Waltham 16S 23J lever set (LS) adj. 6p Vanguard Up & Down indicator pocket watch #26561245, attractive nickel bridge movement with Lossier inner terminal hairspring, raised gold screw-down jewel settings, gold center wheel, diamond endstone and a checkerboard and concentric circle damascene pattern, 11 o'clock lever, double-sunk (DS) Montgomery-style porcelain enamel dial with bold boxcar-style Arabic numbers, red and black 1-60 minute markers and subsidiary seconds and power registers, dial is marked "Waltham Vanguard 23 Jewels", there is a small factory defect dimple at the diamond marker by "5" otherwise the dial is mint with no hairlines or other notable defects, bold blue steel spade & whip style hands.
Impressive Waltham yellow gold filled (YGF) screw back & bezel (SB&B) case with vertical-line engraving finished at 12 and 6 o'clock with geometric designs and a blank fancy rectangular monogram shield surrounded by filigree designs, deep XX and bar pattern engraving on both bezels, hidden pendant and heavy shoulders and bow, extra-thick glass crystal, case is showing normal even wear overall with a few small spots of brass starting to show on the bow, measures approx. 51mm in diameter x 63mm in length x 12mm thick (crystal included). An impressive, high quality triple signed railroad grade Waltham from the 1920s in excellent+ condition!
- Year Made: 1928-1929
- Company: Waltham
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Movement Size:
0416S
- Jewels: 0523J
- Setting/Movement Type:
lever set
- Adjustments: 6 positions
- Model/Grade: Vanguard Up & Down indicator
- Serial #: 26561245
- Movement Finish: nickel
- Movement Details: gold jewel settings (GJS), gold center wheel, diamond endstone
- Dial Material: porcelain enamel
- Dial Details: Montgomery, marked "Waltham Vanguard 23 Jewels"
- Hand Style:
spade & whip
- Case Style:
SB&B
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Case Material:
Gold Filled - Yellow
- Case Details: Waltham-marked
-
Case Width/Diameter:
51mm (2.01 inches)
-
Case Length, bow included: 63mm (2.48 inches)
-
Case Thickness: 12mm (0.47 inches)
- Crystal Material: glass
- Condition:
Excellent +
-
Gender:
Gentlemen's
The Waltham watch company, and the earlier American Waltham Watch Co., which had a variety of locations over the many years it was in operation (including Waltham, Massachusetts), was in business from 1851-1957, and was one of the most prolific of the American watch companies.
As an additional resource, we've posted a
Serial Number Production List which includes information for Waltham serial numbers and dates of manufacture.
The NAWCC also has a
comprehensive article about the company.
You may browse all of our men's pocket watches from this manufacturer at our
Vintage Men's Waltham Pocket Watches category.
This watch is in good running condition, unless otherwise noted in the description. This means that on receipt, pending any item-specific running conditions noted in the description, you can expect the watch to be winding and setting properly and to run smoothly while keeping reasonable time. We consider "reasonable time" to meet these basic guidelines:
- Railroad Grade Watches will be keeping +/- 5 minutes per day
- Pocket and Wrist Watches with 15 or more jewels will be keeping +/- 10 minutes per day
- All key wind watches and watches with 14 or fewer jewels will be keeping +/- 15 minutes per day
The above guideline is the lowest standard in which we would ship out a watch, however in most cases, you will see much better timekeeping. Most of our watches have been in storage for many years, so if you plan on carrying/wearing them everyday, you should consider having them cleaned and oiled soon, and then once a year thereafter to keep them in top running condition. If the watches will be for occasional use or display, they should be cleaned and serviced every 3 to 5 years depending on use.
We do have a professional watchmaker that does all of our cleaning and repair work for us. To have your watch serviced before shipping, simply add this
Cleaning/Service Agreement to your shopping basket. The cleaning and timing service is $95, and depending on the time of the year, has a turnaround time of 1 to 3 weeks.
Please note that we provide this service in addition to the listed purchase price of our watches. If you do purchase this option and later decide to return the watch, this fee is non-refundable.
This watch comes complete with an appropriate, intact glass crystal; however, on request PM Time Service can replace the current crystal on this pocket watch for you. We offer a number of new and vintage crystal choices for pocket watches; you can select your desired choice from the dropdown menu below.
Please note that the average turnaround time for all pocket watch crystal replacements will be two days from the placement of the order.
Contact us with any further questions or for an estimate on any shipping delays.
Please note: if you add this watch with a crystal exchange option to your
shopping cart but later change your mind on the crystal selection type, you'll need to remove the watch from the cart in order to make a new crystal selection. Once that is done, you can return to this page and add that new combination to the cart. We apologize for the limitations to our system that prevent you making that change from the shopping cart directly.
This is considered a "railroad-grade" pocket watch. To be a railroad-grade watch, the following criteria must be met:
- be 16S or 18S
- have 17 or more jewels
- be lever set
- be in an open face case
- be adjusted to 5 or more positions.
- have easily-legible Arabic dial numerals
In order to ensure the accuracy of pocket watches used by railroad employees, with the ultimate goal of preventing train accidents, the General Railroad Timepiece Standards Commission published a set of guidelines for railroad companies and watch manufacturers in 1893. These guidelines, which specified the criteria for a railroad-grade watch, were prepared by Webb C. Ball, the general time inspector of North American railroads and founder of the Ball Watch Company.
For more information, visit this
Wikipedia article on railroad chronometers or this
Smithsonian National Postal Museum article on the influential train wreck tragedy that resulted in the establishment of railroad watch standards.
Our entire collection of such timepieces may also be viewed at our
Railroad Grade Watches category.
Unlike modern quartz watches, most vintage watches need daily winding in order to keep the watch functioning for timekeeping. Additionally, there are a number of different ways to set the time other than simply pulling the crown away from the watch body. We are happy to provide an overview of each of the different setting types on our
"How To Use" page, where we also provide information on proper winding techniques for each style and some suggestions for the proper long term care and storage of your watch.
