Innovation

Private Label Trade Names on American Pocket Watches: The Non-Magnetic Watch Company: Part 3: The Oxidation Problem

By Nathan Moore

In Patents & Innovations

Pictured: Rust on a Steel Hairspring At age seventeen, Charles-Auguste Paillard began an apprenticeship under his uncle to study the repair, service, and adjustment of marine chronometers. Paillard quickly realized that maintaining marine chronometers introduced unique challenges. The moist and salty environment frequently caused the...

Biographies

Private Label Trade Names on American Pocket Watches: The Non-Magnetic Watch Company: Part 2: Charles-Auguste Paillard

By Nathan Moore

Pictured: Charles-Auguste Paillard Portrait [Courtesy of hautehorlogerie.org] In 1840, Charles-Auguste Paillard was born in the Swiss village of Sainte-Croix. His father was a watch adjuster by trade, and his mother.

The (Elgin) National Watch Company’s First Stem Wind Watches: Key Set

By Rick Hufnagel

H.H. Taylor (Private Label) #246713 As discussed in the previous article, the very first stem wind movements emerged from the Elgin factory in June of 1873. These movements were key-set.

Trend Progression of Arabic Numerals on American Watch Dials

By Nathan Moore

In Dials , Elgin , Factory Finishing , History , Production , Trends

Pictured: Early Arabic Dial on Elgin Interchangeable Movement, c.1885. Until the 1880s, watch dials manufactured in the United States almost exclusively featured Roman Numeral hourly indicators. Not only was this the accepted standard at the time, but it was also very practical. Painting dials by...