter Catalogue (No. 47), page 145.

Goldsmiths' Stock Co. 1906-1907 Price List, page 6
Goldsmiths' Stock Co. 1906-1907 Price List, page 7

1915 - 1916 P.W. Ellis Illustrated Catalogue (found online by Gordian), pages 27 & 28.

Waltham Watches Encyclopedia article

Waltham's Canadian Sales Office Chronology Encyclopedia article

NAWCC American Pocket Watches Message Board Thread


Books
The following books and back issues of the NAWCC Bulletin are available to members on loan by mail from the NAWCC Lending Library, using the Lending Library Form.

Serial Numbers With Description of Waltham Watch Movements, Waltham Watch Co., Waltham, MA, 1954, (commonly referred to as "The Gray Book").

Waltham Pocket Watch Identification and Price Guide, Roy Ehrhardt, Heart of America Press, Kansas City, MO, 1976.


Articles
Back issues of the NAWCC Bulletin are available online to NAWCC members who are currently logged in at http://nawcc.org/index.php/nawcc-bulletin/past-issues-.

"Waltham's Canadian Railroad Watches," Iain G.M. Cleator, A. Ron D'Altroy and Les Hesketh, NAWCC Bulletin, No. 244, October 1986, pp. 355-9.

"Railroad Pocket Watches In Canada," Fred Angus, Canadian Rail, No 343 August 1980.

"Information On Railway Time Service and Watch-Clock Standards," Peter Kushnir, Canadian Rail, No 424 Sep-Oct 1991.

"Railroaders' Corner - 17-Jewel, 16-Size Standard Watches, Part 1," Ed Ueberall and Kent Singer, NAWCC Bulletin No. 375, August 2008, pp. 473-481.