History

Private Label Trade Names on American Pocket Watches: The Non-Magnetic Watch Company: Part 19: Organization of the Non-Magnetic Watch Co.

By Nathan Moore

In History

Pictured: Charles Willis Ward, Portrait, American Lumberman, October 14, 1911. Shortly after Charles-Auguste Paillard began commercializing his palladium hairspring in 1883, the opportunity for broader production and marketing caught the attention of Charles Willis Ward. Ward was in Europe seeking a better environment for health...

History

Private Label Trade Names on American Pocket Watches: “Burlington Watch Co.” Part 71: The Great Transition

By Nathan Moore

Pictured: “Hamilton Buys Illinois Watch Firm Outright.” Lancaster New Era, December 29, 1927. Since the “Burlington Special” was introduced in 1908, the Burlington Watch Company had always utilized movements manufactured.

History

The 1871 Chicago Fire and the Elgin National Watch Company

By Nathan Moore

Pictured: Building at Corner of Lake and Clark Streets (National Watch Company Sales Office), Chicago, After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. [A brief departure from our ongoing study of.

Private Label Trade Names on American Pocket Watches: “Burlington Watch Co.” Part 42: The Guarantee Certificate

By Nathan Moore

In Ephemera

Pictured: “Burlington Guarantee” Certificate for Burlington Special Watch, 1915. Every Burlington watch shipped out from the Burlington Watch Company arrived with a guarantee certificate, ensuring that the watch and case was warranted against defects for life. This “Burlington Guarantee” encouraged confidence in the company and...

Factories , History

Private Label Trade Names on American Pocket Watches: “Burlington Watch Co.” Part 26: The Babson Bros. Headquarters

By Nathan Moore

Pictured: The Babson Bros. Warehouse in Chicago, Edison Phonograph Monthly, May 1907 The Babson Bros. operated their enormous mail-order business enterprise from the west side of Chicago, fulfilling orders as.

Dials , History , Railroad Watches , Waltham

The Introduction of the Twenty-Four Hour Division Dial (The “Canadian Dial”)

By Nathan Moore

Pictured: Waltham “Twenty-Four Hour Division Dial” Fitted on a 18-Size P.S. Bartlett Movement, c.1907. The adoption of standard time by the railroad industry in 1883 spurred a flurry of innovative.

Behind the Name: Who is the “Appleton, Tracy & Co.” Marked on Waltham Watches?

By Nathan Moore

In History , Movements , Trademarks , Waltham

The Appleton, Tracy & Co. grade produced by the American Watch Company (Waltham) has roots that run deep in the company’s history. In 1850, Aaron Dennison, Edward Howard, David P. Davis, and Samuel Curtis organized a company in Roxbury, Massachusetts to manufacture watch movements. This...