Origins & Founding (1853–1856)
The New Haven Clock Company was established on February 7, 1853, when clock-maker Hiram Camp and colleagues organized a new firm in New Haven, Connecticut, with the goal of supplying clock movements to the Jerome Manufacturing Company, then the largest clock manufacturer in the world.
When Jerome filed for bankruptcy in 1856, New Haven Clock Company raised additional capital and purchased the Jerome business in April of that year, marking its transition from movement supplier to full clock manufacturer.
Growth & Early Challenges (1860–1904)
By 1860, the company had 300 men and 15 women working there and was producing approximately 170,000 clocks annually. A devastating fire destroyed the old Jerome factory in 1866, but a new brick factory was quickly constructed — a complex that continues to stand today with subsequent additions.
By 1880, New Haven had expanded to 460 men, 52 women, and 88 children on the payroll and manufactured clocks valued at about one million dollars that year, a remarkable output for the era. In that same year, non-jeweled pocket watches were added to the product line and continued to be offered through the 1950s.
New Haven’s directors also maintained economic ties with an English firm that carried on the Jerome & Co. trademark, which was eventually fully acquired in 1904, bolstering New Haven’s presence overseas.
Expansion Into Modern Timekeeping (1891–1945)
Financial difficulties emerged in the late 19th century as company leadership paid large dividends at the expense of long-term stability. Founder Hiram Camp stepped down as president in 1891, and by 1894 the company teetered on bankruptcy before reorganizing.
In 1902, Walter C. Camp (a cousin of the founder and later known as the “father of American football”) assumed control of the company. He modernized watch production and reduced costs in 1904, and wristwatches were introduced in 1915, keeping New Haven competitive during a period of growing demand for personal timepieces.
The company continued production through World War I and into the interwar years, maintaining diverse lines of mantle, wall, and pocket watches alongside traditional mechanical clocks.
War Efforts & Later Decline (1929–1960)
In February 1929, Richard H. Whitehead succeeded Root as president just before the Great Depression struck. While the economic downturn challenged the business, effective management helped sustain production. During World War II, nearly all company operations shifted to war goods, with timing devices and precision components accounting for most activity.
After the war, the corporation was reorganized as the New Haven Clock and Watch Company in March 1946, resuming both clock and watch manufacturing. That year, ownership changed to foreign investors with ties to the Swiss watch industry.
However, persistent financial strain led to bankruptcy reorganization under Chapter X in 1956, and by **1960 the business **discontinued operations entirely. The company’s clock manufacturing facilities were sold off at public auction and through private negotiation in March 1960, bringing an end to a once-great American clock maker.
Legacy & Collectibility
The New Haven Clock Company’s products — from early brass-movement clocks and non-jeweled pocket watches to wristwatches — reflect more than a century of American clock-making. Collectors value these timepieces for their historical significance, wide range of styles, and representation of the industrial heritage that made Connecticut a center of horological innovation in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Whether you inherited an original New Haven regulator or discovered an antique pocket watch, these clocks represent an important chapter in American clock-making. If your New Haven clock isn’t working correctly, needs cleaning, or requires restoration, Clock Repair Studio offers professional evaluations and expert repair services tailored to historic American movements.