9-jewel 16-size Grade 1609 Waltham Military Chronometer

$649.00

Only three American companies made watches specifically meant for the armed forces, which came in base metal cases, usually with ordnance numbers or symbols on the rear cover. They were open-face with black dials and white numerals to make visibility easier at night. Don't miss out on this surviving low-mileage World War II timepiece.

Shipped FREE anywhere in America.

5% discount if paying by check. Contact us for details.

Watch Description

Waltham's successor to the popular Model '99 was the lever-set Model '08, with the most noticeable difference being the lever's placement at the 11:00 position to allow the wind-indicator feature to be added. It was with this design that the emphasis shifted away from the gorgeous damaskeen patterns milled on the watch plates to the dial, the most visible part of any watch. Jewel settings shifted from screw-set to press-fit and micro-regulators began to disappear. This exceptional pendant-set example was just given a thorough cleaning and a polishing of the balance and gear train pivots and carries a brushed Butler finish with new black enamel in the plate engravings. The dial is genuine porcelain-enamel, not painted melamine, with some minor imperfections in the minute markers, and the hands are all correct behind white Arabic numerals (the dial and hands are not luminescent). The case is a Keystone base metal with threaded covers, the crown is sharp, the bow is tight, and a new glass crystal was installed. Paracord lanyard and display stand included.

Watch Specs

Manufacturer - Waltham

Serial Number - 31235108

Watch Size - 16

Watch Model - '08

Watch Grade - 1609 (Premier)

Jewel Count - 9

Winding/Setting - Stem/Pendant

Production Year - 1942

Company History

Just What Restored Means

Restoring a watch doesn't mean to make it brand new again, which isn't possible. Nobody can remove the mileage, the scratches, and the history.

What it means is complete disassembly and cleaning, and to examine every component for defects under a 30x scope. It means making sure that every gear, every screw, every spring, everything under the dial is the correct part and operating within the tolerances set at the factory all those years ago. It means timing it in all positions as close to zero error as its escapement will allow. It means making sure the dial is the proper one for a given model and that it's cleaned well and repaired if necessary. It means that all the hands are the ones that are supposed to be there and not just any ones found in a jar. It means the case is immersed in a tank and the pendant cleaned separately, that the bow and crown are right for that brand, and a new crystal.

It means a mechanical work of art you can be proud of.

Buy Back Policy

There will come a time when you want or need to sell this watch for one of several reasons. If it's going to a fellow collector or someone who will genuinely appreciate it, then that's fine. On the other hand, if you're consigning it to an auction house or selling it to your local jeweler or gold hog it will almost certainly end up on eBay in pieces with the case melted down.

Instead of the watch being parted out for the bottom feeders to pick over, we will gladly buy the watch back from you, less 10% and the cost of a COA, plus anything else needed to return the piece to the condition in which you originally bought it.

American Timekeeper

9-jewel 16-size Grade 1609 Waltham Military Chronometer

Watch Description

Watch Specs

Just What Restored Means

The Accessories

Display Cases

Leather Straps

Leather Straps

Leather Straps

Leather Straps

Leather Straps

Buy Back Policy

The Warranty