Figured I would share some pictures of this Waltham. If anyone has any information on it, please let me know.

I recently posted some pictures under the wanted section, as it needed a new case. Well, I ended up finding one, installed a new old stock glass crystal, filled in the hands and serviced the movement. I think it turned out pretty good.

Adam

First class, Adam!

I like the re-lum job. The stuff looks exactly like original.

What's the vintage? 1920's or 1930's ?

Thanks for posting!

Best regards,

Greg

It's a nice looking watch and you've done a great job restoring it!

The serial number can tell the year of manufacture. Have you run it throughWaltham Serial Number Dater to see when it was made?

It is not an actual military watch, rather it is something a person who liked the military look might have purchased in a store. It is possible some of the jewelry stores around army bases might have sold some of these to guys in the army I suppose.

Still, I like it.

Greg & Jim,

Thank you! That was the second go around on the hands. I wasn't thinking the first time and they ended up neon green. It didnt look so well. Anyway, the serial number dates the watch to the 30's. I did have a question about the watch. On the rotating seconds instead of 10, 20, 30 and so on, it is 1,0, 2,0, 3,0. Any idea why?

Regarding the numbering of the seconds, I have no idea why they did it that way. Maybe a pilot would have an idea????????

I'm a pilot but the comma rather than decimal point isn't meaningful in terms of what a pilot would encounter. What would be useful to a pilot would be a second hand that you could use to time things more precisely for navigational purposes. That odd wheel arrangement with the imprecise seconds would be a reason why an actual pilot would not likely want to actually use such a wrist watch.

One thought just occured, it is possible that this watch may have been made for export. There are some non-English speaking countries in Europe and other parts of the world where they traditionally use the comma for a decimal point and the decimal point where we use the comma to separate groupings of three digits. For example, you would see the number 1.234.567,89 where in the US or UK we write 1,234,567.89. Such a watch with a winged propeller and the word "Pilot" might have been a marketing thing for the watch buying public in such other countries at the time.

Could you please post a photo of the movement so we can see what is inside? How many jewels does it have? Are there any interesting markings on it?

I would think that was the reference mark for that particular framed number.
When aligned with the line beneath ,that's when you considered it on the mark .So right now the watch reads 8:22 and 55 seconds,the next being the 60 second mark.

That's an even better thought, though I wonder why they didn't make the register mark underneath the numbers rather than between them. At least that way one might be able see more precisely when a particular 5 second interval went past the register line on the dial.

I wonder why the seconds dial is marked so that it goes around "backwards" from what would seem to be the logical way. To my thinking, the seconds should pass the register marker in such a way that 50 would come before 55 and 55 before 60 and so on. This dial has the 60 to the left of the 50. Does anyone know of any other Walthams that have this arrangement?

Assuming that the seconds dial rotates clockwise then I think it would be going in the proper progression as it is,that is 40,45,50.

The somewhat odd placement of the seconds
marks was probably restricted by a combination of factors ,readability of course but also considerations made for variances in the main dial stampings , dial foot placement as well as manufacturing variances in the stamping and painting of the sub seconds dial and then the alignment of these two dials on the movement itself, all these parts had to line up better then had a simple seconds hand been used so they has had to leave room for errors.

And while it is a somewhat cramped arraignment to our 2006 eyes you must think of when it was made as well, what was high tech back then and what it looked like.

If you were used to reading the old style car dash and radio dials of the era ,where a rear lighted disk rotated behind a small framed bezel I bet you would have no problem understanding that was meant on this Waltham.

I bet a person from the 1920's or 30,s probably would have a trouble understanding the way information is presented on today's displays. And no ,I am nowhere that old.

I can see how you mean if the dial rotated clockwise the numbers would come into alignment with the register line in proper order, 45, 50, 55 etc. but it would make more sense to me if the numbers were in the left to right increasing order in which they are typically encountered where the 50 would be to the left of the 60 and where this dial would then need to rotate anti-clockwise.

Hello!

Sorry for the delay in responding.After some timing of the watch, Anthony is correct. The dial does rotate clockwise and the markers do indicate the 5 second intervals. Also, they are not commas, but diamond shapes. I have no explanation for any of it, but I know I love the watch! I haven't seen any Waltham's with this arrangement. I do know that they made a rectangular wristwatch with the rotating seconds at the 9 position, but haven't seen any above the 6 location. I have been told by a few people that it is quite rare, but I don't know what info they are going on, unless it is the first they have seen. I know it is the only I have had or seen. Attached are a couple more pictures. One with the crystal removed and one of the movement before I serviced it.

Adam

Movement

That movement assuming its original to the watch with its number of 27,032,282 dates the watch as being made about 1929 which sounds about right. The late 1920's was a big era for aircraft. Lindbergh flew in 1927. Records made one week and broken the next. Airlines being born.Pan Am came into being in 1929. Howard Hughes and his movies Wings and Hells Angels came out.
What's the inside case back look like ? Did you set the regulator like that or was it set all the way to slow when you got it.

Classic watch. As snappy today as the day it was made.

Did you relume the numbers as well as the hands? If so, you did a nice job. What brand of luminous material do you use? Is it Luminova powder mixed with some sort of varnish? What sort of brush did you use? Sorry for all the questions, but I would like to improve my techniques.

Thanks,
Greg

Anthony,

The movement is original, to the best of my knowledge. I got the watch off of a lady that was selling an estate of jewelry. It was in one of the box fulls of jewelry she was selling at a garage sale.

The case that is pictured, is the new case I got for it. If you look under the wanted to buy section of this board and under the topic of Keystone watch case wanted, you will see why I had to recase it. The back was so warped and worn that it would not fit. I looked for about 2 years to find a case. It was hard to find a match for the shape of the dial and one that was in excellent condition that dated very close to the original. I am very happy with this one. The regulator was set to slow when I got it. The picture of the movement was taken after I checked to make sure it fit correctly, but before I cleaned the movement and adjusted it.

Greg,

Thank you! I did not relume the dial. That is the condition it was in when I got it. The hands however, I did do. I use a paste that you have to heat up with a lighter and spread on the hands. I do not remember the name, but will check on it for you.

I can see why you would want a new case. I have a case back like that as well in my junk box and I had wondered if it was not embossment with of some kind of design and then corroded but I have never seen any that were . I really like that
Hamilton you were looking for hands, did you find them ? Did you use an old stock hand kit, the one with the tiny rectangular container ?
I have used bergeon Pata Lumineuse but that needs to be charged of course.