I just finished a major overhaul (new roller & pivots, plus some staff work) to "rescue" this neat dialed (never saw "Watch" that way before on a Waltham dial) 1883.
BUT, the (matching s/n) main plate has no top jewel for the center wheel! This is a 16 jewel watch. Anybody hear of any other 16 Jewel 1883's marked 17 "Jewels Adjusted"?

The whole thing

A "Symbolic Watch word" dial!

I've seen that dial before. I THINK that Fred Hansen might have recently sold one.

I have never seen a 17J marked watch with only 16 Jewels. Do the plates match?

I HAVE a Hamilton 932 that is marked 17J and HAS 17J, even though the 932 model was a 16J watch. All the parts match too. It was made at the end of the 932 run and I have to presume that Hamilton just decided to up the jewel count for those last watches.

I took this thing down to the bones, and when it became clear there were only 4-1/2 pairs of Jewels I was very careful to re-certify that all parts including the top plate have matching s/n's.
Also, the main pivot on the plate has not been reworked, filled or re-bushed, it is just a hole instead of being Jeweled.

I guess, at some point, we have to consider the possibility that Waltham made a mistake.... or lied!

David, from the pictures, I make the serial no. to be 15009204. The Waltham database returns a listing for Model 1883, grade no. 85, 17j, Adjusted, no year. VERY interesting watch.

Norman

It is my "Guess" that a 15 Jewel top plate was kicked in to finish a watch that was otherwise OK, but with a spoiled plate.
As the novelty of the watch is the dial, which I hold to be equally rare as the novelty of the short jewel count, I will hang on to it as a factory "frankenwatch".

David,

These dials are not too hard to find, but I'll keep mine also.....