Return to Previous Page (Thumbnails)
Return To Previous Page (Thumbnails)
This is a 16 size Waltham made for the Ball Watch Co of Cleveland Ohio. Aside from being one of the largest private labelers of pocket watches, the Webb C. Ball Co. was very influential in determining regulations regarding what made watches “R.R. Grade”. Webb C. Ball was very well connected to the management and the unions who ran the railroad business around the turn of the century, and into the “20s and 30s. The Ball Co. went out of business in the late 1960s or early ‘70s.
This 19 jewel Waltham movement has several modifications which were exclusive to the Ball private label. You will notice that the shape of the plates and the regulator are different from the typical Waltham of the same era. In fact, it is difficult to tell the difference from this watch and a Ball Hamilton of the same vintage. Obviously, Ball must have had a lot of power in the industry to get a large company like Waltham to build a watch, not only with his private label, but to his specifications. Unlike some of the other large private labelers, like Sears and Roebuck, Ball typically sold only high grade Railroad watches. Typically they are found with his “Official RR Standard” dial and movement markings.
This watch has been custom outfitted with a dial, movement, and case marked with the initials “BRT” for Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Ball was a great marketer, and catered to the union man, who was the largest purchaser of his watches. Upgrading a watch like this cost the buyer several more dollars, so not many appear to have taken this step. Therefore, watches marked like this are hard to find and very collectable. Note that the “BRT” marking on the dial is in silver, red and green. The marking on the movement is in the small round gold plug on the barrel bridge. These Waltham movements were made with a hole which could be plugged with a number of differently marked plugs, at the request of the customer.
