1936 Waltham Sterling Silver Dennison “Hermetic” Watch — Rare ALD Swing-Out Case — Grade No. 359 (3/0s)

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$823.00

• Details
  A survivor of the quiet, ingenious, and mysterious age of interwar watchmaking.
  
  ⸻
  
  Some watches arrive in your hands with the weight of their years. Others arrive with questions, with the sense that they’ve lived a life no records fully explain — and this 1936 Waltham in its sterling silver Dennison Hermetic case is one of them.
  
  At first glance, it’s a beautifully preserved example of Waltham’s Grade 359. But look closer, and you begin to feel it:
  that subdued tension of “Why did this one survive?” when so many did not.
  
  A Case Designed for Secrets
  
  Open it — or rather, try to. There is no case back at all.
  The only point of entry is through the bezel, and once released, the movement swings out on its hidden hinge, as if the watch is guarding something inside.
  
  Dennison didn’t build these Hermetic cases for convenience.
  They were built for protection, for resisting dust, moisture, war-era travel, and the unknowns of daily life in the 1930s.
  
  Some collectors believe this swing-out design was inspired by early military field watches. Others believe it was simply over-engineering from a company obsessed with shielding movements from the world.
  
  No matter the truth, it gives the watch an almost conspiratorial feel — as though it was meant to keep time safe from prying hands.
  
  The Hallmarks: A Whisper From 1935–36
  
  Then there are the hallmarks.
  
  The lion passant.
  
  The Birmingham anchor.
  
  And most telling of all, the capital “L” — the date letter for 1935–36.
  
  Hallmarks aren’t just stamps; they’re breadcrumbs.
  And this “L” is an anchor to the watch’s origin, confirming not only when it was assayed, but that it passed through the hands of craftsmen who tested every millimeter of its silver for purity.
  
  This particular “L,” struck cleanly in its reserve, feels like a tiny time capsule — a message from the past, perfectly preserved.
  
  The Movement: Reliable, Quiet, Persistent
  
  • Movement serial: 29018595
  
  • Jewels: 9
  
  • Model: 1907
  
  • Finish: Nickel, 3/4 plate
  
  • Setting: Pendant
  
  • Hairspring: Breguet
  
  • Production: November 1936
  
  The Grade 359 was never ostentatious.
  
  It was built to run — steadily, faithfully — in the pockets and on the wrists of people who moved through life without fanfare.
  
  Collectors understand the charm: reliability doesn’t need to shout.
  
  A Rare Survivor
  
  What makes this piece so rare — so unusually intact — is its combination of factors:
  
  • Dennison Hermetic cases were produced in limited numbers, requiring more labor than conventional cases.
  
  • Their swing-out designs meant many were damaged, bent, or discarded over the decades.
  
  • Sterling silver wears hard. Yet here, the lines are crisp, the hinge firm, the hallmarks undisturbed.
  
  • The movement and case remain properly matched, forming a complete story rather than a parted-out marriage.
  
  Watches like this don’t reappear often. They slip into collections, into drawers, into safes — and rarely surface again.
  
  For the Collector Who Feels the Pull of History
  
  There is something quietly haunting about this watch.
  
  It has no bravado, no extravagance.
  
  But it carries presence — the kind of presence that suggests it has lived a life worth wondering about.
  
  If you’re a collector who follows instinct, who knows when a watch carries more than metal and screws…
  
  If you believe that some pieces choose their next steward…
  
  — then you already know what you’re looking at.
  
  This is a watch with a story, and just enough mystery to make it unforgettable.
  
  Feel free to reach out. True collectors always recognize each other.
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  Just contact me within: 14 days of delivery

  Ship items back to me within: 30 days of delivery

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