Waltham Watch & Clock Company of Waltham, Massachusetts. A Federal-style Massachusetts wall timepiece. 217097.
This is one of the Waltham companies’ most attractive case forms. The case is constructed in mahogany and is visually supported by a traditionally designed presentation bracket. This example is fitted with eight turned wooden balls. The flat mahogany frames are cross-banded in “Tulip” wood, which is light in its coloring. The contrast between the darker mahogany and the honey-tinted tulipwood is an excellent detail, making this a special model. These frames support the glass tablets, which are hand-painted in very good colors. The throat section depicts Patriotic themes, including an American eagle with outstretched wings and an American shield. The lower tablet shows a view of the Boston State House and is so titled. The colors are excellent, and both tablets are original to the clock. The eagle finial, sidearms, and bezel are brass. The bezel opens to a painted iron dial featuring Arabic numerals and the Maker’s name, “Waltham.”
This is a fine example. The brass movement is mounted with diagonally positioned through bolts to a metal mounting bracket. The movement is weight-driven and is designed to run for eight days on a full wind. The quality is outstanding. The movement features heavy brass plates, maintaining power, and a Geneva stop winding mechanism. The front plate is die-stamped with the Maker’s name in the upper right corner. It is also numbered 8476 on the left.
This fine Federal-style Massachusetts improved timepiece or “Banjo clock” was made by the Waltham Watch & Clock Company of Waltham, Massachusetts, circa 1923-25. This clock is listed in their catalog as the Model No. 1546. It originally sold for $75.00 in the first quarter of the twentieth century.
This clock is 40.5 inches long overall.
Inventory number 217097.
The Waltham Clock and Waltham Watch Companies, in their various forms, have been synonymous with quality timepieces. The Company was first established in Waltham, Massachusetts, in January of 1897 as the Waltham Clock Company. Their products, known for their excellent quality, included hall, shelf, and then wall clocks. In 1913, they merged with the watchmaking giant Waltham Watch, but continued to produce clocks under the Waltham Clock name until 1923, when the name was changed to the Waltham Watch and Clock Company. In 1925, the name was changed again to the Waltham Watch Co. The production of pendulum clocks is reported to have ceased around 1930.
