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Born out of the Adams and Perry and Lancaster line of watches made in Lancaster, Pa., Hamilton achieved notority in the watch world as building one of the best performing watches. Made many watches in various grades and sizes, from 7-23, plus one in 25 jewels (unique); in hunting and open face. designs. Especially famous for massive advertising campaigns and the well known and highly successful 992-B.

Sub-Forums: Hamilton DB Research

Research on the Hampden Watch Company, Springfield, Massachusettws and Canton, Ohio. Solid company with many varied products. Sold to Russia in 1930.

Sub-Forums: Hampden DB Research

Springfield, Illinois. Historical research on the Illinois Watch Company and its related name changes. First watch was a gilt 18s key wind, signed Stuart. Many grades, sizes and jeweling variations; many private labels and jeweler names in this the third largest American watch producer. Sold in 1927 to the Hamilton Watch Company.

Elgin, Illinois. Idea originated from other watch factory employees, mainly Waltham; formed in 1864 along with the former Mayor of Chicago (B. W. Raymond) and the first watch produced was an 18s gilt KW signed B.W. Raymond. Watch numbers started at 101. The Elgin Watch Company, Elgin, Illinois was the largest watch producer in America.

Jersey City, New Jersey. Basically a maker of cheap watches in various sizes; however, most revered is the Clay-Hanson excapement, i.e., the worm gear which proved to be an attractive gimmick for this company which was sold to the Keystone Watch Case Company in 1903.

Rockford, Illinois. Name changed to Rockford Watch Company, Ltd. in 1896. Made key wind and stem wind watches, from 7-25 jewels. Strong railroad following. Long lasting company for 41 years.

Sub-Forums: Rockford DB Research

Lancaster, Pennsylvania. First of this popular run of Lancaster watches. About 19 size, high grade 20 jeweled stem wind hunting style movements made in gilt, nickel, and mixed metal. Signed" Lancaster Watch."

Appleton, Wisconsin. Machinery, purchased from the defunct Cheshire Watch Co., was used to make a similar watch. Sold complete watches in approximately 18s and 16s (very rare).

Aurora, Illinois. Movements were made in 18 and 6 size only; 7 -17 jewels. First watch was 18s . Made in key wind and stem wind, gilt or nickel, hunting or open face and slightly resemble Illinois watches. Many have private labels and/or jeweler names. Company machinery was sold to the Hamilton Watch Co. in 1890.

San Francisco, Ca. Succesors to the Cornell Watch Company of San Francisco. Movements made in 18s only; key wind or stem wind; made in 7-19 jewels, gilt or nickel. Machinery moved to Grand Crossing, Ill. Highly popular watch for early American specialists.

Waltham, Massachusetts. Made cheap (mostly) ladies movements; became the Suffolk Watch Company and later became part of the United States Watch Company of Waltham.

Columbus, Ohio. In 1874, D. Gruen started the Columbus Watch Company and imported Swiss Ebauches and Dials. In 1879, D. Gruen encouraged Mr. Savage to join him in his import business and renamed the Company to Gruen and Savage still maintaining the Columbus Watch Company on their Movements and Dials. The Columbus Watch Company was incorporated in 1884 from the Gruen and Savage import business to start making American Made movements. First watches were 18s gilt key winds. Made 6, 16 and 18s watches in key wind, stem wind and transitional; gilt, nickel, and damaskeened in 7-25 jewels. New Columbus Watch Company, 1894-1903, name was changed. Sold to the South Bend Watch Company 1903.

Cheshire, Connecticut. These watches were stamped and machined in order to make a jeweled watch at a low cost. First movements were open face, gilt and 3/4 plate with an attached stem. Later standard 18s movements were made in both hunting and open face. Equipment was bought by O. E. Bell in 1901 and shipped to Appleton, Wisconsin to form the Remington Watch Co.

Chicago, Illinois. Bought out the Newark Watch Company and finished up later Newark movements. Made gilt 18s movements in key and stem wind with 7-19 jewels with various grade names. Two ladies sizes examples noted in Crossman--none reported or seen.

Successors to the Cornell Watch Company of Chicago. Made key wind and stem wind watches in 18s only, some of which are very high grade.

Lancaster, Pa. This company was formed by William Wallace Dudley to create a watch with masonic symbols with material bought from Waltham, Hamilton and Switzerland. Unsuccessful on several fronts and ultimately moved to New York by the X-L Watch Company. Reportedly 3500 in all produced some well after 1960.

Fredonia, New York . This company evolved from the Howard Brothers mail order business, the Independent Watch Co. Fredonia movements were made for a few years from U.S.Marion and Newark machinery. Poor sales and techinal difficulties caused this company to be sold to Peoria.

In 1885, D. Gruen left the Columbus Watch Company taking with him his Patents. Moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and as various names including Gruen Watch Company, 1922-1955.

Fredonia, New York. Acquired American made movements and sold them as Independent, Lake Shore and Empire Watch Company products. 18s only; exist in keywind, stem wind or a combination; generally 7-15 jewels.

Known as the E . Howard Watch Company and commonly referred to as Keystone Howards of an uptodate style were now made in the old United States Watch Co., Waltham factory building prchased as well as just the watchmaking portion of the "old" Howard company.

New York, New York. Made cheap, jeweled watches with sweep second hands, chronongraphs without flybacks with unusual setting and stop buttons which pull out. New York Chronograph Watch Company followed the Manhattans with a name change.

Manistee, Michigan. This company made cheap and poor quality watches in 16 & 18 size. Most 18s movements have the Manistee Watch Company name cut out on the back plate. Some 16s are well jeweled.

Newark, New Jersey. First watch was the Arthur Wadsworth Keyless patented stem wind. All are 18s and mostly key wind with various grade names; an abundance of private labels exist. Tough to locate all original. Company sold to the Cornell Watch Company of Chicago, Ill.

Reorganized from the Waterbury Watch Company. The approximate 18s Duplex "open case" is the most recognizable and collectible product!

Springfield, Massachusetts. First model was 18s gilt 3/4 plate stem wind. Made movements in 16s and 18s, of 3/4 plate and full plate styles . All long cocked key winds are gilt. Interesting grade names. All originally cased 3/4 plate watches in either sizes are scarce. Interesting product line and variations.

Made by Peoria, Ill. and an extension of the Fredonia and Peoria line of watches. 18s watches, hunting and open face, gilt or nickel with Paillard's patented non magnetic balances and hairsprings.

Peoria, Illinois. Made movements similar to the Fredonia Watch Company.

Thomaston, Connecticut. First watches were placed on the market in 1885--model one, gilt, open face and stem wind. Watches made in 6, 12, 16 and 18s. Some 18s were made in gilt & key wind. Jeweling exists from 7 to 25 jewels, the most famous being the Maiden Lane grades made from 17-25 jewels.

South Bend, Indiana. A few entrepreneurs purchased the Columbus Watch Company, all of its machinery and stock. Moved it to South Bend, Indiana, to produce Railroad grade watches and to continue its production. Left some employees at Columbus to finish prior orders.

Boston, Massachuestts. Dennison fabricated with Swiss and English parts--called "America's Half Breed Watch." 18s key wind watches first made in full plate, then 3/4 plate (rare). All 18s, gilt, 7-15 jewles. Serial number 1 exists, but all others seen above serial number 1000. After 2 years renamed the Melrose Watch Co., Boston, Mass. All Melroses number above 30,000.

Trenton, New Jersey. Relocated from Connecticut and renamed from the New Haven Watch Company. Interesting 18s watches including a rare key wind and chronograph (also made in 16s). Purchased by the Ingersol Brothers in 1908.

Historical research of the United States Watch Company, Marion Watch Company, Royal Gold Watch Company and the Empire City Watch Company. Made the first stem wind watch, damaskeened and frosted finishes, fancy dials with color, company monograms, and special order dials; and, company case signatures.

Company started in Waltham by Charles Vander Woerd (of American Watch Company fame). First "dome" model 16s open face had a square roller and a special setting arrangement; also made interesting acid etched movements in 6, 16 and 18s. Best known for "The President" grade 18s movement.

Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. L. Goddard and Company was the most visible early American watch maker, 1809-1825 in Grafton, Mass. He was a cousin of the great Aaron Willard and apprentised to him from 1778-1783. Goddard's first watches reportedly were made in 1812; prior to this date (1784-1807) he repaired clocks in Shrewsbury, Mass. Later his sons continued the business and imported watches from England and sold them with the Goddard name. True Goddard American made watches have low (500ish) serial numbers, some with beautiful eagle cocks!

Henry Pitkin, East Hartford
H. and J. F. Pitkin, East Hartford
Pitkin & Co., New York

The first watch made was signed Henry Pitkin; 50 were made and just one example has survived; it was discovered by Jon Hanson in the early 1970s. It is the rarest and most significant early American watch--the first interchangeable watch made on American made machinery

John H. Mulford was an independent maker in Albany, New York prior to the time Fasoldt thrived there. He invented his unusual deadbeat escapement and patented (patent number 2465) it on February 21, 1842. Less than a handfull of these extremely rare 3/4 plate KW movements exist--just one ever appearing at public auction in the Atwood sale.

Jacob D Custer watches and clocks were made in Norristown, Pennsylvania, circa 1840-1845. Watch (fuzee type) patented, February 1843. Reportedly only 12 were made.

One of the lengendary great rarities of early American watch collecting. Just 2 examples located, and rumors of a third lost long ago. Serial number 2, a movement, is in the Smithsonian.

Joseph Jeunet of Meadville, Pa. patented (patent number 21,425) his seconds beating watch in 1858. Originally was born in France on Novemebr 1, 1814 and learned watchmaking from family members. This odd watch was designed because of the sudden jars one received while riding horses and trains. Jeunet built a model of his design and, on a trip to France, arranged for a maker at Morez to manufacture these watches. Reports are that few were made due to defects keeping them from running properly. These were sold through the local jewelry store in Meadville. I have personally owned 3, two being slightly different types. The late, great machinest and watch collector, Wilbur H. Dexter, of Inglewood, Ca. made one of his own versions of this watch from scratch, but sadly it was stolen as the last remaining watch of his collection from his son. The Dexter watch actually ran quite well at the time he made it circa 1980.

Nashua Watch Company, Nashua, New Hampshire, began in 1859 with many watch and machine experts of the time, inc. N.P. Stratton, C.S. Mosley, B.D. Bingham, J.H. Gerry, Chas Van der Woerd, etc. joining forces to begin making the finest watches in America. Magnificent 20S 19J and 15J movements were begun but not all 1000 were either made or finished and the company was swallowed up and sold for $23,000 to the American Watch Co. Remaining unfinished movements were later engraved American Watch Co. in Waltham and which became the company's premier grade of movement and the finest watches made in America, now as part of the famous Nashua department at Waltham.

Charles Fasoldt watches, Rome and Albany, N.Y.

Fasoldt was a German immigrant, originally born in Dresden, Saxony and migrated to the United States at approximately 30 years of age. Apparantently Charles had machine and watch making skills prior to migrating to the U.S. with his family, settling in Rome, N.Y. and setting up shop in the early 1850s, possibly as early as 1851 where he remained for 10 years. At this time he advertised watch, clock, chronometer making, jewelry repair, and mfg of small medical and other instruments.

Boston and Malden, Massachusetts. One of the most inventive watchmakers in the history of US watchmaking, George Reed sustained a great reputation in and around the greater Boston area (Roxbury, Boston, Malden) for decades first as an employee with the predessors of the great American Watch Co., then Edward Howard, and ultimately is own small business after 1865. He held about two dozen patents and produced several types of chronometers, 16 and 18s lever movements and KW & SW watches with winding Indicators in both sizes. Early Howard collectors are familiar with his patented main spring barrel safety mechanism signature on most early KWs.

Montpelier, Vermont. J.(Jonas) G. Hall is probably one of the least recognized important American horologists who spent over a half century at the bench watchmaking and inventing important horological implements.

Born in Calais, Vermont he entered into his apprenticeship in Montpelier with Samuel Abbott; three years later he moved to Boston were he became familiar with marine timepieces and remained there until 1848 at which time he returned to Montpelier, Vt. In 1851 he opened his own shop and continued as a watchmaker. From the period, 1848-1858 Hall built and modified watches, a marine chronometer, and various patented tools for the watch trade. Some American Watch Co. products carry his private label.

Karr was a Washington, D,C. watchmaker and jeweler who held various American patents (1864 & 1865), including 2 different on chronometer escapements and at a later date three on chronographs (all dated 1882). His movements, 18s, KW, gilt, half plate movements appear as English ebausches with his patented chronometer (later improved) escapement inserted. Several of these have been examined and at least two have winding indicators. One particular example has a dial that reads "American chronometer!" Regular, standard US movements have been seen with his name on them (jewelers' contracts).

Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mozart Watch Company

Mozart watches present one of the rarest and most unusual ever made. Invented by Don J. Mozart, born in 1820 in Italy, he migrated to the United states at 3 years of age where his parents settled in at Boston, Mass. His father was a watchmaker and young Don was mysteriously kidnapped to sea at a very early age but eventually found his way back to the US.

Very little is known about this maker, his products made in Wabash, Indiana, but born in New York. This company reported existed circa 1865-n.d. and its gilt KW movements resemble cheap, poorly made Howard series III 18s movements, although the cut-outs are different as well as the escapement (patented in 1866). Another distinction from Howards are the uncut balance wheels. Roy Ehrhard reported many years ago that possibly 25 were made; just two examples are known, both in the WGC. The only public sale record is the Atwood, Tme Museum example, serial number 19.

From a farming community and partially handicaped in one arm due to some unfortunate accident, young Lyman for an unknown reason drifted into horology and optometrics, his life's work in April of 1853 in Cherry Valley, N.Y.

Very little is known about his watches which at first glance appear to be Swiss; however, various parts were obtained from Waltham but the rest were reportedly hand made by Lym