The first Waltham Watch Factory was located in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. It was originally founded in 1850 in Roxbury, Massachusetts, under the name American Horologe Company. The company moved to Waltham in 1854 and became known as the American Watch Company, later renamed the Waltham Watch Company.
This factory was groundbreaking as it was the first to successfully mass-produce watches using an assembly line system with interchangeable parts, revolutionizing the watchmaking industry.
The first Waltham watches were made by the American Horologe Company, which later became the Waltham Watch Company. These early watches were pocket watches, and the very first model was known as the “Warren” watch, named after one of the company’s founders, Aaron Lufkin Dennison, who used “Warren” as a tribute to Warren, Massachusetts.
Here are some details about those early watches:
First Watches Made (1852–1853):
Production Quantity: Fewer than 20 were made in the earliest run
Model Name: “Warren”
Size: Approximately 18-size (a common pocket watch size)
Movement: Key-wound and key-set
Jewels: Typically 7-jewel movements
TFirst Mass-Produced Model:
- Name: “Samuel Curtis” model
- Year: Around 1854
- These were the first watches produced in larger numbers after the company moved to Waltham.
- Samuel Curtis was a major investor, and his name was used for branding.
The true breakthrough came a little later with the Waltham Model 1857, the first truly standardized, mass-produced American watch, which helped establish the brand’s reputation for innovation and reliability.
Waltham is best known for its pocket watches, but they also made wristwatches, especially as demand shifted in the 20th century—particularly around World War I and World War II.
A Brief History of Waltham Wristwatches:
🔹 Early Wristwatches (WWI Era – 1910s to 1920s):
- Originally, these were converted pocket watches or trench watches.
- Designed for soldiers—sturdier cases, wire lugs for straps, and often luminous dials.
- Typically manual wind, using movements based on smaller pocket watch calibers.
🔹 Art Deco Era (1930s):
- Waltham released elegant rectangular and tonneau-shaped wristwatches.
- Stylish designs with engraved cases and distinctive Art Deco numerals.
- Still manual wind, but designed more for fashion and daily wear.
🔹 WWII Military Watches (1940s):
- Waltham produced watches for the U.S. military.
- Known for reliability—simple black dials, large Arabic numerals, hacking seconds.
- These military wristwatches are now collectible.
🔹 Post-War and Mid-Century (1950s–1970s):
During this period, Waltham movements were sometimes Swiss-made, as the company shifted from U.S. manufacturing.
The brand offered both men’s and women’s models.
Introduced automatic (self-winding) movements and even some electric models.
Movements:
- Early wristwatches used in-house American-made movements.
- Later models—especially post-1950s—often had Swiss movements (like ETA or A. Schild), sometimes signed “Waltham.”
Today:
- The original Waltham Watch Company ceased operations in the U.S. in 1957, though the brand name has continued under various ownership.
- Vintage Waltham wristwatches are now sought-after by collectors for their history and style.
Waltham Watch Company
Major Sale & Closure Timeline:
🔹 1957 – Waltham Watch Company shuts down U.S. operations
- The company ceased manufacturing watches in the United States.
- Its machinery and equipment were sold to companies overseas, primarily in Switzerland and Japan.
- This marks the end of the original American-made Waltham watches.
🔹 Post-1957 – Brand name rights sold
- The Waltham name and trademarks were sold to different international firms over time.
- Swiss companies began producing watches under the Waltham name using Swiss movements.
- The brand lived on, but the watches were no longer connected to the original Waltham factory or American-made parts.
57, the brand was sold and continued under foreign ownership afterward.
🔹 Today
- The Waltham name is still in use, especially in Japan and Switzerland, but it’s purely branding now.
- One version of the brand, Waltham International SA, is based in Switzerland and focuses on high-end, luxury reinterpretations of vintage Waltham models.
So, while Waltham as an American manufacturer effectively ended in 1957, the brand was sold and continued under foreign ownership afterward.
