Waltham

American watchmaking history and the art of Swiss precision

The history of the Waltham brand is a fascinating example of innovation, technological progress and the transformation of industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries. It begins in 1850, when a group of pioneers led by the American watchmaker Aaron Lufkin Dennison set out to fundamentally change traditional watch production. At that time, watches were still laboriously produced by hand, making the ticking masterpieces expensive and often unreliable. Together with watchmakers Edward Howard and David Davis, Dennison developed the vision of mass-producing watches with standardized and interchangeable parts.

This pioneering idea led to the founding of the Dennison, Howard & Davis Company, which would soon become the American Horologe Company based in Roxbury, Massachusetts. In 1853, the company moved its headquarters to Waltham, Massachusetts, and traded under the new name Boston Watch Company. The new location offered ideal conditions for industrial production, especially as the company increasingly relied on machines and organized division of labor to increase its precision and efficiency in production.

More than any other brand, Waltham represents the legacy of American industrial ingenuity and innovation.
Waltham Watch Company

Precision in series production

The vision of the still young watchmaker becomes reality. In 1857, the company launches its first mass-produced watch, the Waltham Model 57. This pocket watch, renowned for its precision, durability and reliability, quickly gains international recognition and strengthens the company’s reputation. Waltham watches soon became the epitome of precise timekeeping, both in America and in Europe. Even President Abraham Lincoln owned a Waltham Model 57, which was presented to him in honor of his famous Gettysburg Address.

Nevertheless, the Boston Watch Company gets into financial difficulties. However, the insolvent watch manufacturer was bought up by investors and initially reorganized as Appleton, Tracy & Co. before being renamed the American Watch Company in 1859. In the following years, the company successfully developed into the main supplier of railroad chronometers for various railroad companies worldwide. The production site remains Waltham, which ultimately leads to the most famous name in 1917 – Waltham Watch Company.

The heyday and decline

Waltham is the first company ever to produce largely machine-made watches, which leads to a considerable reduction in costs and an increase in production volumes. The Waltham factories develop into the most modern in the world and the company produces millions of watches – including pocket watches and wristwatches, but also precision instruments for the railroad industry. The American watchmaker gains recognition throughout the world and wins numerous prizes at international exhibitions.

Although the Waltham Watch Company experienced a heyday at the end of the 19th century, the company began its slow decline in the 20th century. Increasing international competition put Waltham under more and more pressure. The Second World War brought a brief revival, as Waltham produced pilot’s watches and cockpit instruments for the military, among other things. But after the war, the company was no longer able to hold its own in a changed market. In 1957, Waltham finally ceased watch production in America.

A new era begins

However, this was not to be the end of the brand. As early as 1954, the name Waltham was revived with the founding of a Swiss subsidiary. The Swiss watchmaker based in Mendrisio, Canton Ticino, continued the tradition of the Waltham Watch Company by developing and manufacturing high-quality military and pilot’s watches in particular. With its unique combination of American watchmaking history and Swiss precision craftsmanship, Waltham remains synonymous with excellence in timekeeping to this day.