Together, David Davis, Edward Howard, and Aaron Lufkin Dennison founded the business that would eventually become the Waltham Watch Company in Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1850. The ground-breaking business idea was to produce the movement parts with such accuracy that they would be completely interchangeable. In the end, Howard and Dennison would improve and patent their precision watchmaking machinery and develop the American System of Watch Manufacturing based on the lessons learned from earlier unsuccessful experiments.
American Horologe Company (Warren Manufacturing Company)
Production reportedly began in the new factory structure in 1851, when the firm adopted the name “American Horologe Company.” Aaron Lufkin Dennison, a co-founder of Waltham, challenged the name in a letter to author Crossman in October 1886, claiming that the company’s original name was the Warren Manufacturing Company, after General Warren of Roxbury, a well-known Revolutionary War veteran. In order to protect the privacy of the unique operation, the phrase “watch” was purposefully deleted.
The first timepieces were finished by the end of 1852. The first 17 “Howard, Davis & Dennison”-branded timepieces that ran for 8 days were given out to corporate executives. Edward Howard was allocated number 1, which is now in the Smithsonian Collection. The first 18 numbers were given the name “Warren, Boston,” while the next 800 were given the name “Samuel Curtis,” after the financier. Some with the label “Fellows & Schell” were sold for $40. The “PS. Bartlett” watch was first introduced in January 1853. (Named for an early employee Patten Sargeant Bartlett).
Boston Watch Company
In September 1853, the business adopted the Boston Watch Co. moniker. In Waltham, Massachusetts, a brand-new factory was constructed beside the Charles River, and it gradually expanded to its current size. The business relocated into the new facility in October 1854. The following motions (1001-5000) were identified as “Dennison, Howard & Davis,” “P.S. Bartlett,” and “C.T. Parker”. Due to financial issues, Edward Howard quit the firm and founded E. Howard & Company
Appleton Tracy & Company
After declaring bankruptcy, the business was bought at auction by Royal E. Robbins, who renamed it Appleton Tracy & Co. (ATCo) in May 1857. The Waltham Model 1857, which went by this designation as the following movements were created, was the first pocket watch made in America using standard components. 5001 to 14,000 are the serial numbers. The 1857 model was unveiled as the “C.T. Parker.” There were 399 produced. Additionally, 598 chronometers were produced.
American Watch Company
The Waltham Improvement Co. and Appleton, Tracy & Co. amalgamated to become the American Watch Co. in January 1859. (AWCo). The Civil War was still raging when Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. The pace of production stopped. To keep the manufacturing operational, the business chose to scale back to the absolute minimum. After delivering the Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln purchased a Waltham watch, model 1857, grade “Wm.” It operated. Ellery, with the serial number 67613. A.W.Co. A unique 14-size watch with a “Push button” to set the time is produced. Name of the street: Bond St.
The majority of the railroads in North America and as many as 52 other nations now receive their railroad chronometers from Waltham. At the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876, Waltham unveiled the first automatic screw-making apparatus and won the first Gold Medal for watch accuracy. The early members of the Waltham Watch entity, including Bacon, Church, Dennison, Fogg, H. Marsh, Webster, and Woerd, are largely responsible for the technological advancements and inventions that not only the American Horology but also the rest of the globe enjoy today.
American Waltham Watch Company
After 26 years, the business name was changed to American Waltham Watch Co. (AWWCo), which it would bear for the following 32 years. This occurred in 1885. The business, which is best recognized by this moniker, would make some of the best pocket watches ever made.
Waltham Watch Company
The company was renamed Waltham Watch Co. (WWCo) in 1907, Waltham Watch and Clock Company for a brief period of time in 1923, and Waltham Watch Company eventually in 1925. (WWC).
Waltham developed two high-quality watch groups as a direct result of orders placed by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The “CPR” type belongs to a sizable group that has the railway’s shield and beaver emblem etched on the movements. The second category is referred to as the “CRTS” type and has “Canadian Railway Time Service” inscribed on the movements. Both of these are highly sought after by collectors.
Waltham watches and watch components were no longer produced in the United States after 1957. Waltham International SA, a business that the US parent corporation founded in 1954 specifically for this purpose, took over production and moved it to Switzerland.
Waltham Precision Instruments Company
However, until the firm was sold in 1994, specialty clocks and chronographs for use in flight control panels were still produced in the Waltham plant under the name Waltham Precision Instruments Company. The Waltham Aircraft Clock Corporation is the name of the business as it is presently situated in Alabama.