

Army contracted Waltham to make tachometers, chronographs, speedometers and other military equipment. However, they did not neglect the respectable Vanguard brand, which was selling consistently all through the 1930s even with the drop in pocket watch sales resulting from the popularity of the wristwatch. Instead, the company focused on railroad-grade chronometers. Throughout 1920s and 1930s, Waltham did not embrace Art Deco as far as other watchmakers. In addition to making consumer watches, Waltham also manufactured railroad pocket watches.Īt the start of the twentieth century, Canadian Pacific Railway, following the continued reliability of Waltham movements, commissioned special railroad-grade movements. and finally to Waltham Watch Company in 1925. In 1885, the firm changed its name this time to: American Waltham Watch Co., and remained like that until 1907 when the firm changed its name to Waltham Watch Co. Fortunately, the army needed watches during the war, so Waltham survived by meeting this demand. However, just like any other company, the Civil War affected the production and business dropped almost to zero. In fact, during the Civil War, President Lincoln owned a Waltham watch: Model 1857, upon his Gettysburg Address.īy late 1860s, the firm employed hundreds of employees, which was previously unheard of in the watch industry. The firm and its products were gaining popularity as the company continued to grow. merged with the Waltham Improvement Company in 1859, and the firm was renamed the American Watch Company. Most of these antique watches were decorated with either bold Arabic or roman digits on the porcelain face. The Waltham Model 1857īearing the new company’s name, the next movements produced was the Waltham Model 1857, which is generally considered to be the first watch production with fully standardized parts. After the relocation, the partners faced financial problems in the next few years and the company was purchased by Appleton Tracy & Co., at an auction in 1857. In 1853, the firm was renamed to Boston Watch Company and changed its base from Roxbury to Waltham, Massachusetts. The three watchmakers perfected their manufacturing processes by 1851, and renamed the company American Horologe Company. The company’s earliest watch movements came with a label “Howard, Davis, and Dennison -Boston”, although the firm was in fact located in Roxbury. This fledgling company became the first watchmaker to manufacture watch movements on an assembly line.

The company was founded as the American Watch Company through a partnership of David Davis, Aaron Lufkin Dennison and Edward Howard, in 1850 Roxbury Massachusetts. Waltham pocket watches have been in existence for more than 150 years, having been made between 18. A brief history of The Waltham Watch Company
Waltham mass pocket watch serial number plus#
Learn about the foundation of the American Waltham Watch Company plus a listing of the company’s most famous pocket watches.
