A Story About the Waltham Watch Company

by Jack

Don’t ask me why, but for some reason I just like old pocket watches. They’ve been out of style for almost 50 plus years, but I still think they are very cool. I currently own just 4, A Hamilton, two Walthams and an Elgin. They’re not very rare, but I enjoy looking at them. I’m thinking I would like to start looking for more to buy, just as a hobby. Anyway, this got me thinking about American pocket watches and I thought you might enjoy a little history on one of the companies, Waltham.

Prior to 1850 most pocket watches were made one at a time by highly skilled craftsman, then along came the Waltham Company and they wanted to change watchmaking (horology) to mass production, making them affordable to average man. (women would have to wait for their watches for a few more years) The founders, David Davis, Edward Howard and Aaron Lufkin Dennison had the idea of assembly line production long before Henry Ford.

Unfortunately, their first attempt to mass produce was very problematic. Because watches are very precise instruments and just slight variations in tolerance could keep it from running properly, almost every watch coming off the assembly line still required a good deal of tweaking by master craftsman. This threatened to ruin the whole concept of mass producing the parts.

But, finally they got their machines up to speed and it started to come together, unfortunately this was also just in time for a major US depression! Waltham went under, only to resurface under a new name, Appleton Tracy and Company in 1853. As I recall it was sold at auction for about $110,000, this bought a huge factory and all the inventory.

Waltham Improvement Co. merged in January 1859 with the Appleton, Tracy & Co. forming the American Watch Co. and then the Civil War broke out in 1860 and once again production was halted.

After Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address, he was presented with a “William Ellery”, key wind watch, Waltham Model 1857, serial number 67613. This watch is now in the collection of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Shortly after this time Waltham became the main supplier of Railroad watches (chronometers) thanks in part to the rapidly expanding railroads and the critical need for very accurate time pieces to avoid accidents:

On the morning of April 19, 1891 a fast mail train, known as the No.4, was going east. On the same track an accommodation (passenger) train was going west from Elyria, Ohio. The Engineer of the passenger train thought he was leaving on time, but did not know that his watch had stopped for four minutes and then started again. The conductor apparently did not check his watch.

The two trains met head on at Kipton, near Cleveland Ohio. The fast mail train was at full speed (60 mph plus) and the other train was under full brakes and slowing. 11 were killed in the worst US train wreck to date. The United States Post Office as well as both railroad companies suffered great financial loss. It was due to this disaster that a RR commission was appointed to develop standards for railroad timepieces that would be adopted by every US RR.

Waltham and the Elgin Watch Company became the principle suppliers of what is now commonly called “railroad grade” pocket watches for most train companies in North America and in many other countries of the world. Typically these were 21 and 23 jeweled watches and they were the most accurate time pieces of their day.

In 1876, Waltham disclosed the first automatic screw making machinery and obtained the first Gold Medal in a watch precision contest at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Not only the American Horology, but also the world, owes much to the early members of the Waltham Watch entity their technical inventions and developments. Seems like America always led the world in innovations…but, I digress.

In 1885, after 26 years, the company name changed to American Waltham Watch Co. (AWWCo) where it was to remain for the next 22 years. Most widely known under this name, the company would produce some of the finest examples of pocket watches ever created.

In 1907 the name changed to Waltham Watch Co. (WWCo), in 1923 briefly to Waltham Watch and Clock Company and finally in 1925 to Waltham Watch Company (WWC).[dubious – discuss]

Two high-quality groups of watches were produced by Waltham as direct result of orders placed by the Canadian Pacific Railway. One large group has the shield and beaver emblem of the Railway engraved on the movements, and is known as the “CPR” type. The second group has “Canadian Railway Time Service” engraved on the movements, and is known as the “CRTS” type. They are both highly prized by collectors.

Waltham closed its factory doors and declared bankruptcy in 1949, although the factory briefly reopened a few times (primarily to finish and case existing watch inventory for sale). Several different plans were presented to restart the business, but all failed for various reasons. In 1958, the company decided to get out of the consumer watch business completely, and reorganized into the Waltham Precision Instruments Company. All remaining watch inventory had been sold to the Hallmark Watch Company the previous year, and rights to the “Waltham” trademark were sold to a new Waltham Watch Company incorporated in Delaware in exchange for stock.

However, specialized clocks and chronographs for use in aircraft control panels continued to be made in the Waltham factory under the name of Waltham Precision Instruments Company until the company was sold in 1994. The company is now based in Alabama as the Waltham Aircraft Clock Corporation.

I’m currently tinkering around with a 1918 Waltham 10s. This has a gold filled octagon case. A 10 size means it’s about 38 mm across the face. The watch ran poorly and started checking it out and discovered the hair spring on the balance wheel was broken…bummer, these are hard to find! So, I’m looking on ebay and the internet for parts. The watch is only worth about $75 and for a horologist to repair it is well over $120, which is why I’m trying to fix it. I’ve had it completely stripped down and put back together 3 times now just for practice and I know if I can ever find that hair spring I’ll have a running Waltham again.

PS: Even thought the Waltham Watch Company went out of business in 1957, they had a subsidiary in Switzerland, Waltham International SA. Waltham International SA retains the right to the Waltham trade name outside of North America, and continues to produce mechanical wrist watches and mechanical pocket watches under the “Waltham” brand. It is a full-fledged member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH.