Waltham named its watch grades the way other companies name cars, and the names stuck around for decades while the movements underneath changed. That's why Waltham listings confuse people. "Riverside" on a plate can mean a 15-jewel 18-size watch from the 1880s or a 19-jewel railroad watch from the 1910s. "Vanguard" covers jewel counts from 17 to 23. Here's how the main grades relate, using Waltham's own history and the railroad records.
Grades and models are different things
A Waltham "model" is a movement design, named for a year. The Model 1892 is an 18-size movement and the Model 1899 and Model 1908 are 16-size. A "grade" is a level of finish and jeweling built on one of those models, so a Vanguard can be a Model 1892, a Model 1908 or the later grade 1623. When you read a listing, find both the grade name and the size. The movement photo usually tells you which model it is.
Vanguard, the railroad workhorse
Waltham launched the Vanguard in 1894 as an 18-size, 17-jewel movement and advertised it as "the finest 18-size movement in the world." As more grades joined it on the same design, the design became known as the Model 1892. Waltham added 19, 21 and 23-jewel Vanguards, all adjusted to temperature and five positions, and the 18-size Vanguard stayed Waltham's highest 18-size grade until the last ones were made in 1914.
The 16-size Vanguard took over on the Model 1899 and Model 1908, again in 19 to 23-jewel versions, and the grade carried on as the Model 1623 Vanguard until 1953. After World War II it was one of three grades, with the Hamilton 992B and the Elgin B.W. Raymond, that did most of America's railroad timekeeping. A 23-jewel Vanguard with eight adjustments was also made on Waltham's Model A from 1944 to 1947. Some railroads that published minimum serials after the war listed the 23-jewel Vanguard by name.
So the 21-jewel Vanguard and the 23-jewel Vanguard are both railroad-grade watches. The usual difference between a 21 and a 23-jewel American movement is a pair of jewels for the mainspring barrel.
Crescent Street, the original railroad grade
Crescent Street is older than the Vanguard and has the better origin story. The 18-size Model 1870 Crescent Street was the first American watch designed and marketed specifically for railroad use, with a chronometer balance, adjustment to heat and cold and an early micrometer regulator. Only 17,900 were made before production ended in 1883. The name moved to the Model 1883 and Model 1892, then to the 16-size Model 1899 and 1908 in 19 and 21-jewel versions, adjusted to five positions. The 16-size Crescent Street was made until 1929. It sat a step below the Vanguard and saw plenty of railroad service.
Webb C. Ball named the Crescent Street when he set the Lake Shore's watch standard in August 1891. He said the minimum was a 15-jewel, patent regulator, adjusted movement, and he listed Waltham's No. 35 and Crescent Street among the watches that met it, along with every grade above them.
Riverside, a name that moved
Riverside is the grade that trips people up. On the 1880s Model 1883 it was a 15 or 17-jewel railroad watch adjusted to temperature and positions. On the 16-size Model 1899 and 1908 the Riverside came in 17 and 19 jewels, adjusted to temperature and three positions at first and five positions later, and it was made through 1926. Kent Singer's NAWCC article calls the 16-size 19-jewel Riverside a popular standard watch, even though some are marked only "Adjusted."
Later Waltham put the Riverside name on a 16-size, 21-jewel grade numbered 1621 that had no micrometer regulator and was adjusted only to temperature. That one didn't meet the published requirements of the major railroads. If a Riverside listing says railroad grade, check the plate for the adjustment marking and look for the micrometer regulator by the balance.
Riverside Maximus and Premier Maximus
The Maximus grades were Waltham's showpieces. The Riverside Maximus appears among the 16-size Model 1888 grades as a 21-jewel watch adjusted to temperature and five positions, and on the Model 1899 and 1908 it came in 21 and 23 jewels. Waltham's 1904 catalog, The Perfected American Watch, put it alongside the Vanguard and Crescent Street as one of its featured grades. The Premier Maximus is a 23-jewel Model 1899 grade, and it's pendant set, so it wouldn't have met the lever-set rule for new railroad watches after about 1908. Both turn up on the railroad-grade list usually credited to Webb C. Ball, though you'll rarely hear either called a working railroad watch.
Where the Vanguard usually wins
If you want a Waltham to carry and use, the 16-size Vanguard is the easy pick. It was built for railroad service and made in large numbers into the 1950s, so there's plenty to choose from. A Crescent Street gets you a similar watch with a longer history. A 19-jewel Riverside from the 1910s makes a good everyday watch if you don't need the full railroad spec. The Maximus grades are the ones to hunt if you're after Waltham's top-jeweled movements.
What to check before you buy
- Grade on the plate. Ask for a movement photo. The grade name and jewel count should be engraved on the top plate, and they should match the title.
- Size. Confirm 16 or 18 size, which tells you which model you're looking at.
- Adjustment marking. Vanguards and Crescent Streets from after about 1908 are usually marked "Adjusted 5 Positions." A Riverside marked only "Adjusted" is an older or lower-spec version.
- Setting. Look for the lever at the dial edge. Many Waltham grades were made both ways.
- Serial. Date the movement serial and ignore the case number.
Dating a Waltham
Waltham serial tables work the same way as Hamilton's. Read the number on the movement and find where it falls between two years. RailsWest's table, for example, puts serial 9,500,000 in 1900, 16,400,000 in 1908, 19,500,000 in 1914 and 30,250,000 in 1940. Waltham stopped making watches in 1957. Check the answer against the grade. An 18-size Vanguard dated after 1914 or a 16-size Crescent Street dated after 1929 needs a second look.
Our railroad grade guide covers what those markings meant to the railroads, and the eBay red flags guide covers mismatched movements and cases. See every Waltham grade on the Waltham maker page.
