1900, Waltham 7 Jewel, Sublime Fancy Dial, Yellow Gold Filled

I really think I am a kid at heart. I get so excited to bring another rarity to Etsy. Part of the reason might be that it can take up to a year to complete a project. When it finally gets completed, well let’s say I become a kid.

As the years have gone by on Etsy, my tastes and watch offerings have been refined. There are some great sellers on this platform, I want to be different. I want to offer the unusual, the highly collectible, that hard to find vintage time pieces that has been restored, a watch that could be handed down to the next generation.

I understand the value of a quality vintage wrist watch. In particular since some of mine are some of the earliest wristwatches dating back to the 1900’s.


This treasure is a caliber 7 jeweled movement, this was considered one of the “Work Horses” back then. You have an opportunity to own it



Us the pictures to help you with your description. Keep in mind that this watch is a few years young, it is not perfect! Let’s talk about this dial. To me, this is the crown jewel. The enamel dial is white, It has been carefully accented with gold accents below the numbers, the sublime design aesthetic are the bright leprechaun green dots above the numbers. The cherry on top of this watch sundae are the Louis Hands that finish off this treasure.



For this that are new to collecting Trench or WW1 watches, the more common size is considered the “0” sized movement: See below



6s common 1 11/30″ (1.366″) 34.70 MM



0s common 1 5/30″ (1.166″) 29.62 MM



3/0s uncommon 1 3/30″ (1.100″) 27.94 MM



The 3/0 size WW1/ Trench watches are getting much more difficult to source, especially in good condition. I am offering are hard to find treasure.



I have been collecting, buying and selling early American wrist watches for a long time. This is a real treasure and you won't see too often.


This Trench Watch features the very hard to find a bold military dial with strong Arabic numerals on a stark white background, a striking look and very easy to read.



The case measures 31.00 MM across



The case measures 37.00MM Lug to Lug


Read below how “Trench Watches” were founded.



WW1 for those history buffs was from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918.




What is a ”Trench Watch”, for those who don’t know here is a brief explanation.



What are WW1 or Trench watches? They were created using 3/0 and 0 size pocket watch movements and installing into watch cases that were meant to worn on the wrist.


They often have some of the following characteristics:




Fixed or Wire Lug: No traditional spring bar attachment as found in today’s watches. I have outfitted the watch with an open ended watch band that I acquired from the UK, it is a 12MM black with a yellow buckle to complete the look.




Case Material: It or often Solid Gold / Sterling Silver (925) / Silverode or Gold Filled. This case is gold-filled, it does have some marks, fine After all this case is almost 100 years young. Remember that, this is not a new case, although I have tried my best to restore this treasure to its former glory, I think I did a great job. It does have some gentle pry marks by the opening lip.




*For more practical purposes, a special alloy was developed which went by several different names, such as, "Silveroid, Silverore, Silverode or Silverine. "Silveroid" appears to have become the standard name for this metal that consisted of 45% nickel, 54% copper and 1% manganese. This metal was fairly hard wearing and could withstand the rigors of everyday use, for instance on the Railroads.



Case Manufactures: There were many case manufacturers that made cases for Trench Watches. Some of the more well know were: Dennison (English Manufacturer) Illinois (not affiliated with the Illinois Watch Company) Depollier and Sons, Wadsworth, Fahys, Philadelphia, Fortune and many more



What did I do to this watch?


Crown and stem adjustment


Case was hand polished


Dial was hand cleaned


New open ended 10MM genuine black leather band with stainless steel buckle


Grade: 601


Manufacturer: Elgin


Movement Serial Number: 7130795n


Grade: 179


Model: 5


Estimated Production Year 1898


Run Quantity 7000


Total Production: 119,000


Size 0 size


Jewels: 7


Movement Configuration: Hunting


Movement Finish: Nickel


Movement Setting: Pendant


Plate: Bridge Plate


For transparency, the case has two rub through areas, while it does not detract from this offering, it’s important that it gets disclosed.