This is a Waltham Pocket Watch, serial # 28010963. It is very heavy. It is made of pure steel all the way through. The case is made of the same material as the movement. The movement has two main springs a Breguet Spring balance and 7 jewels. It would not be a very practical “pocket watch” unless you were Paul Bunyan. It weighs about 10 oz, and is about ½” thick. I cannot find much information o this one. I did look up the serial # in the data base, it is a Waltham. Any history would be nice, why would anyone want such a bulky, “pocket watch”. There has to be an explanation for it.

Some more of this one

Another

Perhaps it was a Railroad Engineers watch. Maybe he carried it in the engine and they made it so it could not break in that environment. Pure speculation and a dreamers view.

Stephen,

What you have there is a Model 1926 8-day clock. It is a size 37 and not designed to be carried.

Here is the what came back from the Waltham serial number lookup page linked in out Technical Library:

http://www.nawcc-info.org/WalthamDB/LookupSN.asp

Thanks, I already did that. I looking for a history, why would someone have a so called watch that was that big or heavy. All clocks and watches are made for one purpoe or another, why was this one made this way.

It is most likely an automobile clock that was an after market accesory and fastened to the dashborad someway. I once had one that someone had made a nice walnut case for; best I can remember it was sorta oval in shape. Sears was selling them in 1927, but the page with automobile clocks (491-92) is missing from my copy of the reproduction issue so I don't know which brands they were offering.

Now there is a possibility! It's fun to speculate about clocks and watches. Where have they been, who had it who held it, was it a keep sake or just a tool. You just have to wonder. That's what collecting and repairing this stuff does to you. This one I will fix and use as a good paper weight or just a conversation piece. Putting it into a ships style chronometer box might be good too. Still I will wonder, where has it been, why did Waltham feel it necessary to make one like this. Thanks for the thought.

There are two design features I see in this watch that insist this was purpose-built.

The heavy all-steel casing (check it with a magnet) suggests that it was made to resist external magnetic fields. Possible in an industrial or vehicular situation etc. with high electro-magnetic fields, where a timepiece is important.

The stepped down diameter of the actual dial suggests it was panel-mounted in a limited space but shock-free component of the machine it was attached to. These movements DID NOT LIKE shock and vibration!

Perhaps like an airplane. I found where Lindburg had a Waltham Watch mounted in a wood case in the Spirit of St Louis. Great observation. Another posibility and, I believe, a little closer to the real purpose of the watch.

David I did what you said, I checked with a magnet. It is not steel, possibly nickle? Putting it in a case like this would mean exactly what you said, a situtation where a high magnetic field would make the watch inaqurate and render it usless. One step closer. Thanks.

I am going through the same thing with a 4.5 ounce 8-day

That is ALL aluminum, movement! The movement plates, and case!

Looks like the same style movcement, I found a bit more about it.
EA5 American Waltham Watch Co.
37 Size - Open Face - Gilt or Nickel Model 1907, 1910 & 1926 Pendant Set 8 day