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LHS Class of 1958
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Brief History: Elgin Watch Company
Elgin, Illinois
1864 - 1964

The Elgin Watch Company (also known as the Elgin
National Watch Company) was the largest US watch company in terms of
production. In fact, Elgin produced approximately one-half of the total
number of higher-quality pocket watches manufactured in the United States.
Total production over their 100 years of operation reached 60 million
watches!
The
company was founded in 1864 in Elgin, Illinois as the National Watch
Company, and some of the organizers were J. C. Adams, P. S. Bartlett, D. G.
Currier, Otis Hoyt, and Charles H. Mason, with financial backing from former
Chicago Mayor Benjamin W. Raymond. The factory for the National watch
company was completed in 1866, and the first movement produced was an
18-size B. W. Raymond which sold in April of 1867 for the astounding price
of $115. This identical watch, serial number 101, was sold at auction in New
York in 1988 for $12,000. In 1874, the company officially changed their name
to the Elgin National Watch Company, and that name remained until they
stopped producing watches in the early '60's.
Elgin was not known for making the highest quality
watches, though some of their higher grades were exquisitely made
timepieces. Together with Waltham Watch Company, they dominated the huge
market for mid-grade watches. Elgin watches remain extremely popular with
collectors today because they are plentiful, can be obtained at reasonable
prices, and can be relatively easily repaired due to the large number of
watches and parts available.
Elgin shipped their first wristwatch in 1910, and later
manufactured the first wrist watch to be qualified for railroad service, the
grade 730A B. W. Raymond. Throughout their history, the Elgin National Watch
Company was known for horological innovations. In 1958, they introduced the
"DuraBalance," an ingenious design for a free-sprung balance (no
regulator pins) which used spiral balance arms and small weights to govern
the moment of inertia of the balance. They also produced the only
American-made automatic wristwatch movements: grades 607, 618, 760, and 761.
These movements featured bi-directional, full-rotor winding, and had two
automatic winding gear ratios, which were automatically engaged as the
mainspring tension increased.

The contributions of the Elgin National Watch Company to
American Horological industry cannot be overstated. Many Elgin watches that
were made over 100 years ago are still providing reliable and accurate daily
service to their proud owners.
Note: The Illinois Watch Case Company of Elgin, Illinois
should not be confused with the Elgin Watch Company. The Illinois Watch Case
Company was a major manufacture in the city of Elgin, Illinois. It
manufactured watch cases under many brands, such as "Elgin Giant,"
"Elgin Pride," "Tivoli," "Spartan," and
"Elgin Commander." The use of the name "Elgin" in their
brand names, or marking the cases with "Elgin USA" has often led
people to believe that a watch was made by the Elgin National Watch Company
when it was actually made by another manufacturer, or to think that a watch
no longer has its original case because it is "now in an Elgin
case."

Elgin National Watch Company
Approximate Serial Numbers and Dates
|
Year
|
S/N
|
|
Year
|
S/N
|
|
Year
|
S/N
|
|
1867
|
9000
|
|
1897
|
7,000,000
|
|
1927
|
30,050,000
|
|
1868
|
25,001
|
|
1898
|
7,494,001
|
|
1928
|
31,599,100
|
|
1869
|
40,001
|
|
1899
|
8,000,000
|
|
1929
|
32,000,000
|
|
1870
|
50,001
|
|
1900
|
9,000,000
|
|
1930
|
32,599,001
|
|
1871
|
185,001
|
|
1901
|
9,300,000
|
|
1931
|
33,000,000
|
|
1872
|
201,001
|
|
1902
|
9,600,000
|
|
1932
|
33,700,000
|
|
1873
|
325,001
|
|
1903
|
10,000,000
|
|
1933
|
34,558,001
|
|
1874
|
400,001
|
|
1904
|
11,000,000
|
|
1934
|
35,000,000
|
|
1875
|
430,000
|
|
1905
|
12,000,000
|
|
1935
|
35,650,000
|
|
1876
|
480,000
|
|
1906
|
12,500,000
|
|
1936
|
36,200,000
|
|
1877
|
520,000
|
|
1907
|
13,000,000
|
|
1937
|
36,978,001
|
|
1878
|
570,000
|
|
1908
|
13,500,000
|
|
1938
|
37,900,000
|
|
1879
|
625,001
|
|
1909
|
14,000,000
|
|
1939
|
38,200,000
|
|
1880
|
750,000
|
|
1910
|
15,000,000
|
|
1940
|
39,100,000
|
|
1881
|
900,000
|
|
1911
|
16,000,000
|
|
1941
|
40,200,000
|
|
1882
|
1,000,000
|
|
1912
|
17,000,000
|
|
1942
|
41,100,000
|
|
1883
|
1,250,000
|
|
1913
|
17,339,001
|
|
1943
|
42,200,000
|
|
1884
|
1,500,000
|
|
1914
|
18,000,000
|
|
1944
|
42,600,000
|
|
1885
|
1,855,001
|
|
1915
|
18,587,001
|
|
1945
|
43,200,000
|
|
1886
|
2,000,000
|
|
1916
|
19,000,000
|
|
1946
|
44,000,000
|
|
1887
|
2,500,000
|
|
1917
|
20,031,001
|
|
1947
|
45,000,000
|
|
1888
|
3,000,000
|
|
1918
|
21,000,000
|
|
1948
|
46,000,000
|
|
1889
|
3,500,000
|
|
1919
|
22,000,000
|
|
1949
|
47,000,000
|
|
1890
|
4,000,000
|
|
1920
|
23,000,000
|
|
1950
|
48,000,000
|
|
1891
|
4,449,001
|
|
1921
|
24,321,001
|
|
1951
|
50,000,000
|
|
1892
|
4,600,000
|
|
1922
|
25,100,000
|
|
1952
|
52,000,000
|
|
1893
|
5,000,000
|
|
1923
|
26,050,000
|
|
1953
|
53,500,000
|
|
1894
|
5,500,000
|
|
1924
|
27,000,000
|
|
1954
|
54,000,000
|
|
1895
|
6,000,000
|
|
1925
|
28,421,001
|
|
1955
|
54,500,000
|
|
1896
|
6,500,000
|
|
1926
|
29,100,000
|
|
1956
|
55,000,000
|
Be sure to use the serial number on the movement of the
watch itself.
Do not use the serial number from the case.
A Quick History of the Elgin National Watch Company
Elgin was founded in 1864, right as the civil war was coming to an end. The
first watch Elgin made, an 18 sized B W Raymond railroad grade watch, was
finished in 1867 and over the next 100 years, they went on to produce about 60
million watches. Elgin produced their first wristwatch around 1910, leading
most other American watch companies by many years.
Elgin was originally called the "National Watch Company". The
name never really stuck and in 1874, they changed their name to the
"Elgin National Watch Company" because most of the watch trade and
public were calling them "watches from Elgin". They kept that name
until the late 1960s when they stopped producing watches and changed their
name to the "Elgin National Industries".
Elgin was founded on the idea of mass producing high quality pocket watches
using machine made, interchangeable parts. Up until around 1850, watches were
made mostly by hand, which meant that if a part broke, you had to find someone
with the tools and skill to make a new part. Elgin realized that there was a large market for good watches that could be
sold and repaired relatively cheaply using factory made replacement parts that
didn't require hand adjusting.
Elgin never made the very highest quality watches in the world, nor did
they make the very cheapest, but together with Waltham (aka The American Watch
Company), they dominated the vast middle ground of the watch market.
Today, collecting Elgin watches is quite popular. Because Elgin produced so
many watches and produced so many spare parts, they can still be easily bought
and fixed, so even a 100 year old Elgin can be used, with care, on a daily
basis. While mechanical watches can't compete with quartz watches for
accuracy, there is something about having a watch that ticks that a quartz
watch just can't replace.
The National Watch Company of Chicago, Illinois was
incorporated on August 27, 1864 with a capital of $100,000. The incorporators
were Philo Carpenter, Howard Z. Culver, Benjamin W. Raymond, George M.
Wheeler, Thomas S. Dickerson, Edward H. Williams and W. Robbins.
In September of 1864 a visit was made by some company representatives to the
Waltham Watch Co. and seven of their key people where lured away to work for
the newly formed company and they were nicknamed the Seven Stars. The bait
used was a $5,000 a year salary for 5 years, a $5,000 bonus and one acre of
land on the company's, soon to be acquired, 35 acre site (some things never
seem to change). Since turn about is fair play, Elgin lost several of the
Seven Stars to the Illinois Watch Co. a few years later in 1869.
The Seven Stars were all machinists first and watchmakers second. One of these
men was Charles S. Moseley and he became the factory's first superintendent.
He had been in the watch business since 1852.
The Elgin businessmen had been informed that if they wanted the company to be
located in Elgin they would have to donate 35 acres of land. The towns people
would also have to put up $25,000 (keep in mind that the war was on and all
the young men where gone). The requested location for the company was on a
farm with absentee owners. The owners refused to sell unless the entire farm
property of 71 acres was purchased at a price of $3,550. Four local
businessmen purchased the land and donated the 35 acres. The company was
re-organized on April 25, 1865 with a capitol of $500,000.
The first movement was delivered from the factory April 1, 1867 and was named
in honor of Benjamin W. Raymond. It was an 18 size, key wind, and full plate,
with quick train and straight-line escapement arranged to set on the face and
was adjusted to temperature. At that time watches took six months to complete
and the B. W. Raymond model sold for $117 at a time when pork chops sold for
three cents a pound (several years ago this watch was bought at auction by the
city of Elgin for $15,000).
On July 16, 1867, a new watch was made and it was named the H. Z. Culver. The
slow train was then adopted on all the new movements brought out and they
appeared on the market as follows; J. T. Ryerson, October 14, 1867; H. H.
Taylor, November 20, 1867; G.W. Wheeler, November 26, 1867 and Matthew Laflin,
January 2, 1868. (Laflin and Ryerson both sat on the Elgin's board of
directors and Laflin's family did so for more than 70 years.)
On May 20, 1869 the first "Lady Elgin" made its appearance and was
the first of a series of 10 size movements and it was also key wind. This was
followed on August 24, 1870 by the Francis Rubie, which was adjusted to
temperature, on September 8, 1871 by the Gail Borden (of Elsie fame) and on
December 20, 1871 by the Dexter Street.
Elgin and most other watch companies sold their movements to wholesaler's who
then sold them to the jewelry shops. The customer would pick out the case of
his choice, add the dial and then the jeweler would put them together. Only
about 10% of the cases sold were solid gold.
The first stem wind movement was placed on the market June 28, 1873.
On May 12, 1874 during a special stockholder's meeting held in Chicago, the
name of the company was changed to "The Elgin National Watch Company.
This was thought to be advisable because the movements manufactured by the
company were universally known as and called "Elgin Watches" or the
"Watch from Elgin".
In 1888 the factory was producing about 7,500 movements per week, about one
fifth of which were key wind and one tenth of the movements were nickel. The
factory had 2,300 employees at this time and they were split 50/50 between men
and women but not so their pay. The women earned about $6 per week while some
of the men earned as much as $3 per day and this was for a 6-day workweek.)
During World War I the United States Army had the Elgin factory train more
than 350 men to make the precision repairs required in the battlefields.
It was during the Second World War that all civilian work was stopped and
Elgin made military watches, chronometers for the U.S. Navy, fuses for
artillery shells, altimeters and instruments for aircraft and sapphire
bearings used in the aiming of cannon. The Elgin Company was awarded ten
Army-Navy "E" awards, for full filling contracts ahead of schedule.
The Elgin Company diversified after World War II making decorator clocks,
transistor radios, wedding rings, but the heart's beat was the Elgin watch.
That heart beat had been getting slower every year and Elgin ceased to depend
on the watch factory as its main enterprise. The clock tower of the National
Street plant was torn down October 7, 1966.
The world's largest watch manufacturing complex was located in several
buildings from its inception in 1864 until the last Elgin movement made in the
United States was completed in Elgin, South Carolina, in 1968.
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