Waltham Santa Fe Route

December 29, 2006, 17:21

Samie L. Smith

Here is one I got from ebay the pictures were not too good so i took a change,,it worked out okay both the movement and dial are what i would grade avg.+ condition there is a few flaws on the dial and some scratches on the movement but still nice enough i think..

This is a Waltham model 1883 movement cresent street grade hunting case movement.

Can,t decide what style of hands it needs the ones that came on it were mismatched..

December 29, 2006, 17:24

Samie L. Smith

The movement needs some of the black restored but overall not a bad movement i think it will clean up okay at least it does run.

December 29, 2006, 17:26

Samie L. Smith

up a little closer these are fancy movements with some of the nicest damaskeening that was availbe on the American movements.

December 29, 2006, 20:07

Lindell V. Riddle

Beautiful item Samie!

According to the late James L. Hernick in his book "Railroad Timekeeping" which included watches and clocks featured at the Rockford, Illinois 1996 Seminar, these unusual "Santa-Fe Route" watches were exclusively sold to employees of the Santa-Fe Railway by Henry S. Montgomery, their Chief Time Inspector. Interestingly Montgomery was issued Trade-Mark Number 28,674 on July 28, 1896 for "Santa-Fe Route" marketing purposes. The image shown in Jim's book is an Open-Face 18-Size number 6035731 that is very similar to yours.

We'll all look forward to seeing your progress on this one.

December 30, 2006, 10:35

Jim Cope

...great find Samie!!!

December 30, 2006, 13:34

Tony Dukes

Samie,
Love those model 1883 movements.
Tony

January 02, 2007, 01:26

Gary Morgret

Wondering out loud here, but would this dial setup be correct for the Santa Fe movement also? Or would a Santa Fe Route dial be the only correct dial? This on a Santa Fe Route 17 jewel movement serial #7454XXX.

thx
Gary

January 03, 2007, 17:30

Lindell V. Riddle

Gary, my impression is that like Ball Brotherhoods the "Santa-Fe Route" movements more than likely all came with what amounts to a matching dial. If that's correct someone may have taken the dial from yours, put it on another Waltham to have an additional "Santa-Fe Route" to sell or it is residing in someone's dial collection.

The "Santa-Fe Route" watches listed shown in Jim Hernick's "Railroad Timekeeping" have marked dials and a dial was something less than a dollar back then. Number 76 in the book is an 1892 Waltham with a Montgomery Patent dial marked "Santa-Fe Railway System, Standard Dial" and Waltham just above the seconds register.

Here's another interesting style of "Santa-Fe Route" dial...