Antiques: The story of Waltham, the great American watch company
If there's a Big 3 in high-end watches these days — i.e., names that most people would recognize — it would most likely include Rolex, Omega and Longines. At least in our gallery, those are the brands people ask for the most. And if I had to assemble a similar list of American makers, it would feature Bulova, Elgin, Hamilton and Waltham. Among these latter firms, we've already reviewed the first three in previous columns, but Waltham remains unexplored.
Founded in 1850, the Waltham Watch Company was a giant of American timekeeping for more than 100 years. A review of its history is overdue.
If a time machine could take you back to the mid-19th century, you would quickly see that the Industrial Revolution was well advanced. Smoke-belching factories were nearly everywhere, spitting out products made by machine that heretofore had been crafted entirely by hand. Clocks were among those products now being mass-produced, and it wasn't long before watchmaker Aaron Dennison figured that he could do the same with pocket watches. He, along with several partners, raised $20,000, and in 1849, the American Horological Company was formed. The Waltham name soon followed.
The company's first decade was a rocky one. Despite some significant innovations, its inaugural model was slow to sell, and the firm steadily lost money. An economic slowdown in 1856 didn't help, and a year later, it was bankrupt. Nonetheless, new owners with more experience emerged, and the Civil War proved to be an unexpected boon. Synchronized timekeeping of military maneuvers in the field was now possible, prompting many soldiers to seek out suitable watches. By war's end, Waltham's inexpensive "William Ellery" model had become nearly ubiquitous among Union troops.
Not long thereafter, another spur to Waltham's business took place with the 1869 completion of the transcontinental railroad. Accurate timepieces were needed to keep trains running on time and avoid catastrophic accidents, and here again, Waltham rose to the occasion. Throughout the last quarter of the 19th century, Waltham was a principal supplier of chronometers to the railroad industry, both in America and dozens of other countries. Its "railroad-grade" pocket watches included a range of features that made them easy to read and hard to misuse, enabling an entire industry to grow safely and profitably. It was the best of times.
With the dawn of a new century, however, things took a turn for the worse. Economic uncertainties, poor management, and a lack of innovation prompted a steady decline that even a short-term boom in wartime production couldn't reverse. Despite making substantial contributions to both world war efforts, Waltham never regained its commercial footing. Restructuring followed restructuring until a 1950 bankruptcy brought with it a revolving door of new owners. It took 30 more years, but the original firm finally closed for good in 1981. Nonetheless, its Vanguard and other premium models remain among the finest of all American-made watches. If you're looking for a quality timepiece with authentic USA roots, you can hardly do better.
Mike Rivkin and his wife, Linda, are longtime residents of Rancho Mirage. For many years, he was an award-winning catalogue publisher and has authored seven books, along with countless articles. Now, he's the owner of Antique Galleries of Palm Springs. His antiques column appears Sundays in The Desert Sun. Want to send Mike a question about antiques? Drop him a line at info@silverfishpress.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Antiques: The story of Waltham, the great American watch company
