The National Watch Company, better known as the "Elgin Watch Company" was founded in 1864 .
Some of the organizers came from Waltham Watch Company, including P.S. Bartlett, D.G. Currier, Otis Hoyt, Charles H. Mason and others. The idea of beginning a large watch company for the mid-West was discussed by J.C. Adams, Bartlett and Blake. After a trip to Waltham, Massachusetts, Adams went back to Chicago and approached Benjamin W. Raymond, a former mayor of Chicago, to put up the necessary capital to get the company started. Adams and Raymond succeeded in getting others to pledge their financial support also.
It was formed in August 1864. The factory site was in Elgin, Illinois, where the city had donated 35 acres (142,000 m²) of land. The factory was completed in 1866 and the first movement was a B.W. Raymond, 18 size, full plate design. The company closed in 1964, after having produced half of the total number of pocket watches manufactured in U.S.A. (dollar-type not included).
Source
- Complete Watch Guide, by Cooksey Shugart, Tom Engle, Richard E. Gilbert, Edition 1998, ISBN 1-57432-064-5
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