Including Waltham Watch Serial Numbers and Production Dates
Waltham, Massachusetts
1850 - 1957
The American Waltham watch factory on the banks of the Charles River
[Note, by the way, that the serial number of a watch is inscribed directly on the watch's movement (a.k.a. The 'guts', 'works' or 'inner mechanism') and has no relation to any serial number that might be inscribed on any part of the case. Watch companies typically just made the movements, and the cases were made separately by special watch case. Compare the serial number to lists on pocket watch sites, such as The Watch Guy, and Antique Pocket Watch. Lists are also available for specific manufacturers, including Hamilton, Elgin and Waltham. Identify watches without serial numbers by examining the style of the case.
The American Waltham Watch Company had its beginnings in 1850 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The company was founded by David Davis, Aaron Dennison, and Edward Howard. Their vision was to form a watch company that could produce high-quality watches at a lower cost using interchangeable parts. With financial backing from Samuel Curtis, of small-arms manufacturing fame, the watch production began in 1851, and the first small group of watches were finished in late 1852. The first watches produced went to officials of the company, and it was not until 1853 that the first watches were offered for sale to the public.
Problems were encountered with the new production methods. The company was exploring innovative new ideas in watch manufacturing, such as using jewels, making enamel dials, and producing plates with a high-level of finish which required extensive tooling and resulted in a great financial burden. They also found that even though they were using interchangeable parts, each watch was still unique and had its own set of errors to be corrected. It took months to adjust the watches to the point where they were any better than other widely available timepieces.
In 1853, the factory building was completed and the company began doing business under the name 'American Horologe Company.' The name was changed to 'Boston Watch Company' in September 1853, and the factory in Waltham, Massachusetts was built in October 1854. The movements produced here (serial numbers 1001 - 5000) were signed 'Dennison, Howard,& Davis,' 'C. T. Parker,' and 'P. S. Bartlett.'
The company went through a series of financial reorganizations and renamings over the next decades. The Boston Watch Company failed in 1857 and was sold at auction to Royal E. Robbins. It was reorganized as 'Tracy, Baker & Co.' and later that same year the name was again changed to 'Appleton, Tracy & Co' and watches 5001 - 14,000 were produced. The first movements carried the Appleton, Tracy & Co. marking. The C. T. Parker movement was reintroduced as the model 1857 and sold for $12, no small amount in those days!
Waltham During the Civil War Years
In January, 1859 the Waltham Improvement Co. and the Appleton, Tracy & Co. merged to form the 'American Watch Company.'
The dial department of the Waltham Watch factory.
In 1860, as Abraham Lincoln was elected President and the country found itself in the throes of the Civil War, the American Watch Company was faced with serious financial problems. By 1861, business had come to a standstill and bankruptcy seemed inevitable. The factory was kept in operation through these years by cutting expenses to the lowest possible level.. a strategy that proved successful.
According to the biography by Carl Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln owned and carried a Waltham 'Wm. Ellery' watch. The watch was an 11-jewel, 18 size, key-wind in a silver hunter case, and was produced in January of 1863.
In 1885, the company became the 'American Waltham Watch Company'. In 1865 prices for movements only (no case) were: William Ellery $13, P. S. Bartlett $16, Bartlett-Ladies $30, Appleton Tracy $38, A. T. & Co Ladies $40, and American Watch Grade $175!
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In 1906 the company was renamed the 'Waltham Watch Company'. In 1923, they became the 'Waltham Watch and Clock Company' reflecting the new importance of clock manufacturing, but then in 1925 the name was changed back to 'Waltham Watch Company'.
American Horology owes much to the brilliant visionaries of the Waltham Watch Company. Bacon, Church, Dennison, Fogg, Howard, Marsh, Webster, and Woerd all contributed greatly to American watchmaking.
Waltham continued to manufacture watches (and clocks) until 1957, when they ceased production and became the Waltham Precision Instrument Company. The rights to the name 'Waltham Watch Company' were sold to the Hallmark Watch Company of Chicago, Illinois who continued to sell imported watches using the Waltham name. Several of the original Waltham factory buildings are still standing, and were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
Case Company Hoesjes
Waltham Named Grades
In addition to using grade numbers, Waltham also used many grade names on their watches, often choosing the names of Board members, company investors, or other prominent individuals. The grade name basically designates the model and/or level of finish of the watch. Some of the more popular Waltham named grades were:
P. S. Bartlett, Appleton Tracy & Co., William Ellery, Crescent Street, Colonial, Riverside, Central Park, Broadway, Royal E. Robbins, Vanguard, Bond Street, Sterling, Premier, Royal, and Maximus.
Modern Waltham Watches
It is still possible to purchase modern quartz watches that bear the Waltham name, but these watches are unrelated to the 'genuine' American Waltham Watch Company. In fact, a 1961 ruling by the Federal Trade Commission prohibited any inference that a relationship to the original Waltham Watch Company exists.
The bustling traffic outside the Waltham Watch factory at noon
American Waltham Watch Company
Total Production: Approx. 35 Million Watches
Year | S/N |
---|---|
1852 | 50 |
1853 | 400 |
1854 | 1000 |
1855 | 2500 |
1856 | 4000 |
1857 | 6000 |
1858 | 10,000 |
1859 | 15,000 |
1860 | 20,000 |
1861 | 30,000 |
1862 | 45,000 |
1863 | 65,000 |
1864 | 110,000 |
1865 | 180,000 |
1866 | 260,000 |
1867 | 330,000 |
1868 | 410,000 |
1869 | 460,000 |
1870 | 500,000 |
1871 | 540,000 |
1872 | 590,000 |
1873 | 680,000 |
1874 | 730,000 |
1875 | 810,000 |
1876 | 910,000 |
1877 | 1,000,000 |
1878 | 1,150,000 |
1879 | 1,350,000 |
1880 | 1,500,000 |
1881 | 1,670,000 |
1882 | 1,835,000 |
1883 | 2,000,000 |
1884 | 2,350,000 |
1885 | 2,650,000 |
1886 | 3,000,000 |
1887 | 3,400,000 |
Year | S/N |
---|---|
1888 | 3,800,000 |
1889 | 4,200,000 |
1890 | 4,700,000 |
1891 | 5,200,000 |
1892 | 5,800,000 |
1893 | 6,300,000 |
1894 | 6,700,000 |
1895 | 7,100,000 |
1896 | 7,450,000 |
1897 | 8,100,000 |
1898 | 8,400,000 |
1899 | 9,000,000 |
1900 | 9,500,000 |
1901 | 10,200,000 |
1902 | 11,100,000 |
1903 | 12,100,000 |
1904 | 13,500,000 |
1905 | 14,300,000 |
1906 | 14,700,000 |
1907 | 15,500,000 |
1908 | 16,400,000 |
1909 | 17,600,000 |
1910 | 17,900,000 |
1911 | 18,100,000 |
1912 | 18,200,000 |
1913 | 18,900,000 |
1914 | 19,500,000 |
1915 | 20,000,000 |
1916 | 20,500,000 |
1917 | 20,900,000 |
1918 | 21,800,000 |
1919 | 22,500,000 |
1920 | 23,400,000 |
1921 | 23,900,000 |
1922 | 24,100,000 |
1923 | 24,300,000 |
Year | S/N |
---|---|
1924 | 24,550,000 |
1925 | 24,800,000 |
1926 | 25,200,000 |
1927 | 26,100,000 |
1928 | 26,400,000 |
1929 | 26,900,000 |
1930 | 27,100,000 |
1931 | 27,300,000 |
1932 | 27,550,000 |
1933 | 27,750,000 |
1934 | 28,100,000 |
1935 | 28,600,000 |
1936 | 29,100,000 |
1937 | 29,400,000 |
1938 | 29,750,000 |
1939 | 30,050,000 |
1940 | 30,250,000 |
1941 | 30,750,000 |
1942 | 31,050,000 |
1943 | 31,400,000 |
1944 | 31,700,000 |
1945 | 32,100,000 |
1946 | 32,350,000 |
1947 | 32,750,000 |
1948 | 33,100,000 |
1949 | 33,500,000 |
1950 | 33,560,000 |
1951 | 33,600,000 |
1952 | 33,700,000 |
1953 | 33,800,000 |
1954 | 34,100,000 |
1955 | 34,450,000 |
1956 | 34,700,000 |
1957 | 35,000,000 |
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Be sure to use the serial number on the movement (the works) of the watch. Do not use the serial number from the watch case.
Can’t find your serial number in the table? Click here for an explanation and example of how to use our serial number tables.
Need help finding the serial number on your watch? Click here for instructions on how to identify and open most common case types.
At Renaissance Watch Repair, we are experts in the repair and restoration of antique watches made by the American Waltham Watch Company. Please contact us if you have any questions about the repair of your vintage Waltham watch.
Case back showing hinges Waltham model 57 American made
Case back inside photo with hallmark of the Waltham watch company model 57
![Serial Serial](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126022977/503081140.jpg)
New York Case Company
The Waltham Model 1857 is a watch made by the American Watch Company, later called the Waltham Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts.
J&i Case Tractor Company
The Model 1857 was first made in 1857. Prior to that year, pocket watches were not made of standard parts and repairing and making the watches was difficult and expensive. The American Watch Company created and marketed the first successful industrialized watch.
Before 1857, The Boston Watch Company made and sold approximately 5,000 movements and 4,000 cases before it failed financially, and in the factory at the time there was an estimated 1,300 watches in various stages of production that had yet to be finished into complete watches. In the spring of 1857, the Boston Watch Company did not have enough money to stay running and was forced into insolvency.[1]
Most pocket watches were made in England or France, so this was a test for early American manufacturing to take and produce items better than the countries in Europe, which at the time was in the middle of the industrial revolution. Most of the Model 57 pocket watches were in coin silver, which is 90% pure.American system of watch manufacturing in Wikipedia is a great side reference on the Waltham Model 57 Pocket Watch
President Abraham Lincoln's Waltham Pocket Watch[edit]
In tribute, upon the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln was presented with a William Ellery, key wind watch Waltham Model 1857, serial number 67613. This watch is now in the collection of the National Museum of American History atthe Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.[2][3][4]
There was a long-standing rumor that Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch carried a hidden message inside the watch case, inscribed on the movement. This was confirmed to be true when National Museum of American history opened the watch case on March 10, 2009. The hidden inscription read 'Jonathan Dillon April 13-1861 Fort Sumpter [sic] was attacked by the rebels on the above date J Dillon April 13-1861 Washington thank God we have a government Jonth Dillon.' It was etched by an Irish watch repairman, Jonathan Dillon, working at Galt and Bro., a jewelry store in Washington, D.C., when Abraham Lincoln brought the watch in for a service check.[5]
Winding and setting the Model 57[edit]
The majority of 1857 model Waltham movements are keywind from the rear and keyset from the front. A small amount of the total production of 1857 model movements were fitted with a stemwind mechanism from the factory. The earliest stemwind 1857 movements were fitted with no reversing clutch on the winding stem, and had no setting mechanism; these early movements required using a key to set the time. Later stemwind movements were lever setting, with a unique design of set lever which pivoted out from the movement rather than pulling out. Later 1857 movements also added a reversing clutch, a feature ubiquitous on all subsequent Waltham stemwind watches. All stemwind 1857 movements have the winding stem located at 3:00.[6][7]
![Serial Serial](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126022977/345365947.jpg)
Some stemwind 1857 movements were fitted with a screw which could be used to lock the winding click into the 'off' position to allow the mainspring to be let down. This feature can be identified as a small screw head on the barrel bridge with the word 'patent' next to it.[8]
Surviving 1857 model movements also occasionally turn up fitted with an Abbot's patent stemwind conversion.
References[edit]
- ^'Evolution Of The First Successful Industrialized Watch'(PDF). Seminar.fm. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
- ^'Abraham Lincolns Waltham William Ellery Pocket Watch. Antique Time'. Horologist.com. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
- ^'Abraham Lincolns Waltham William Ellery Pocket Watch. Antique Time'. Horologist.com. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ^'Abraham Lincoln's Watch?'. mb.nawcc.org. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ^Py-Lieberman, Beth. 'Lincoln's Pocket Watch Reveals Long-Hidden Message'. Smithsonian. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^'Link to Waltham Model 57 info site - Topic'. ihc185.infopop.cc. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ^©2002-2017., Douglas Stuart, Renaissance Watch Repair. 'American Waltham Watch Company: History, Serial Numbers, Production Dates'. Pocketwatchrepair.com. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ^'Waltham Clock History - National Clock Repair New Hope, PA 18938 215-862-2415'. Nationalclockrepair.com. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
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