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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Serial-number guide

Waterbury Clock Company / Waterbury Watch Company Serial Numbers

Needs research

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

Diagram

maker or gradeserialcase hallmarksimport and assay marks
Schematic: where markings are found. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Method

Reading the number, step by step

  1. 1. Find the movement number

    Clock cases and movements were often assembled in quantity from interchangeable parts; labels and case styles document the product line, not a precise date.

  2. 2. Understand what it encodes

    Many inexpensive Waterbury products carry no individual serial; where numbers appear they may be model or patent references rather than a production sequence.

  3. 3. Judge how precise the date can be

    Needs research: date from patent dates (which give only an earliest possible date), trademark styles and catalogue comparisons.

  4. 4. Check the records behind the tables

    No complete public serial ledger is known. Identification relies on trademarks, patent dates stamped on movements, and published American clock and watch reference books.

Quick facts

Manufacturer
Waterbury Clock Company / Waterbury Watch Company
Dating confidence
Estimate only — see notes
Editorial status
Needs research

Sources & references

  1. NAWCC Bulletin research on Connecticut clock and watch firms
  2. Published American clock identification guides (secondary)

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 Waterbury Clock Company / Waterbury Watch Company watch?
Clock cases and movements were often assembled in quantity from interchangeable parts; labels and case styles document the product line, not a precise date.
What do Waterbury Clock Company / Waterbury Watch Company serial numbers mean?
Many inexpensive Waterbury products carry no individual serial; where numbers appear they may be model or patent references rather than a production sequence.
How accurate is dating a Waterbury Clock Company / Waterbury Watch Company watch by serial number?
Needs research: date from patent dates (which give only an earliest possible date), trademark styles and catalogue comparisons.
Where are Waterbury Clock Company / Waterbury Watch Company production records held?
No complete public serial ledger is known. Identification relies on trademarks, patent dates stamped on movements, and published American clock and watch reference books.

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