The world's first waterproof watch that actually worked is back.
This historically significant American watch has been re-issued with the backing of Watch Angels for the pleasure of the entire watch enthusiasts community. An important timepiece, dedicated to those who always wonder about the history of a watch and the impact it has had on the world.
The game changer
It all started in WWI. Trench warfare was messy and hard. The trenches themselves would fill with mud and water from relentless shelling. And if mud and water didn't destroy your watch chlorine & mustard gas would.
An original ad for the Waltham Field & Marine
There was a vital need for a waterproof watch and existing products just weren’t up to the task. This is when an American named Charles Depollier came in and changed the world of watchmaking forever by creating the first waterproof watch that actually worked, exclusively housing Waltham movements.
A double clinched bezel invented by Depoiller, a threaded hermetic case design and a screw down crown design made the Field & Marine virtually impenetrable.
The Original Depollier crown system patent from 1919
Furthermore, to tighten the watch case he created a tool, the "Chuck Key", to torque down the bezel & case back for a watertight seal.
All waterproof watches and dive watches on the planet today can be traced back to the Waltham Field & Marine incorporating Depollier's technology.
The legacy of Depollier's & Waltham’s horological advancements still echoes very loudly today. This is the reason for Waltham to open a new page in its history by re-issuing the Field & Marine with its famous crown technology in 2022.
Made like Waltham would have made it today
Nothing is more difficult than re-issuing a watch that made history, making it relevant to the present. It would have been easy to design exactly the same timepiece, but Waltham would not have designed it in the same way with today's technology. For this reason the logic of the original innovation as well as the design codes have been preserved, but executed according to today's standards and sensibilities. The purpose was to create a future collectible, not just a copy of the 1918-1919 watch.
X1 grade Superluminova®
The crown system
As a homage to the original Depollier crown technology the 2021 Field & Marine features a similar, but perfected, crown locking system. The crown is locked against the case with the aid of a bayonet system, while a brass lever, interlocked with the crown system, show the status of the crown (locked-unlocked). This security systems prevents to involuntarily compromise the water-resistance.
The bayonet crown system
The water-resistance
The 2022 watch construction features a compressor style case-back and water resistance has been brought to 30ATM (300m-1000ft) giving the term "Marine" in "Field & Marine" a contemporary meaning by bringing it to a professional diving water-resistance specification.
The models
The Waltham Field & Marine Dual Time GMT with white lacquered dial. Prices start at CHF 1.495.
- Dual time |24h with power reserve indicator an automatic, encasing a Soprod C115 movement, in 43mm
The Waltham Field & Marine Automatic "Red 12" with white lacquered dial. Prices start at CHF 995.
- A 3 Hands Date, encasing a Sellita SW200 automatic movement, in 41mm
Prices
The Waltham Field & Marine is exclusively available from the Watch Angels store at the following prices:
- Automatic Dual Time 24h/Power Reserve: CHF 1.495 (SS) - CHF 1.595 (Gunmetal)
- 3 Hands-Date Automatic: CHF 995 CHF (SS) - CHF 1.095 (Gunmetal)
About Waltham
The Waltham Watch Company, also known as the American Waltham Watch Co. and the American Watch Co., born from an idea by watchmaker Aaron Lufkin Dennison, produced about 40 million watches, clocks, aircraft instruments, speedometers, compasses, time fuses, and other precision instruments between 1850 and 1957. It invented the American Watchmaking System which made mass quality watch production possible, inspired Henry Ford's Ford T assembly line, and which was later adopted by the Swiss watch industry. The company's historic 19th-century factory in Waltham, Massachusetts have been preserved as the American Waltham Watch Company Historic District. Waltham project page
About Watch Angels
Watch Angels is a leading Swiss watch manufacturer based in Mendrisio, Switzerland. It has developed the crowd manufacturing system and operates the watchangels.ch platform. On Watch Angels the watch community can fund watch manufacturing projects by independent creators and brands. The factory direct crowd manufacturing system offers up 3 times the value and 1/3rd of the price to the watch community. Watch Angels website
