Founded in the 1860's as the National Watch Company the fledgling corporation poached seven watchmakers from Waltham Watch Company and built a factory on farmland in Elgin, Illinois. 1874 would see one of National's early reformations become the Elgin Watch Company. Over the next century Elgin would become a prominent U.S. watchmaker and successfully transition all the way from pocket watches to self winding wristwatches. Included in their storied history are the years that Elgin would halt all civilian manufacturing during WWII to produce military watches, altimiters, chronometers and even fuzes for artillery shells. Several additional plants came and went during their lifetime with most production being moved to Columbia, South Carolina in 1963. The town even renamed itself Elgin, South Carolina. Sadly 1968 would mark the end of the company in it's previous incarnation and the rights to their name would be sold and resold several times over the ensuing years. Elgin watches produced after 1968 have no connection to the original Elgin Watch Company.
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Jack McClary
I prefer in person gatherings over social media dialog and have a soft spot for vintage watches.
Southern California
Member since
Last active: 49 min ago
7.25” / 18.42 cm
Beautiful pairing Jack and thanks as always for the education 👌🏽
Great watch and history! Thanks Jack
Nice&classy
Supremely & classically elegant.
Oh man, that sponsored name-change rug-pull is some bullshit!
My Granddad’s 35th work anniversary gift. (Not his retirement.) Circa mid-century.
Quasi-related Illinois story: Bradley University*, in Peoria, IL, began as a trade school for watchmaking. Seemed to be a big industry around the state.
*My sister and my son are alumni.
My Granddad’s 35th work anniversary gift. (Not his retirement.) Circa mid-century.
Sweet! A family watch is the Best!
There were several seperate lines including Elgin, Lady Elgin and Lord Elgin with Lord Elgin being one of their more expensive options.
I believe the mark beneath the arched Lord Elgin denotes that it has a "Shockmaster" movement that was introduced in 1951.
The first two digits of the serial number will correspond within a year or so of the year the watch was produced. For example 53,000,000 would be around 1953.
I hope it continues to stay in your family. Consider writing down what you know about the history of the watch so that it's story doesn't get lost or distorted.
Quasi-related Illinois story: Bradley University*, in Peoria, IL, began as a trade school for watchmaking. Seemed to be a big industry around the state.
*My sister and my son are alumni.
Some early Illinois watchmakers were amongst Abraham Lincoln's most ardent friends and financial backers. Sometimes there were favorable benefits bestowed upon the Illinois watchmaking companies as a result of this relationship.
Government contracts, tax incentives, educational funding and land use legislation could all come into play if local, state and federal authorities smiled upon an industry.