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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Serial-number guide

American Waltham Watch Company Serial Numbers

Partially verified

What a American Waltham Watch Company serial number can establish, what it cannot, and how to record a date estimate another researcher could check.

American Waltham Watch Company movement markings

Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917
Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917 — WatchMuseum.org, © WatchMuseum.org, used with permission. WatchMuseum.org catalogue record
Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917
Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917 — WatchMuseum.org, © WatchMuseum.org, used with permission. WatchMuseum.org catalogue record
Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917
Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917 — WatchMuseum.org, © WatchMuseum.org, used with permission. WatchMuseum.org catalogue record

Movement markings — maker name, grade, serial number and jewelling — are the evidence base for any serial-number attribution.

Method

Reading the number, step by step

  1. 1. Find the movement number

    The serial number on the movement (usually on the top plate) is the only number with a documented dating table. Case numbers are a separate, case-manufacturer-specific sequence (Waltham used both in-house and outside casemakers) and do not date the movement.

  2. 2. Understand what it encodes

    Waltham movement serial numbers are generally sequential across the company's production and can be mapped to an approximate year of manufacture using published tables.

  3. 3. Judge how precise the date can be

    Estimated, not exact: published tables typically give a year in which a batch of serial numbers was assigned, not the day a specific watch was cased and sold, which could be considerably later.

  4. 4. Check the records behind the tables

    The NAWCC and several independent enthusiast sites publish serial-number-to-year tables compiled from factory production records; the Pocket Watch Database (pocketwatchdatabase.com) is a commonly cited public lookup, though it is a community-maintained resource, not a facsimile of a Waltham factory ledger.

Quick facts

Manufacturer
American Waltham Watch Company
Dating confidence
Estimate only — see notes
Editorial status
Partially verified

Sources & references

  1. NAWCC published serial number resources
  2. Community-maintained Waltham serial lookup tables (treat as a starting point, not an authoritative primary record)

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.

Limits

What the number does not prove

Questions

Frequently asked

Where is the serial number on a American Waltham Watch Company watch?
The serial number on the movement (usually on the top plate) is the only number with a documented dating table. Case numbers are a separate, case-manufacturer-specific sequence (Waltham used both in-house and outside casemakers) and do not date the movement.
What do American Waltham Watch Company serial numbers mean?
Waltham movement serial numbers are generally sequential across the company's production and can be mapped to an approximate year of manufacture using published tables.
How accurate is dating a American Waltham Watch Company watch by serial number?
Estimated, not exact: published tables typically give a year in which a batch of serial numbers was assigned, not the day a specific watch was cased and sold, which could be considerably later.
Where are American Waltham Watch Company production records held?
The NAWCC and several independent enthusiast sites publish serial-number-to-year tables compiled from factory production records; the Pocket Watch Database (pocketwatchdatabase.com) is a commonly cited public lookup, though it is a community-maintained resource, not a facsimile of a Waltham factory ledger.

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