The Waltham Watch Company timepieces are really appreciated by watch collectors and connoisseurs as they were without a doubt produced by the most important American watch company. It became the first company that organized mass production of watches in the U.S. and many collectors can not help admiring the way they look!
The Company's History
The history of the company started in 1850 when Edward Howard, David Davis and Aaron Dennison met in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and joined their efforts to start their own watch company. They established the "American Horologe Company" in 1851 and 17 archetype watches were launched in 1852 with "Howard, Davis & Dennison" engraving on the movements. The company was then named the "Warren Mfg. Co." after a renowned Revolutionary War hero, and the next watches featured the name "Warren" on their movements. In 1853 the name was once again officially changed to the "Boston Watch Company" and in 1854 the founders based a factory in Waltham, Massachusetts.
The factory employed a lot of Yankee Protestants offering higher wages and skilled work. Its management possessed enough knowledge about watchmaking but lacked experience at operating with money, and three years later the Boston Watch Company failed and was purchased by Royal Robbins that transformed the company into the "Appleton, Tracy & Co." In 1859 its fusion with the company called the Waltham Improvement Company resulted in the appearance of "The American Watch Company" that was soon renamed into "The American Waltham Watch Company."
A job with the Waltham Watch Company was in high demand. Its market success was provided by the fact that it became the first watch manufacturer that launched the production of watches on assembly lines rather than the traditional artisan style of watch. Beforte the Civil War, Waltham presented the largest watch manufacturer in the United States.
In 1891 in Cleveland, Ohio, two trains collided because a watch of one of the engineers stopped. Following the disaster, the railroads were given a set of universal precision time keeping standards introduced in 1893. The American watch industry started developing a special category of railroad watches among which the Waltam watches enjoyed real appreciation. Their success helped Waltham begin the export of its timepieces, especially of fine watches in “hunter” style to Great Britain.
In 1957 with the great demand of cheap mass produced watches, the company changed its name to the Waltham Precision Instrument Company that finally completed its activity in 1973.
The Waltham Watches
About 40 million Waltham watches were produced through the company's long history. Among them there were medium grade watches that satisfied the needs of the existing markets, but Waltham also developed watches of superior quality. They engaged themselves into producing a wide variety of watches comprising railroad watches, chronographs, repeating watches and deck watches, as well as jeweled watches, clocks, speedometers, compasses, time fuses for bombs and other precision instruments. Early Waltham watches with low serial numbers have been particularly appreciated by many collectors.
Waltham's "hunter" style pocket watches are among the most desirable by collectors and watch lovers. Often produced in silver or gold and superbly engraved, the "hunter" style is preferred by both gentlemen and railroad men.
While choosing a watch, try to find one featuring a serial number below 180,000 that possesses solid balances and a heavy silver case or one of the very underestimated "railroad watches." Starting a collection might cost as little as few hundred dollars.
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