Private Label Trade Names on American Pocket Watches: The Non-Magnetic Watch Company: Part 47: The Badollet Model Design Patent
By 
In a move that was rather uncommon for watch manufacturers at the time, the Non-Magnetic Watch Company of America applied for a design patent to cover the plate design used for the Badollet Model movements.
On September 10, 1888, Charles Willis Ward submitted an application for a United States patent, describing the movement plate profiles in detail. This design patent was granted on November 6, 1888, offering protection from other enterprises aiming to replicate the model design.
Interestingly, the day following the patent’s issue, Ward submitted another application, aiming to protect the same model design with a unified train bridge. This patent was also quickly granted to Ward on December 18, 1888. However, no surviving examples have been recorded with this unified train bridge, so it likely represents a revised model the company was exploring.
