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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Movement record · United States

Waltham Crescent Street

Partially verified

Railroad-grade movement in bridge and plate layouts

Technical specifications

Diameter
16 and 18 size
Height
Not recorded in the sources consulted
Jewels
19 to 21 depending on grade
Frequency
18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve
Approx. 40 hours
Winding
Stem wind
Setting
Lever set in railroad versions
Escapement
Swiss lever
Balance
Compensation balance
Complications
Subsidiary seconds

Identification features

  • Grade name engraved on the movement
  • Serial number required to place production

Known variants

  • Vanguard and Riverside relations

Servicing notes

Cleaning, lubrication, mainspring and pivot work belong with a qualified watchmaker working from calibre-specific documentation. Conserve original parts: replacing a worn component with a modern substitute changes the object, and refinishing plates or dials destroys evidence.

General guidance only. Antique movements should be serviced by a qualified watchmaker.

Historical significance

A long-running Waltham railroad grade, useful for studying how one factory's grades were positioned against each other.

Photographs

WalthamMA AmericanWalthamWatchCompany
WalthamMA AmericanWalthamWatchCompany — User:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons file page
WALTHAM WATCH COMPANY FACTORY. WALTHAM IS ONE OF 35 MANUFACTURING CITIES AND TOWNS ON THE CHARLES RIVER - NARA - 550009
WALTHAM WATCH COMPANY FACTORY. WALTHAM IS ONE OF 35 MANUFACTURING CITIES AND TOWNS ON THE CHARLES RIVER - NARA - 550009 — Ernst Halberstadt, Public domain. Wikimedia Commons file page
WALTHAM WATCH COMPANY FACTORY. WALTHAM IS A BUSY MANUFACTURING CITY ON THE CHARLES RIVER - NARA - 550013
WALTHAM WATCH COMPANY FACTORY. WALTHAM IS A BUSY MANUFACTURING CITY ON THE CHARLES RIVER - NARA - 550013 — Ernst Halberstadt, Public domain. Wikimedia Commons file page

Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.

Sources & references

  1. de Carle, D., Watch and Clock Encyclopedia
  2. Period trade material catalogues and calibre reference compilations (edition-dependent)
  3. Published manufacturer technical documentation where available

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