1898 Railroad Grade, Elgin, Open Face Pocket Watch, 21 Jewel,18s Grade 150: Details » Buy Now for $450.00 » Buy: $450.00 Ships: Free: $450.00: 3 days 10 hrs. The Elgin watch company, out of Elgin, Illinois, was in business from 1864-1964, and while active, was the largest-producing American watch company, manufacturing an estimated half of all pocket watches ('dollar' watches not included). To be a railroad grade watch, the following criteria must be met: be 16S or 18S; have 17 or more jewels; be. The Elgin National Watch Company was founded in 1864 in Elgin, Illinois as the National Watch Company, and some of the organizers were later to become the some of the biggest names in the American watch industry: J. Currier, Otis Hoyt, and Charles H. Mason, with financial backing from former Chicago Mayor Benjamin W.
- Elgin Pocket Watch The following is an interesting story about the Elgin Pocket Watch Company. It was found in the July issue of Harper's New Monthly Magazine 1869 and gives an interesting insight into the beginnings of this significant maker.
- Elgin had helped define the American pocket watch as unsurpassed in “Railroad Accuracy.” By 1930, the post Civil War dream factory imagined by a handful of American entrepreneurs had.
Elgin pocket watches were an icon of American pocket watch production in the 20th century and reflect the massive progress of the age with durable yet elegant designs. Founded in Chicago in 1864, the then National Watch Company was developed out of a consortium of local business leaders. Their goal was to create watches that were durable, affordable, and aesthetically satisfying.
After recruiting employees from a Massachusetts competitor, the Waltham Watch Company, the gentlemen established a 35-acre space in rural Elgin, Illinois, as the location for their headquarters. Construction was complete in 1866, their first movement was created the year after, and awards for their designs were already rolling in as early as 1869.
By the time the company changed its name to the Elgin National Watch Company in 1874, the premise of their production had been firmly established, and their goal had been realized. Elgin National Watches, which were produced until the late 1960s, held a reputation for their reliability and their refinement, a combination that still makes them desirable today.
Quick Facts
- Elgin’s manufacturing headquarters in Elgin, Illinois, represented the largest watchmaking operation in the world for the 98 years it was in operation (1866-1964)
- In honor of Chicago’s mayor, the first pocket watch they created in 1867 was named the “B.W. Raymond”
- May 1869 marked the release of Elgin’s first watch for women. Fittingly called the “Lady Elgin,” it rapidly became a fashion statement
Elgin Pocket Watch Value By Serial Number
Elgin Pocket Watch Value Guide
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