Northern Partners
Northern Partners
|
|
Brief History: South Bend Watch Company
The South Bend Watch Company was formed by three brothers, George, Clement and John M. Studebaker subsequent to their purchase of the Columbus Watch Company. The company produced watches in the style of the Columbus Watch Company. South Bend movements were identified as model 1, 2, or 3, with grades numbering 100 to 431. Even number grades denoted hunting case movements, and odd number grades were intended for open face cases.
In the 1920s the company offered a "Studebaker" watch on a mail order basis. The Studebaker watches were identical to the South Bend line and were made on the same production line. The Studebaker watch ads of this era did not indicate any connection between the two watches, but instead gave the impression of a separate company. The naming of the watch, however, was an obvious attempt to capitalize on the good name of the famous brothers of Studebaker automobile fame. Most ads carried the following line:
After the closing, the machinery was eventually sold and liquidation completed in 1933 with creditors being paid off fifty-cents on the dollar. In later years, the old factory building at 1720 Mishawaka Avenue was used for a warehouse, a soft drink bottling plant, an Army reserve center and various other businesses. On July 8, 1957, a fire started in the old factory and destroyed the last evidence of a once world famous factory. South Bend Watch Company
Be sure to use the serial number on the movement of the
watch itself.
|
Northern Partners
|
|
© Northern Partners 1999 |
Through
the first two decades of the twentieth century the company grew and
prospered. During its peak years the company produced 60,000 watches
annually and employed nearly 600 employees. Ambitious nationwide
advertising was largely responsible for this early prosperity. Full-page
ads showing the South Bend watch running in a block of ice were particularly
effective. Later this was discarded and watch illustrations were shown
with a purple ribbon across the watch face. Numerous styles and models
were available with a price range from $16.00 to $125.00. All watches
carried a “insured for a lifetime guarantee.” In fact, there are
thousands of South Bend watches still running today. 
The
Studebaker watches were sold on a credit basis and could be purchased with a
down payment of only one dollar. With the onset of the Depression, the
company found itself with many delinquent accounts and the banks were
unwilling to cooperate in those unstable times. This and the fact the
company never switched to production of men’s wristwatches was responsible
for their eventual demise. On Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 27,
1929, the nearly 300 employees of the company were notified the plant would be
closed until January 1, 1930. The company never reopened. 
