Private Label Trade Names on American Pocket Watches: The Non-Magnetic Watch Company: Part 25: The Railroad Market
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As soon as the Geneva Non-Magnetic Watch Company was able to introduce their new watches to the American market, the company advertised to the railroad industry, targeting “locomotive engineers, firemen, conductors, and employees of railroads.”
In August 1887, the company began advertising in the Locomotive Engineers’ Journal, promoting the non-magnetic properties of the watch and warning that “magnetism will ruin your watches.” The company also claimed that “many a good time-piece has been thrown aside as being unfit for use which was made so by becoming magnetized.”
The advertisements describe the watch as accurately adjusted to temperature and features Paillard’s patent balance and hairspring. One of the primary selling points was that the watch did not require an anti-magnetic shield, a device that was becoming a more prevalent solution to protect against magnetism.
As the Non-Magnetic Watch Company gained momentum, the railroad industry would continue to be a critical market for non-magnetic watches.
