Producing Early Enamel Watch Dials in America
By Enameled watch dials date back to the 1600s and were common on European watches by the time the watch industry was brought to life in America.
When Aaron Dennison and Edward Howard pioneered the American watch industry in the 1850s, dial production proved to be a major challenge. Early attempts at manufacturing an enamel dial were unsatisfactory. In 1853, the young company sent John T. Gold to Liverpool to learn the process of making enameled dials.
Gold returned with ample knowledge of the manufacturing process and recipes for a powered enamel. As a result, the company was able to manufacture enamel dials that could be produced at sufficient quality and quantity to bring a watch to market.
