Page 17 - joa-october-rev

Waltham, the Great American

Pocket Watch Company

By Mike Rivkin

ounded in 1850, the Waltham Watch
Company was a giant of American
Ftimekeeping for more than 100
years. A review of its history is overdue.
If a time machine could take you back
to the mid-19th century, you would
quickly see that the Industrial
Revolution was well advanced. Smoke-
belching factories were nearly every-
where, spitting out products made by
machines that heretofore had been
crafted entirely by hand. Clocks were
among those products now being
mass-produced, and it
wasn’t long before watch-
maker Aaron Dennison
figured that he could do the Waltham Railroad pocket watch with
same with pocket watches. 23 jewel 5 adjustments Vanguard
Movement circa 1928
He, along with several
partners, raised $20,000, and in 1849, the American Horological
Company was formed. The Waltham name soon followed.
The company’s first decade was a rocky one. Despite some signifi-
cant innovations, its inaugural model was slow to sell, and the firm
steadily lost money. An economic slowdown in 1856 didn’t help, and
a year later, it was bankrupt. Nonetheless, new owners with more
experience emerged, and the Civil War proved to be an unexpected
boon. Synchronized timekeeping of military maneuvers in the field was
now possible, prompting many soldiers to seek out suitable watches.
By the war’s end, Waltham’s inexpensive “William Ellery” model
had become nearly ubiquitous among
Union troops.
Not long thereafter, another spur to
Waltham’s business took place with
the 1869 completion of the transconti-
nental railroad. Accurate timepieces
were needed to keep trains running on
time and avoid catastrophic accidents,
and here again, Waltham rose to the
occasion. Throughout the last quarter
of the 19th century, Waltham was a
principal supplier of chronometers for
the railroad industry in America and
dozens of other countries. Its “railroad- Front of Waltham 1883 17 jewel
grade” pocket watches included a range Grade 825 pocket watch
of features that made them
easy to read and hard to misuse, enabling an entire industry
to grow safely and profitably. It was the best of times.
With the dawn of a new century, however, things took
a turn for the worse. Economic uncertainties, poor manage-
ment, and a lack of innovation prompted a steady
decline that even a short-term boom in wartime
production couldn’t reverse. Despite making
substantial contributions to both world
war efforts, Waltham never regained
its commercial footing. Restructuring
followed restructuring until a 1950
bankruptcy brought with it a revolving
door of new owners. It took 30 more
years, but the original firm finally closed
for good in 1981. Nonetheless, its
Vanguard and other premium models
remain among the finest of all American-made
watches. If you’re looking for a quality timepiece
with authentic U.S. roots, you can hardly
14 kt Gold Waltham 1920s Pocket do better.
Watch sold for $626 online
October 202 3 15