The “Princeton Watch” by the A.C. Smith Watch Company and J.J. Badollet

Movements sold by the “Princeton Watch Company” were only on the market for a couple of years. While these watches feature several characteristics of American-made movements, they were actually manufactured in Switzerland and imported for sale in the United States by Alfred C. Smith.

The Princeton watch was introduced to the market in October 1894 as a high-grade Swiss movement to rival the refined 16-Size movements from larger companies like Elgin and Waltham. The watch was first unveiled in the October 10, 1894 issue of The Jewelers’ Circular.

“The New Princeton Movement.

The new Princeton watch movement elsewhere described will no doubt be appreciated by dealers looking to the best interests of their customers, and yet mindful of profits to themselves. These movements are in every way high grade goods, and every care has been taken in their manufacture to consult the best interests of the retail jeweler from a mechanical as well as a commercial standpoint. These movements are made in Geneva by machinery and finished by Swiss skilled labor. The very best materials only are used, and in fact all pains have been taken to make the Princeton watch one that will meet the approbation of the trade and earn for itself a high reputation. Being “nameless” and the distribution to the trade being controlled by the manufacturers, they afford retail deal dealers a fair profit on his time and capital invested – an item not to be ignored in handling watches nowadays.”

The Jewelers’ Circular, October 10, 1894

In addition to the trade report, the same issue also featured an advertisement published by the A.C. Smith Watch Company to promote the new watch.

“PRINCETON WATCHES

ARE THE LATEST TRIUMPH IN WATCHMAKING,

And are especially designed for reputable watch dealers desiring a well made, finely finished and reliable watch, which will afford a fair return for time and capital invested, and which the public do not know more about than the dealer.”

Three grades now ready for delivery, 15, 16 and 17 jewels, Nickel, Adjusted, Patent Regulator, Hunting and Open Face. 16 size, thin model, fitting Elgin size cases. Open Face are Pendant Set.

These movements are made in Geneva, Switzerland, by the most improved American automatic machinery, insuring accuracy and precision, and finished by Swiss skilled labor, giving to them that delicacy of finish so much admired. In the selection of jewels, dials and all material, everything is of the very best.

In placing Princeton Watches on the market, it is with full confidence that their merit of construction, delicacy of finish and assuracy of performance will meet with the highest appreciation oand with the verdict of the trade that no watch in the market compares with them for the price.

Distributed to the Retail Trade through a limited number of Jobbers as Wholesale Agents, under contract governing sale and protecting the Retailer. Ask your jobber for them, If he does not keep them, write us and we will give you names of jobbers who do. Descriptive Price Lists furnished to Regular Jewelers upon application.

These are the watches to sell. They make profits.

A.C. Smith Watch Co. 177 Broadway, N.Y.”

The Jewelers’ Circular, October 10, 1894

The value proposition was very clear – these movements were intentionally designed so dealers could offer a watch that did not come with any preconceptions by the customer nor was influenced by the reputation of the larger American watch companies.

While prices were not provided in the advertisement, and no surviving price lists have been discovered, the Princeton watches were almost certainly priced to undercut movements of similar classes from American factories.

According to the advertisement, three grades were offered: 15 Jewels, 16 Jewels, and 17 Jewels – in either open face or hunting configuration. All movements featured a finely damaskeened nickel finish, fitted with a micrometric regulator, and were adjusted. A later advertisement specified the level of adjustment – temperature, isochronism and positions.

The micrometric regulator equipped on the Princeton movements was essentially the same as the regulator used on Elgin watches, patented by Charles S. Moseley in 1874. By 1894, this patent would have entered into the public domain. So, the A.C. Smith Watch Company adopted it for the Princeton movements. The pie-shaped hairspring stud was also a patented design by Moseley, usually an identifiable trait of Elgin watches – also used for the Princeton watch. These traits sometimes cause the Princeton watches to be misidentified as Elgin watches.

The model used for the Princeton movement was offered by the Swiss firm broadly, so it is unclear if the Elgin-esque traits were intentionally requested by A.C. Smith to make the Princeton watches look similar to an Elgin movement or if it was an assumed design using the existing products from the manufacturer.

The movements carry no identification other than the “Princeton Watch Co.” name. If the A.C. Smith Watch Company only served as the wholesaler, what company manufactured the Princeton watches?

A study of similar movements manufactured by the J.J. Badollet factory confidently associates the Princeton movements to that company.

We find other Badollet moments produced in the same era using an identical model, including the Elgin-esque micrometric regulator and hairspring stud.

This manufacturing partner was very practical, as the Badollet factory had already been equipped with machinery to make American movements during a partnership with the Non-Magnetic Watch Company and had experience with delivering products for the American market.

A.C. Smith already benefited from an established business relationship with Badollet, as he was pivotal in operating the Non-Magentic Watch Co. of America, which contracted for movements from the Badollet factory in Geneva.

In January 1892, after several family disagreements within the leadership of the Paillard Non-Magnetic Watch Company, A.C. Smith purchased the company and its patents. However, the newly reorganized “Non-Magnetic Watch Co.” went into receivership the following year due to legal disputes, but Smith was able to rescue the company yet again.

Smith recognized that the “Non-Magnetic” company name would always require the use of a non-magnetic hairspring in any watch sold. However, his ambitions were much larger. The formation of the A.C. Smith Watch Company in March 1894 allowed his business to broaden into other products. Trade publications reported that the company was organized “for the purpose of manufacturing and selling Paillard non-magnetic and other special watches” [The Jewelers’ Circular, March 28, 1894].

Leveraging his existing partnership with the Badollet factory in Geneva, Smith contracted for new movements to be marked with the “Princeton Watch Co.” trade name. During this time, he also sold the popular “Charmilles” watch, another product of the Badollet factory. The Princeton watch was debuted to the market in October 1894.

Shortly after, in May 1895, A.C. Smith decided to travel west to explore the prospects of gold ming and sold the watch company to R.A. Loveland. Mr. Loveland happened to be Smith’s father-in-law and had made his fortune as a lumberman in Michigan, so the jewelry business was not his forte. Even so, the Princeton watch continued to be advertised by R.A. Loveland through March 1896, along with the Non-Magnetic and Charmilles watches.

In July 1896, Mr. Loveland sold out the remaining stock of the Non-Magentic Watch Co. and all patents to A.C. Becken. Becken carried on the Non-Magnetic Watch Company products for several years, but the story of the Princeton watch ended with this exchange.

Only a handful of surviving examples of the Princeton Watch Co. watches have been reported, all hunting configuration. The difficulty of locating examples suggests that production was extremely limited. If you have one that you would like to report for ongoing research, please contact us.