Explanation of Various Waltham Grades

As described elsewhere, the model of a watch is the overall design of the watch's movement (i.e., the the size and shape of the plates and/or bridges, the layout of the (gear) train, and the design of the vast majority of the parts), whereas the grade of a watch indicates particular variations between examples of the same model that are usually, though not always, associated with overall quality. The variations that distinbguish different grades can include such things as the number of jewels, how well-finished the movement is, whether the movement has screw-down jewel settings, etc. Sometimes these variations can be significant, and a particular model can come in a variety of grades from low quality to high. Often, however, the term "grade" is used merely to distinguish between minor variations, and in some cases two different grades are actually identical except for the name.

Waltham used both named grades ("Appleton, Tracy & Co.", "Wm Ellery", "Vanguard", etc.) and number grades ("992", "No. 81", etc.) In addition, Waltham used many of the same grade designations for multiple sizes and models, which means that the highest [or lowest] grade for one particular model may not be the highest [or lowest] grade for a different model, even though the names of the grades are the same. Finally, because many grade designations were relative, the comparative quality of some grades changed over the years as new grades were added and older grades were dropped.

Many of the Waltham grades were named after famous local people, valued employees, founders of the company, former names of the company, and -- in the case of the "Home Watch Co." grade -- names of completely fictitious companies. It is not unusual for new collectors to see such a name on the movment of a Waltham watch and think that the watch either was owned by the person whose name is engraved thereon, or else made by that person. To add to the confusion, Waltham frequently did produce "private label" watches where, for an additional fee, they actually would engrave somebody's name [usually that of a retailer who was buying the watches in bulk for resale] on the dial and/or the movement. Because these private label (or "jobber") watches were typically just regular watches that had a name added to them, they are usually not considered to be separate grades.

Below is a comparison chart of many of the different grade designations used by Waltham, categorized by size and model. For each model, the grades are listed from highest relative quality to lowest [although some of the grades are so similar it's hard to be exact], together with a general description of the grade. Wherever possible, I have included a description of the grade taken from contemporary factory catalogs and jewelers advertisments (in intalics). Please note that this information is not meant to be comprehensive, and there are many grades that are not listed here, especially for earlier models.