American Watch Company 20 Size Nashua no. 1002
This is the 20 size American Watch Company grade watch that initiated my
interest in collecting high grade watches. The watch shows normal wear for its
140 years of existence. The hands were not original when the watch was found and
they have been replaced. The bow was badly worn and has also been replaced.
The case is 18K and was made by Robbins & Appleton who cased many of the finest of the American Watch Company's products from the time of R. E. Robbin's acquisition of Waltham until the late 1860's.
The Waltham serial number is 50028, but it was produced originally at the Nashua Watch Company in Nashua, New Hampshire and it carries the assembly number 102 under the dial and on all the marked components. All the existing original 19J watches have numbers between 101 and 200 while all the existing 15J watches have numbers between 201 and 300. When it came time to engrave the back plates, Nashua marked the 19J watches 1001 to 1100 and the 15J watches 1201 to 1300 (This created a gap of 100 numbers). Thus the 19J Nashua production started with 1001 which carried assembly number 101. This watch with number 102 is the lowest assembly number discovered to date. All of the 15J watches that were finished at Waltham were upgraded to 19J by jewelling the pallet and center. At least one of the Nashua marked watches is currently finished in 19J with center jewelling also.
The watch has the Nashua jewelling with 19 jewels applied to the escapement, third and fourth wheels with cap jewels on the pallet arbor and escape wheel. The center wheel is not jeweled. Later products have the center jeweled when 17 or 19 jewels are present.
Front, Front Case Mark, Back Case Mark Cuvette, Cuvette Mark, Dial Movement, Movement Closeup
