Private Label Trade Names on American Pocket Watches: “Burlington Watch Co.” Part 30: The Burlington Challenge

To further position the “Burlington Watch” against the watches offered by the largest watch factories in America, the Burlington Watch Company issued an open challenge to Elgin and Waltham to “prove their watches [were] equal in quality to the Burlington of the same grade.”

The challenging factory was required to deposit $1,000 against the same amount by the Burlington Watch Company, and the winner would be awarded the prize money.

This open challenge was proposed in various newspaper advertisements and prominently included in the company catalogs.