I made the rounds of my local antique shops today and for a grand total of $47, I picked up a nice 16s 21 Jewel Waltham Riverside. My first "Railroad" grade watch! I need to replace the dail (it's chipped at the 4 and the 11), but when wound, it started right up, and seems to be keeping time.

Regards,
Joe Martin

Great find Joe!!! The kind of hunting day we would all like to have.

I need to come up to salem. Every antique shop here in the San Diego sells them for 5 times the book value. Case in point. 7 jewel Elgin with ok case and dial, 400.00. Congrats on the RR find

Joe, I should have a good dial. Send me an e-mail if you are interested.

David, I am definitely interested. Does this dial say "Waltham 21 Jewels" on it? Let me know your email address, or feel free to send me an email.

Regards,
Joe Martin
Photojoe4@aol.com

David, I'm still interested in that dial if it's available. Just let me know the details (condition, price, etc..) and I'll send off a money order to you.

Regards,
Joe Martin
Photojoe4@aol.com

Hi Joe, The Dial I have is a Single Sunk Factory "RR" type Arabic dial. I have only seen "Jewel count" displayed on bogus dials sold recently on eBay and some older vintage Swiss replacement dials. You are lucky as the "foot" position for early 16s Walthams are all the same but the picture shows their position by the black lines. This is a perfect dial and it is worth $50.00 to me

Jewel count is included on some of the later factory dials, possibly even when Waltham was producing these 21j Riversides. Joe - what is the serial number on yours? I don't recall seeing David's dial on any railroad watches. This single-sunk dial is a very common Waltham dial for mid-grade movements (Bartlett, Royal, 620, 625, 635, etc.).

That's the only dial I have.

It may look like this.. single sunk, but this one as you can see has Premmier on it..

Serial number is 29240882 which I believe dates it to 1937. Sorry, but I don't have any pics. The chips are from 17-20 and from 55-57 (by the lever). There's also a very small one by the 40/8, but it's really so minor I wouldn't worry about it.

Regards,
Joe Martin

John,

Mine is very similar to that one. The numbers look like the same style, except that mine doesn't have the minutes around it. Also, mine doesn't have the "6" in the sunk portion, and it doesn't have the black circle along the inside. Also does not say "Premier".

Regards,
Joe Martin

I pulled out a couple higher Jewel count Walthams, and "eat my words". Of these, two show Jewel count on the Dial. I personally prefer the 23 Jewel Vanguard in the middle though which does not "advertise" such an assiduous over-jeweling.
btw, Joe thank you for the private e-mail, my "new" old dial went on a very fine 1899 Swing Case Riverside this afternoon.

Not a problem, David. I think I may have found a nice Montgomery dial that I may use on it. Though not "original", it's a lot like the one shown above, except that it doesn't say "premier" on it.

Regards,
Joe Martin