Halda: Watch Movements and Pocket Watches from Sweden – Part 2

In the first part of this article, we looked at the history of the Swedish company Halda, which produced pocket watches from 1887 and developed its own movements. In the second part, we will now take a look at these movements.

Halda did not use classic caliber designations like other manufacturers. We prefer to speak of movement models here, as their designation refers to a combination of the quality of the case (gold or silver) and the movement. These models were each marked with a single letter, with the exception of the Export model.

Some letters were used over time for two different movements, i.e. over different production periods. For this reason, Gen for generation and the number 1 or 2 are added to the letters for the models in the following table.

All Halda movements have a Swiss lever escapement with free-standing lever pallets. The crown wheel and ratchet wheel are located between the plates in all Halda movements. A Maltese cross stop-work on the mainspring barrel also seems to have been standard at Halda.

Most Halda movements are Lépine (open face) calibers; only the L and R models are Savonnette (hunter) versions for watches with a cover.

In addition to the letter for the model, the movements are also stamped with HALDA or HALDA FICKURFABRIK.

Model	Time Period	Features
A Gen 1	1889 – 1893	Men’s silver watch, 19´´´, 15 jewels, triangular impulse jewel, single roller, compensation balance with gold screws and roll-hardened Breguet hairspring, hands set via crown with pusher
A Gen 2	1895 – 1918	Men’s gold watch, 19´´´, 15 jewels, oval impulse jewel, double roller, compensation balance with adjusting screws and Breguet hairspring, hands set via crown with pushers
B	1895 – 1896	Ladies’ silver watch, 15´´´, 15 jewels, oval impulse jewel, double roller, compensation balance with adjusting screws and Breguet hairspring, hands set via crown with pushers, flying barrel
C	1894 – 1918	Men’s silver watch, 19´´´, 17 jewels, oval or semi-circular impulse jewel, double roller, compensation balance with Breguet hairspring, hands set via crown with pushers
D	1895 – 1918	Ladies’ gold watch, 15”’, 17 jewels, semi-circular impulse jewel, balance with gold and regulating screws
Export 14´´´	1896	Ladies’ watch, 14´´´, 15 jewels Presumably only demonstration samples were produced
Export 19´´´	1896 – 1918	Men’s watch, 19´´´, 15 jewels, oval impulse jewel, double roller, hands set via crown with pushers
F	1895 – 1910	Ladies’ silver watch, 15´´´, 17 jewels, semi-circular impulse jewel, balance with gold and regulating screws
G	1889 – 1893	Men’s silver watch, 19´´´, 17 jewels, triangular impulse jewel, single roller, compensation balance with gold screws and fire-hardened Breguet hairspring, hands set via crown with pusher, flying barrel
H Gen 1	1889 – 1893	Men’s gold watch, 19´´´, 19 jewels (1 diamond), triangular impulse jewel, double roller, stainless steel compensation balance with gold and platinum screws and stainless steel hairspring, patented regulator, hands set via crown with or without pusher, flying barrel
H Gen 2	1894 – 1918	Men’s gold watch, 19´´´, 19 jewels, triangular impulse jewel, double roller, compensation balance with gold and platinum screws and fire-hardened Breguet hairspring, patented regulator, hands set via crown without pusher, flying barrel
J	1895 – 1918	Ladies’ gold watch, 15´´´, 15 jewels, oval impulse jewel, balance with adjusting screws, hands set via crown with pusher
K Gen 1	1889 – 1893	Men’s silver watch, 19´´´, 17 jewels, triangular impulse jewel, single roller, compensation balance with gold screws and fire-hardened Breguet hairspring, hands set via crown with pusher
K Gen 2	1895 – 1918	Men’s silver watch, 19´´´, 17 jewels, semi-circular impulse jewel, double roller, compensation balance with adjusting screws, hands set via crown with pusher
L	1894 – 1918	Men’s silver watch with cover (Savonnette, hunter), 19´´´, 17 jewels?
N Gen 1	1889 – 1893	Men’s silver watch, 19´´´, 19 jewels (1 diamond), triangular impulse jewel, double roller, stainless steel compensation balance with gold screws and stainless steel hairspring, patented regulator, flying barrel, hands set via crown with or without pusher
N Gen 2	1893 – 1918	Men’s silver watch, 19´´´, 19 jewels, triangular impulse jewel, double roller, compensation balance with gold screws and fire-hardened Breguet hairspring, patented regulator, flying barrel, hands set via crown with pusher
O	1895 – 1918	Men’s silver watch, 19´´´, 17 jewels, semi-circular impulse jewel, double roller, compensation balance with gold screws and Breguet hairspring, patented regulator, flying barrel, hands set via crown with pusher
P	1893 – 1895	Men’s gold watch, 19´´´, 15 jewels, oval impulse jewel, double roller, compensation balance with regulating screws and fire-hardened Breguet hairspring, hands set via crown with pushers
R	1894 – 1918	Men’s gold watch with cover (Savonnette, hunter), 19”’, 17 jewels?, patented regulator
S Gen 1	1889 – 1893	Men’s silver watch, 19´´´, 19 jewels, triangular impulse jewel, single roller, compensation balance with gold screws and fire-hardened Breguet hairspring, hands set via crown with pusher, patented regulator
S Gen 2	1893 – 1896	Men’s silver watch, 19´´´, 17 jewels, semi-circular impulse jewel, single roller, compensation balance with gold screws and fire-hardened Breguet hairspring, hands set via crown with pusher, patented regulator
T Gen 1	1889 – 1893	Men’s gold watch, 19´´´, 19 jewels, triangular impulse jewel, compensation balance with gold screws, two regulating screws and fire-hardened Breguet hairspring
T Gen 2	1894 – 1918	Men’s gold watch, 19´´´, 17 jewels, semi-circular impulse jewel, double roller, compensation balance with gold screws and fire-hardened Breguet hairspring, hands set via crown with pusher
V	1889 – 1918	Men’s gold watch, 19´´´, 19 jewels, triangular impulse jewel, double roller, compensation balance with gold screws, two regulating screws and fire-hardened Breguet hairspring, flying barrel, hands set via crown with pusher, patented regulator
Z	1894 – 1918	Men’s silver watch, 19´´´, 15 jewels, oval impulse jewel, double roller, compensation balance with Breguet hairspring, hands set via crown with pusher

Production periods of Halda movement models:

Halda A Gen 1

Halda A Gen 2

Movement marked with HALDA FICKURFABRIK and A in a circle. Based on the serial number 14760 from around 1903. Barrel with Maltese cross stop-work.

Halda B

Bridge shape like model A Gen 2.

Halda C

The movement has a moustache type pallet fork with lateral counterweights:

Parts of a dismantled Halda C:

Halda D

Bridge shape like model A Gen 2 and model B.

Halda Export 14´´´

Halda Export 19´´´

Here is a picture of a partially dismantled movement:

HALDA EXPORT can be read on the movement plate.
Incidentally, the spring on the pusher for setting the hands is installed the wrong way round in the picture. One of several problems that the movement had when I got it.

Halda F

Bridge shape like model A Gen 2, B and D.

Halda G

Bridge shape like model A Gen 1.

Halda H Gen 1

Bridge shape like Model A Gen 1 and Model G.
The regulator is based on the Swedish patent SE1172, which was presented in the first part of this article.

Halda H Gen 2

Bridge shape like model A Gen 1, G and H Gen 1.

Halda J

Bridge shape like model A Gen 2, B, D and F.

Halda K Gen 1

Bridge shape like model A Gen 1, G, H Gen 1 and H Gen 2.

Halda K Gen 2

Bridge shape like model A Gen 2, B, D, F and J.

Halda L

Savonnette (hunter) version of the Lépine (open face) bridge shape of the A Gen 2, B, D, F, J and K Gen 2 models.

Halda N Gen 1

Bridge shape like model A Gen 1, G, H Gen 1, H Gen 2 and K Gen 1.

Halda N Gen 2

Bridge shape like model A Gen 1, G, H Gen 1, H Gen 2, K Gen 1 and N Gen 1.

Halda O

Bridge shape like model A Gen 2, B, D, F, J and K Gen 2.

Halda P

Bridge shape like Halda C.

Halda R

Savonnette (hunter) caliber. Bridge shape like Halda L.

Halda S Gen 1

Bridge shape like model A Gen 1, G, H Gen 1, H Gen 2, K Gen, N Gen 1 and N Gen 2.

Halda S Gen 2

Bridge shape like model A Gen 1, G, H Gen 1, H Gen 2, K Gen, N Gen 1, N Gen 2 and S Gen 1.

Halda T Gen 1

Bridge shape like model A Gen 1, G, H Gen 1, H Gen 2, K Gen, N Gen 1 and N Gen 2, S Gen 1 and S Gen 2.

Halda T Gen 2

Bridge shape like model A Gen 1, G, H Gen 1, H Gen 2, K Gen, N Gen 1 and N Gen 2, S Gen 1, S Gen 2 and T Gen 1.

Halda V

Bridge shape like model A Gen 1, G, H Gen 1, H Gen 2, K Gen, N Gen 1 and N Gen 2, S Gen 1, S Gen 2, T Gen 1 and T Gen 2.

HALDA Z

Movement marked with HALDA and Z in a circle. There is an older and a newer version of the movement. The structure of the older one corresponds to that of model C. Accounting for around 20 percent of total production, the Model Z was Halda’s most frequently produced model.

Old:
Based on the serial number 1541 from around 1903.

New:
Due to the serial number 18554 from around 1908.

Literature

In 1987, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Halda Fickurfabrik, the Swedish Watchmakers’ Association (Sveriges Urmakareförbund) published the following book in an edition of 1,000 copies:

Title: HALDA – en svensk fickurfabrik
Authors: Sven Sandström, Sture Carlsson, Staffan Sjunnesson
Editor: Stefan Sahlén

The Swedish Watchmakers’ Association (Sveriges Urmakareförbund) has kindly given me permission to use the movement illustrations from the book for this article. Many thanks for this!