Vintage with history
I came across my grandfather's Waltham watch from 1933. He was a milkman for 40 years with Peavely Dairy in St. Louis, Missouri. He won this in a sales contest. Even has his name and date engraved on the back. It was missing the crystal and not running well. Had my friend who owns a jewelry store restore it for me. Took about 3 months to source the five parts it needed plus the crystal, but man it feels so good to have this back and I wear it proudly.
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Brian
Product Photographer and watch enthusiast.
St louis
Member since
Last active: 1 year ago
This is a great watch with a great family history.
Thank you for sharing that. Fascinating the way a watch can tell a story, hold a memory, represent generations.
I'm guessing the expansion bracelet was a later modification. I'm glad you kept it, as they tend to be as stylish and clever as the watches themselves. And that's no small order with American watches of this period.
Is the crystal flat or curved in one or two planes? Because I'd figure the latter would be damn near impossible to find a proper replacement for.
Personalization proves invaluable in traceability of heirlooms when the firsthand contemporaries get unreliable memories or disappear altogether. It means way more to know who an item belonged to than to be uncertain.
I'm guessing the expansion bracelet was a later modification. I'm glad you kept it, as they tend to be as stylish and clever as the watches themselves. And that's no small order with American watches of this period.
Is the crystal flat or curved in one or two planes? Because I'd figure the latter would be damn near impossible to find a proper replacement for.
Personalization proves invaluable in traceability of heirlooms when the firsthand contemporaries get unreliable memories or disappear altogether. It means way more to know who an item belonged to than to be uncertain.
That is actually the original scissor bracelet. It's a little small on me and tends to sit just a bit off, but I refuse to put anything else on it as I want to keep it original.
The crystal is domed. It is so beautiful. I could only imagine how hard it was to find a replacement.
So proud to own this piece and it will stay in my family for generations.
Thank you for sharing that. Fascinating the way a watch can tell a story, hold a memory, represent generations.
Very proud of this piece!
That is a real treasure. I bet you wear it with pride.
Great story! This is what makes watches so special.
Lovely watch and a lovely story. It's wonderful that you were able to get it back to its former glory. Your grandfather would be proud.