The American Watch Co
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The American Watch Co 

With the failure of the Boston Watch Company, the initial phase of industrialization of American watchmaking came to an end. The next period for Waltham encompassed two major themes. One theme was the development of the industry under the guidance of the mercantile genius of Royal E. Robbins. This was the introduction of marketing and distribution channel driven operations. Instead of making the watch the watchmakers wanted to make, Robbins had them build the watch the market was willing to buy.

This change was not without struggle and the struggle ultimately led to the departure of many of the top operatives to Nashua and the discharge of Aaron L. Dennison.

Dennison's part in the story was the encouragement of his protégé Nelson P. Stratton in the design and construction of the new "thin model" or 1859 model watch. This watch was a radical departure from the tried and true 1857 model that was a continuation of the Dennison, Howard & Davis from the Boston Watch Co. 

While Robbins was working out the marketing strategy of the mainstream watch and establishing distribution channels, Dennison and Stratton were undermining his strategy with a totally new watch. Even more problematic, they had decided that it would encompass all the possible improvements including isochronal helical hairsprings and experimental escapement variations. 

In the midst of all this ferment, Belding Dart Bingham arrived from Nashua early in 1859 to try to learn as much as he could of Waltham's manufacturing methods with a view to building a competitive factory in Nashua. Eventually he became friends with the top innovators at Waltham and persuaded them that they would be able to produce a truly fine machine made watch if freed from the volume and price goals being imposed by Robbins.

The story of the 1857 model is well covered by the early models in the 1857 exhibit. This trend eventually led to improvements of the 1857 model with nickel plates and stem-winding functions. In the late 1870's new models were introduced as cost reductions. The 1877 and 1879 models were not particularly innovative and really just continued the development of the 1857 model. We do not have any examples in the exhibit of the 1877 or 1879 models primarily because they were never produced in the highest grades. We have left the high volume watches out of the exhibit and decided to concentrate instead on the theme of the watchmakers watch keeping in mind that it was never really a financial success and needed the revenue from Robbins' high volume lines to continue to be produced. The final example of the high volume watch was the incredibly successful 1883 model that exceeded even the longevity of the 1857 model continuing in production into the 1920's.

With the departure of many of the top operatives and the appearance of the strange new watch, relations between Robbins and Dennison became even more strained. Dennison was able to salvage some of his reputation by developing the 1859 model in the Wm. Ellery Grade as the soldiers watch and it was actually quite successful. However, it never really replaced the 1857 model. A small number of the 1859 model were finished in higher grades and a small number in the newly designated American Watch Co. grade.

One of the designers who stayed behind was Daniel Bucklin Fitts and the top American Watch Co and Appleton Tracy grades were fitted with this patent anti-backlash mechanism. The company also decided to take a chance on their first lady's watch. It was a scaled down version of the 1859 model and also incorporated D. B. Fitt's patent but implemented on the barrel rather than the center wheel. The smaller watch was made in both P. S. Bartlett Grade and Appleton Tracy Grade. Unlike the larger watch all the smaller examples have the patent mechanism.

Watch #1 in the American Watch Co. Theme is the 18 size American Watch Co. Grade 1859 model. It is housed in an 18K Robbins & Appleton case. It is clear from this example that R. E. Robbins was able to make the best of a situation that was probably not of his choosing.

Watch #2 is the ladies model designated as the 1861 model. It is also housed in a Robbins and Appleton case. In the case of both these watches, the model designations are certainly a later concept. When they were first made they were the Thin Model and the Lady's Model. This example of the Lady's Model is in Appleton Tracy Grade, but there is little to differentiate the Appleton Tracy Grade from the P. S. Bartlett Grade in this model.

These two watches represent the full extent of high-grade watches designed before the Nashua venture. The continuation of the development takes us to Nashua, New Hampshire and the group led by Stratton and Bingham that went to prove that the dream of an interchangeable parts, machine made watch that competed in quality with the best hand made watches could be a reality.

The group at Nashua produced two grades of movement in a single 20 size model. The model was designed to also support a 16 size implementation. 

Like the 1859 model, the new Nashua watch was a 3/4 plate model. However, it was completely redesigned with much better proportions and became the basis of all future high grade production at Waltham. There are two examples in the display from the Nashua production.

Watch #3 is a 15 jewel example marked Nashua Watch Co. with serial number 1223. 

All the Nashua watches are presumed to have had serial numbers between 1001 and 1300. Those with serial numbers from 1001 to 1200 were finished with 19 jewels by including cap jewels on the pallet arbor and the escape wheel arbor. The assembly numbers are related to the serial numbers by two different manipulations. The 19 jewel watches drop the zero second digit and presumably started with 101 and extend to 100 (dropping the 2 digit from 1200). This analysis is speculative in that very few examples exist. The lowest assembly number known is 102.

It is widely assumed that the Nashua Watch Co. ceased operations because of a shortage of cash and this is undoubtedly true. However, the Springfield Armory was building staff as part of the war effort at the time that the pressure was on at Nashua and the availability of good patriotic jobs at Springfield probably also contributed through staff attrition in the assembly operations. In any case Fogg was dispatched by Robbins to Nashua to evaluate the purchase of the assets and the incorporation of their efforts into the on-going American Watch Co. operations. The deal was struck and all the designs and machinery eventually found their way back to the newly formed Nashua Department of the American Watch Co.

Watch #4 is a 19 jewel 20 size example marked American Watch Co. It has assembly number 102 marked on all the parts but has been engraved with the American Watch Co. serial number 50028. This is the lowest assembly number known and only 101 would be lower.

These two watches illustrate the interesting phenomenon that there appears to be no pattern between the assembly numbers from Nashua and whether or not the watches are engraved with American Watch Co. numbers or with the sequence of the American Watch Co. serial numbers when they appear.

When the 15 jewel material with Stratton's patent barrel was finished at Waltham, it was given 19 jewels, but the jewelling was changed with the cap jewels omitted from the pallet and jewels applied to the center arbor. These watches also dispense with the polished steel crescent foot on the center setting cup.

The height of the 20 size development is probably represented by the watches authorized by Congress for awards by the President to heroic individuals who rescued American ships at sea. These incorporate Charles W. Fogg's patent vibrating hairspring stud with the top pivot jeweled and have 20 functional jewels. They are also cased in special cases with the Presidential Seal on the front cover, a memorial scene of a sailor's rescue on the back and details of the award engraved on the cuvette. All but one example of these watches are all from a run of 100 movements from 150,001 to 150,100.

Watch #5 in the exhibit is a Presidential Citation Watch presented to Captain R. Wytsma for his rescue of the crew of the Brigantine Hattie Morrison. This example has serial number 150,033.

The American Watch Co. also followed the Nashua plan of producing 16 size versions of the 20 size model.

Watch #6 is a American Watch Co. Grade KW16 model serial number 190,333. It is a typical example of the early 16 size watch with Stratton's patent.

Watch #7 is also an American Watch Co. Grade KW16, but is fitted with Fogg's patent vibrating hairspring stud like the Presidential Citation Watch. It too has 20 functional jewels. The serial number is 125,466. It is fitted to a Robbins & Appleton 18K case.

The next major development in the 3/4 plate designs was a rearrangement of the pillars, the addition of Fogg's patent center pinion and a simplified winding click. These watches were produced in nickel finish as well as gilt.

Watch #8 is an American Watch Co. grade nickel KW16 in an early AWCo case. It has been converted from the original keywind configuration to stemwind with Abbot's patent stemwind conversion. It carries serial number 501,530 which is a higher number than the 1868 Model watches. It would seem that the nickel versions of the KW16 were produced at the same time and probably from mostly the same material as the 1868 model.

The next development was the addition of stem winding. This is the feature that distinguished the 1868 model from the late KW16 model watches. The 1868 model was very short lived and was succeeded by the highly successful 1872 model.

Watch #9 is an American Watch Co. grade 1868 model with serial number 410,498 and is housed in an 18K AWCo case.

Charles Vander Woerd was the presiding genius behind the 1872 model and his fertile mind also invented some marvelous production machinery during the same period. He was designing watches, watch machinery and improvements of every sort. Many of these ideas found their way into the 1872 and later models. One of his ideas for a watch design proved to be too radical to take into production, but was patented and produced as a patent model. 

Watch #10 is the patent model from Woerd's 1869 patent 95,547. It is designed to be sealed with a top sealing plate that was not found with the plates. The watch plates were partially jeweled when found and the watch has been restored to running condition as described in the patent.

The 1872 model was a substantial redesign of the 3/4 plate watch that moved the winding wheels up to the back plate and, in the later examples, introduced the beautiful elaborate damaskeening patterns for which the American Watch Co grade of the model is famous.

The earliest examples of the 1872 model have 18 jewels in the top American Watch Co. grade. The damaskeening pattern is only slightly different from that found in the nickel KW16 and 1868 model examples. They also introduce a number of setting mechanisms along with a new stem winding system.

Watch #11 is an example of the first run of American Watch Co. grade 1872 models with serial number 670,012. This example has the nail setting mechanism with Ezra C. Fitch's patented mechanism for latching the setting lever in the setting position. When the watch cover is closed, a small pin that projects toward the cover next to the setting lever is depressed and releases the setting lever back into the winding position. 

Fitch's patent is located entirely in the case and the movement is identical to movements with simple nail setting and with button setting. Ezra C. Fitch also invented the dustproof swing out case and served as President of the American Waltham Watch Co. and the succeeding companies from 1883 to 1921.

These setting mechanisms only lasted for a short period of the early 1870's and were replaced by the rocking lever for the remainder of the life of the 1872 model.

In 1878 Woerd patented a balance designed to compensate for middle temperature error. The concept was to use a section of triangular wedges in the boundary between the steel and brass sides of the balance to cause a non-linear movement of the balance arms with heat and cold. It is unlikely that this actually worked and in any case it was unpopular with the jewelers. The great majority of the watches designed to use the new balance were returned or were fitted with a more standard balance when sold. They can be recognized from the engraving on the watch plate, which spells out the feature in detail with "Woerd's Patent Compensating Balance." It is particularly poignant that they rarely possess the feature they claim.

Watch #12 is a hunting case example without the special balance having serial number 999,988.

Watch #13 is also an example of Woerd's patent without the balance, but is in an open face case. Open face stem wind watches were introduced with the 1872 model and this example with serial number 1427909 is an early example of an open face watch as well as being a rather rare example of the Woerd's patent on an open face movement.

The two Woerd's patent watches show the beginning of the more elaborate damaskeening that will appear on later examples of the 1872 model. These watches and the earlier example from the first run have the technically unimportant but nice feature of an engraved gold cap. This nice feature is lost with the later elaborately damaskeened example.

Watch #14 is a good example of the late development of the 1872 model. It not only displays the extremely elaborate damaskeening pattern typical of these late watches, but it also has a very elaborate dial with the owner's name "Herman Hewett" spelled out in the numeral positions. The serial number is 2605071.

Watch #15 is another example from the same run with serial number 2605041. It is shown to illustrate the free hand nature of the damaskeening with no two identical examples presumably every produced.

These watches produced in February, March and April of 1885 represent the end of the cradle development period for the nominal 16 size watches.

We have also included in the exhibit several examples of the first watch documented to have been marketed to the railroad industry.

When the dustproof watch failed as a concept, Woerd turned the attention of the 3/4 plate department to the development of a full plate watch specifically targeted at the railroads.

The 1870 model was originally introduced in a keywind form with winding and setting from the back of the movement similar to the 16 size watches the American Watch Co. was then producing.

Watch #16 is an example from the first run of 1870 model with serial number 470,682. This first run was actually produced in 1869. It is housed in a good example of the G. W. Ladd patented gold-filled case.

The remaining examples of the 1870 model illustrate the experimentation with setting mechanisms for stem wind watches.

Watch #17 has the setting mechanism normally found on the 1868 model. It has serial number 650694. The gold filled case features an interesting engraved cuvette set in a bezel.

Watch #18 shows the nail setting mechanism that is also found on very early 1872 models.

Watch #19 has the nail setting mechanism with the addition of Fitch's Patent as on the 1872 model in the exhibit.

Watch #20 has the button setting mechanism.

Watch #21 has the lever setting mechanism that is found on the main body of the 1872 models.

While the 1883 model designed by D. H. Church was never produced in the American Watch Co. grade, it did represent the successful culmination of the efforts of the full plate department. In the Appleton Tracy or numbered grade 35 these are quite beautiful watches and well deserving to be in the display.

Watches #22 and #23 represent the beautiful frosted and damaskeened versions in a hunting case and open face example. These examples were actually made in 1888 and 1889, but have been admitted by exception since the model was developed during the developmental period. These watches have serial numbers 3,457,468 (HC movement) and 3,704,503 (OF movement).

A major means of maintaining morale among the most skilled workmen at Waltham was the provision of material to make their own personal watches. The final two watches in this portion of the exhibit represent early and late examples of this practice.

Watch #24 is signed Franklin Adams and is a spring detent chronometer that is probably based on the 16 size model KW16. The plates have been altered to make room for the modification to chronometer escapement. The case is 18K and the watch features extensive decoration of the dial in addition to the fine escapement. The movement is signed AD 1874 and that is presumably the year it was made.

Watch #25 is the final watch in the exhibit and is a beautiful example of the 1883 model that has been upgraded to a very high grade by an unknown employee. The serial number of 6,018,296 places it well outside the date range of our exhibit as does the Crescent St. grade marking. The watch is listed in the factory records as being made between January 1893 and December 1894. The jewelling on this watch has been increased form 17 to 20 jewels and the end stone on the balance has been upgraded to a diamond. Since the damaskeening on the plates is not unusual for high-grade 1883 models, it is likely that the employee actually worked in the jewelling department.

The complicated watches section of the exhibit tells another fascinating story of this final period of our Waltham story.