Currently, the prices for these collectible pocket watches range from several hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on the type and model. Also, their high volume of production meant that their prices have remained relatively low.
That’s why Elgin pocket watches still remain the most sought-after watches for collectors. Since the company produced so many spare parts, its watches can still be repaired reasonably easily even today. Furthermore, the company was committed to producing timepieces that could easily be repaired without requiring specialized skills. In fact, it was among the first watch-makers to develop a wristwatch in 1910. Fortunately, they succeeded in this quest, enjoying a duopoly with Waltham Watch Company, another American watch-making dynamo.īut this doesn’t mean that the Elgin National Watch Company lacked innovation. This means that their objective was not to create the finest watches, or the most inexpensive, but rather to control the vast middle-ground of the American watch market. So, the main goal of the founders of the watch company was to produce high-quality timepieces that could be repaired easily with factory-produced replacement parts. This was a time-consuming and extremely costly process. While this may seem like the most rational thing to do, you need to understand that before 1850, watches were mainly produced by hand. The company endeavored to mass-produce superior pocket watches by assembling machine-produced interchangeable parts. In terms of total production volume, this company is one of the largest American watchmakers. Reports indicate that the company manufactured about 60 million timepieces for the 100 years it existed. A few years ago, this historic pocket watch was auctioned for $15,000 by the City of Elgin.Īt the time, the manufacturer of Elgin pocket watches was called “National Watch Company”, which was later changed to “ Elgin National Watch Company”. To put it into context, in the year 1867, pork chips were retailing at three cents a pound. The first watch was an 18 sized BW Raymond railroad grade pocket watch that took six months to complete.
However, the first Elgin pocket watch was released in 1867. This brand of pocket watches was developed in 1864 in Elgin, Illinois, at the time when the American Civil War was ending. As mentioned in the introduction, Elgin pocket watches are among the perennial favorites for watch collectors.
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