U.S. Watch and Patent Information Guide with Serial ...

[Pages:15]

U.S. Watch and

Patent Information Guide with

Serial Numbers and Dates

Dates Of Manufacture According To Serial Number And Other Information On The Most Popular American Made Watches

Waltham

The Howard, Davis and Dennison Watch Co., also known as AMERICAN HOROLOGE CO., formed in Roxbury, Mass. In 1850, failed in 1857, and was bought by the Tracy, Baker & Co. Which through the following stages became the Waltham Watch Co.

1857--Tracy, Baker & Co. Later that year changing to Appleton, Tracy and Co.

1858--Waltham Improvement Co.

1859--American Watch Co.

1885--American Waltham Watch Co.

1906--Waltham Watch Co.

1923--Waltham Watch and Clock Co.

1925--Waltham Watch Co.

In 1957 the company ceased manufacture of watches and clocks and became the Waltham Precision Instrument Co. The Rights to use the name "Waltham Watch Co." were sold to the Hallmark Watch Co. Of Chicago. Since that time Waltham watch movements are imported and have no relationship with the original Waltham Watch Co. A Federal Trade Commission ruling in 1961 prohibits inferring that any such relationship exists.

1000 -----------------------------1857 10,000,000 ---------------------1901 2,000,000 -----------------------1883 3,000,000 -----------------------1886 4,000,000 -----------------------1889 5,000,000 -----------------------1891 6,000,000 -----------------------1892 7,000,000 -----------------------1895 8,000,000 -----------------------1897 9,000,000 -----------------------1899

10,000,000 --------------------1901 11,000,000 --------------------1902 12,000,000 --------------------1903 13,000,000 --------------------1904 14,000,000 --------------------1905 15,000,000 --------------------1907 16,000,000 --------------------1907 17,000,000 --------------------1908 18,000,000 --------------------1910 19,000,000 --------------------1912

20,000,000 -----------------------1914 21,000,000 -----------------------1917 22,000,000 -----------------------1917 23,000,000 -----------------------1919 24,000,000 -----------------------1921 25,000,000 -----------------------1926 26,000,000 -----------------------1927 27,000,000 -----------------------1929

28,000,000 --------------------1934 29,000,000 --------------------1936 30,000,000 --------------------1939 31,000,000 --------------------1942 32,000,000 --------------------1945 33,000,000 ------------1948 -1956 34,000,000 --------------------1956 35,000,000 --------------------1957

Elgin National Watch Co.

The NATIONAL WATCH CO. Was organized at Elgin, Illinois in 1864. Ten years later the name was changed to the ELGIN NATIONAL WATCH CO.

101 --------------------------------1867 100,000 ---------------------------1870 200,000 ---------------------------1874 300,000 ---------------------------1874 400,000 ---------------------------1875 500,000 ---------------------------1877 600,000 ---------------------------1879 700,000 ---------------------------1880 800,000 ---------------------------1881 900,000 ---------------------------1881 1,000,000 -------------------------1882 2,000,000 -------------------------1886 3,000,000 -------------------------1888 4,000,000 -------------------------1890 5,000,000 -------------------------1893 6,000,000 -------------------------1895 7,000,000 -------------------------1897 8,000,000 -------------------------1899 9,000,000 -------------------------1900 10,000,000 ------------------------1903 11,000,000 ------------------------1904 12,000,000 ------------------------1904 13,000,000 ------------------------1907 14,000,000 ------------------------1909 15,000,000 ------------------------1910 16,000,000 ------------------------1911 17,000,000 ------------------------1912 18,000,000 ------------------------1914 19,000,000 ------------------------1916 20,000,000 ------------------------1917 21,000,000 ------------------------1918 22,000,000 ------------------------1919 23,000,000 ------------------------1920

24,000,000 --------------------1922 25,000,000 --------------------1922 26,000,000 --------------------1923 27,000,000 --------------------1924 28,000,000 --------------------1925 29,000,000 --------------------1926 30,000,000 --------------------1927 31,000,000 --------------------1927 32,000,000 --------------------1928 33,000,000 --------------------1929 34,000,000 --------------------1933 35,000,000 --------------------1934 36,000,000 --------------------1936 37,000,000 --------------------1938 X38,000,000 ------------------1939 C39,000,000 ------------------1940 E40,000,000 ------------------1941 Y41,000,000 ------------------1942 T42,000,000 ------------------1943 L43,000,000 ------------------1945 U44,000,000 ------------------1946 J45,000,000 -------------------1947 V46,000,000 ------------------1948 H47,000,000 ------------------1949 N48,000,000 ------------------1950 F49,000,000 -------------------1951 S50,000,000 -------------------1951 R51,000,000 ------------------1952 P52,000,000 -------------------1952 K53,000,000 ------------------1953

Hampden and Dueber-Hampden

The HAMPDEN WATCH CO. resulted from a combination of the Hampden Watch Co. which made movements and the Dueber Case Co. Originally from Massachusetts they moved to Canton, Ohio, where they built a large factory in 1888. Until 1927 they produced nearly five million watches. The factory went into receivership in 1930 and was sold to Russia.

Swiss watches bearing the name "Hampden" are distributed by the Hampton Watch Co. of Chicago who acquired the right to use the name in 1939 but have no other relationship to the old company.

No serial number list is available for Hampden watches. Watches bearing the following names are also Hampden watches.

Molly Stark General Stark Champion Stark Champion John C. Dueber Diadem Dueber Grand

Dueber Watch Co. Railway New Railway Four Hundred John Hancock William McKinley Special Railway

Howard

The HOWARD, DAVIS & Dennison Co. also known as AMERICAN HOROLOGE CO. began manufacturing watches at Roxbury, Mass. in 1850. The company failed in 1857 and was sold. E. Howard formed a new company in 1857 making watches of excellent quality. In 1903 the rights to use the "Howard" name was sold to the Keystone Watch Case Co. of Philadelphia.

20,000 ------------------1859 44,000 ------------------1860 200,000 -----------------1870 550,000 -----------------1880 700,000 -----------------1890 850,000 -----------------1900

980,000 ------------------1909 1,000,000 ----------------1912 1,285,000 ----------------1915 1,340,000 ----------------1917 1,400,000 ----------------1921 1,500,000 ----------------1930

Ball Railroad Watches

Most BALL watches were made by the Hamilton, Waltham, Elgin and Illinois companies. Therefore there are duplicating series of numbers.

60,701 to 420,000 ----------1900 202,001 to 462,000---------1905 216,000 to 600,000 --------1910 250,000 to 603,000 --------1915 260,000 to 810,000 --------1920 270,000 to 610,000 --------1925 637,000 to 801,000 --------1930

803,000 ---------------1931 641,000 ---------------1935 647,000 ---------------1938 650,000 ---------------1939 651,000 ---------------1940 652,000 ---------------1941 654,000 ---------------1942

Illinois

Illinois watches were made in Springfield, Illinois from 1869 until 1930 when the company was sold to the Hamilton Watch Co. In recent years the Hamilton Watch Co. Used the name "Illinois" on some of their imported watches.

46,000 ----------------1873 195,000 ---------------1880 300,000 ---------------1886 600,000 ---------------1895 1,000,000 -------------1900

1,800,000 ----------------1905 3,000,000 ----------------1910 4,500,000 ----------------1921 5,345,000 ----------------1930 5,650,000 ----------------1940

Hamilton

Hamilton Watch Co. began producing watches in 1892 and are still in business at Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

16,000 ----------------1894 95,000 ----------------1895 195,000 ---------------1896 1,000,000 -------------1900 1,125,000 -------------1905 1,250,000 -------------1910 1,450,000 -------------1915 1,850,000 -------------1921 2,250,000 -------------1925

2,250,000 .......................1930 2,600,000 -----------------1935 3,278,000 -----------------1938 4,200,000 -----------------1939 E107,000 ------------------1940 C1,500 ---------------------1941 C2,100 ---------------------1941 0337,000 ------------------1946

Columbus Watch Co.

The Columbus Watch Co. was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1883 and was sold to the South Bend Watch Co. In 1903.

90,000 -----------------1883 121,000 ----------------1885 174,000 ----------------1890

200,000 ------------------1895 225,000 ------------------1900 236,000 ------------------1903

Rockford Watch Co.

Rockford watches were made in Rockford, Illinois from 1873 to 1915.

1,763 --------------------1873 247,000 -----------------1885 305,000 -----------------1895 414,000 -----------------1900

550,000 -------------------1904 690,000 -------------------1908 849,000 -------------------1912 936,000 -------------------1912

Seth Thomas

This was a division of the Seth Thomas Clock Co. which produced watches from 1883 until 1915.

8,000 --------------------1886 204,000 -----------------1893 300,000 -----------------1900

817,000 --------------------1906 1,325,000 ------------------1910 3,500,000 ------------------1914

New York Standard

The New York Standard Co. began in 1885 at Jersey City, N.J. Sold to the Keystone Case Company in 1903 but produced watches until 1925.

These names appeared on the watches: Crown, Columbia, Dan Patch, Excelsior, New Era, Ideal, Higrade, Regent, Wilminton, Perfection

No serial number lists are available for these watches.

American Names on Imported Watches

Prior to 1871 the United States was flooded with European made watches which were given American sounding names. Many came from companies in England using movements made in Switzerland. In 1871 Congress passed a law requiring all watches to be marked with country of origin.

Some of the most popular names used on these imported watches were:

BRISTOL WATCH CO., BRISTOL, CONN. EAGLE WATCH CO. EXCELSIOR MARION WATCH CO. OHIO WATCH CO. PENNSYLVANIA PHILADELPHIA WATCH CO. ROXBURY WATCH CO. UNION WATCH CO. WALLINGFORD WATCH CO.

Names Appearing on American Made Watches Identified with Manufacturer

This list will not include the many small jewelers who had their name printed on watches for sale by their individual store.

A.R. Wallace -- United States Co. Allis -- Illinois Co. American Watch Co. -- Waltham Co. Appleton, Tracy & Co. -- Waltham Co. Arlington -- Illinois Co. Albert Clark -- New York Co. B.W. Raymond -- Elgin Co. Boston -- Howard Co. Bunn -- Illinois Co. C. M. Cody -- Cornell Co. C. T. Bowman -- Cornell Co. Champion -- Hampden Co. Charles Fargo -- Elgin Co. Charles Knapp -- United States Co. Columbia-- New York Standard Co. Dexter Street -- Elgin Co. Diadem -- Hampden Co. Dueber -- Hampden Co. E. S. Williams -- Cornell Co. Edwin Rollo -- United States Co.

Elderon -- Lancaster Co. Equity -- Waltham Co. Excelsior -- New York Standard Co. F. A. Kimball -- Otay Co. Four Hundred -- Hampden Co. Franklin -- Lancaster Co. Francis Ruby -- Elgin Co. Frederick Atherton -- United States Co. G. A. Reid -- United States Co. G. M. Wheeler -- Elgin Co. Gail Borden -- Elgin Co. General Stark -- Hampden Co. George F. Root -- Cornell Co. George W. Waite -- Cornell Co. Golden Gate -- Otay Co. H. H. Taylor -- Elgin Co. H. Z. Culvert -- Elgin Co. H. G. Norton -- New York Co. Hi-Grade -- New York Standard Co. Home Watch Co. - Amer. (Waltham) Co.

Homer Foot -- New York Co. Ideal -- New York Standard Co. J. A. Briggs -- New York Co. J.T. Ryerson -- Elgin Co. J. W. Deacon -- United States Co. J. V. Farwell -- Elgin Co. John Dueber -- Hampden Co. John Evans -- Cornell Co. John L. King -- New York Co. John Lewis -- United States Co. John Hancock -- Hampden Keystone -- Lancaster Co. M. D. Ogden -- Elgin Co. Mary Stuart -- Illinois Co. Mat Laflin -- Elgin Co. Melrose -- Lancaster Miller -- Illinois Co. Molly Stark -- Hampden National -- Elgin Co. Native Son -- Otay Co. New Era -- New York Standard Co. New Era -- Lancaster Co. New Railway -- Hampden Co.

No. 5 -- New York Watch Co. Overland Mail -- Otay Co. P. H. Wheeler -- Otay Co. Paul Cornell -- Cornell Co. Perfection -- New York Standard Co. R. D. Pery -- Otay Co. Railway -- Hampden Co. Record -- Lancaster Co. Regent -- New York Standard Sam Beard -- United States Co. Sears Roebuck Watch -- Illinois Co. Special Railway -- New York Standard Springfield -- New York Watch Co. Standard -- Lancaster State Street -- Hampden Stuart -- Illinois Co. Sun Dial -- Elgin Co. The Fellows -- Newark Co. West End -- Lancaster Co. Wm. H. Hibbard -- Cornell Wm. Perry -- Elgin Co. Wilmington -- New York Standard Co. William McKinley -- Hampden Co.

Chronological Listing of American Watch Factories

1838 -- James and Harry Pitkin, Hartford, Conn. 1840 -- Jacob Custer, Norristown, Pa. 1850 -- American Horologe Co., Roxbury, Mass. (Became Waltham and Howard) 1857 -- E. Howard Co., Roxbury, Mass. 1859 -- Nashua Watch Co., Nashua, N. H. 1863 -- Newark Watch Co., Newark, N. J. 1864 -- United States Watch Co., Marion, N. J. 1864 -- National Watch Co. (Elgin), Elgin, Ill. 1864 -- Tremont Watch Co., Boston, Mass. 1867 -- Mozart Watch Co., Ann Arbor, Mich. 1869 -- Illinois Springfield Watch Co., Springfield, Ill. 1870 -- Cornell Watch Co., Chicago, Ill. 1871 -- Rock Island Watch Co., Chicago, Ill. 1872 -- Washington Watch Co., Washington, D.C. 1874 -- Rockford Watch Co., Rockford, Ill. 1874 -- Adams & Perry Watch Mfg. Co., Lancaster, Pa. 1874 -- Freeport Watch Manufacturing Co., Freeport, Ill.

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