In 1860, as Abraham Lincoln was elected President and the country found itself in the throes of the Civil War, the American Watch Company was faced with serious financial problems. The dial department of the Waltham Watch factory. merged to form the “American Watch Company.” In January, 1859 the Waltham Improvement Co. Parker movement was reintroduced as the model 1857 and sold for $12, no small amount in those days! Waltham During the Civil War Years The first movements carried the Appleton, Tracy & Co. It was reorganized as “Tracy, Baker & Co.” and later that same year the name was again changed to “Appleton, Tracy & Co” and watches 5001 – 14,000 were produced. The Boston Watch Company failed in 1857 and was sold at auction to Royal E. The company went through a series of financial reorganizations and renamings over the next decades. The movements produced here (serial numbers 1001 – 5000) were signed “Dennison, Howard,& Davis,” “C. In 1853, the factory building was completed and the company began doing business under the name “American Horologe Company.” The name was changed to “Boston Watch Company” in September 1853, and the factory in Waltham, Massachusetts was built in October 1854.

It took months to adjust the watches to the point where they were any better than other widely available timepieces.Ĭustomer Department at the Waltham Watch Company They also found that even though they were using interchangeable parts, each watch was still unique and had its own set of errors to be corrected.

The company was exploring innovative new ideas in watch manufacturing, such as using jewels, making enamel dials, and producing plates with a high-level of finish which required extensive tooling and resulted in a great financial burden. Problems were encountered with the new production methods. The first watches produced went to officials of the company, and it was not until 1853 that the first watches were offered for sale to the public. With financial backing from Samuel Curtis, of small-arms manufacturing fame, the watch production began in 1851, and the first small group of watches were finished in late 1852. Their vision was to form a watch company that could produce high-quality watches at a lower cost using interchangeable parts. The company was founded by David Davis, Aaron Dennison, and Edward Howard. The American Waltham Watch Company had its beginnings in 1850 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The American Waltham watch factory on the banks of the Charles RiverĬlick here to view additional historical photos of the Waltham factory.

Crescent Watch Case Co Serial Numbers