1868 Robbins & Appleton Advertisement for Waltham Watches with Fogg’s Patent Safety Pinion

By 1868, the American Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts, had built the foundation for the watch industry in the United States and secured a place as the premier leader in the market. During this time, the firm Robbins & Appleton served as the factory’s sales agent, promoting “Waltham Watches” in a variety of publications.

The original advertisement featured in this post leads with the claim that 400,000 Waltham Watches had been sold when published in November 1868 (publication source unknown).

“400,000 of these Watches are now speaking for themselves in the pockets of the people – a proof and a guarantee of their superiority, and furnishing the best reason for their great popularity, and justifying the preference uniformly shown them by the public.”

The advertisement continues by praising the watches made at the factory in Waltham, with special attention given to Fogg’s patent safety pinion, one of the most significant new features implemented in production:

“An experience of nearly fifteen years has furnished the AMERICAN WATCH COMPANY the opportunity of thoroughly testing all really valuable inventions in Watch-making; and it being the sole aim of the Company to produce Watches which, as time-keepers, would bear comparison with the very best made any where, they now confidently asset that the WALTHAM WATCHES have every improvement which time and experience proved valuable.

The AMERICAN WATCH COMPANY desire specially to remark that, having had the refusal of all the contrivances designed to prevent damage to the train by the breakage of main-springs, FOGG’S PATENT CENTRE-PINION was adopted for that purpose as the best and faultless.

WALTHAM WATCHES are now supplied with Patent DUST-PROOF CAPS, protecting the movement from dust, and greatly lessening the necessity of frequent cleaning, etc., an improvement of very great value to Watch-wearers whose Watches are exposed to rough usage and constant wear.

The different grades of WALTHAM WATCHES have frequently been submitted to the severest tests to determine their time-keeping qualities, and have invariably been found thoroughly reliable and accurate, receiving the strongest endorsements from railway engineers, conductors, and expressmen, the most exacting class of Watch-wearers, and a usage of fifteen years has sufficiently proved their durability. There are many kinds, grades, sizes, and descriptions of Watches made by the WALTHAM COMPANY, adapted to the tastes and means of all classes; but the Company’s written guarantee accompanies every Watch that bears the Company’s name, and should be required of every seller.

No Watches are retailed by the Company.

ROBBINS & APPLETON, Agents, 182 Broadway, New York.

November, 1868 – No. 222″

This advertisement serves as a snapshot of the early watch industry in America, on the verge of exploding with innovation and competition as new companies aimed to mimic the success of the American Watch Company.