NATIONAL
WATCH Co.
Elgin,
Ill. 1864 – 1874
One of the most predominant early
American Watch producers. This is the
watch of the “Wild West”, because this manufacturer distributed watches all
during the 1870s and carried by lawmen, saloon keepers, bankers, cowboys,
Railroad men, and gunfighters. NATIONAL
WATCH CO. was directly associated with the “Wild West” because that is what was
available (400,000 produced and distributed by 1874), accurate and at a
reasonable price.
Learning from the errors in
production and mistakes in design, National Watch Co. was formed in 1864 by
officers of the earlier Waltham Watch Co.
Some of these Waltham organizers were P.S. Bartlett, D.G. Currier, Otis
Hoyt, Charles H. Mason and others. The
idea of beginning a large watch company for the mid-West was discussed by J.C.
Adams, Bartlett, and Blake. After a trip
to Waltham, Adams went back to Chicago and approached Benjamin W. Raymond, a
former mayor of Chicago, to put up the necessary capital to get the company
started. Adams and Raymond succeeded in
getting others to pledge their financial support. The National Watch Co. was formed in August
1864 and incorporated in Elgin, Illinois.
The factory was completed in 1866, and the 1st movement was a
B.W. Raymond, 18 size! All watches were
key wind and had porcelain dials marked: “NATIONAL WATCH Co.” Any dial that is marked this way and is mint,
is very scarce. They made history laid
the foundations of the Industrial Revolution with production efficiencies and
the ease of service by watch journeyman in the field. They produced 400,000 watches by 1874.
In 1874 they went out of
business, refinanced, and incorporated with a Name change to the city to which
they owed their origin, Elgin NATIONAL WATCH Co., Elgin, Illinois. They went on to produce 50 million watches,
both wrist & pocket by 1955. NATIONAL
WATCH CO. was directly associated with the “Wild West” because that is what was
available for them to wear and use.
Other choices were more expensive and not as serviceable and dependable in
the American West.
The example presented here is Museum quality OEM with an absence of any wear or use. NATIONAL WATCH Co. Circa: 1870! 18 size, open face, key wind and key set, full plate gilt, 15 jewels, "W.H. Ferry", and "ELGIN, Ill", serial No. 93884. The white porcelain dial is marked: NATIONAL WATCH Co. The original coin silver hunting case is a double hinged back and bezel, key wind plain polished with fancy engraving on both sides. The dial, case, and movement are all original to one another and shows no wear or use at all. Remarkable! The chain is sterling silver and includes a T-Bar and proper winding key both to wind and set the time from the center post. Clean, running. THIS IS A FINE COLLECTIBLE. DON'T INVEST IN THE STOCK MARKET, BITCOIN, BONDS. BUY HARD ASSETS, SOMETHING PROVEN IN TIME.
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