Pocket Watch Database
American Watch Case Co.
Newark, New Jersey
Initial Marking: A.W.C.Co.
Location: Newark, New Jersey
Years of Operation: 1890 - c.1937
Organized in 1890 by Otto H. Oppenheimer, Victor Nivois, and Henry Leffert with a capital stock of $50,000. (Should not be confused with the American Watch Case Co. of Toronto, the American Watch Co. or the American Waltham Watch Co).
Specialty: 18K and 14K Gold Cases
Identification: Extra care should be exercised when identifying cases produced by the American Watch Case Co. (of New York) because of the similarities between this company and the American Watch Case Co. of Toronto and the American Watch Co./American Waltham Watch Co.
Cases manufactured by the American Watch Case Co. (of New York) usually feature an embossed pointed banner with "A.W.C.Co." stacked on top of the gold content mark inside an embossed rectangle.
Another common variant is a stamped version of the mark instead of embossed, with "A.W.C.Co." stamped above the mark indicating gold content.
These marks are typically seen in a straight and stacked layout (contrasting the arched style seen on many cases produced by the American Watch Case Co. of Toronto).
The American Watch Case Company specialized in manufacturing solid gold cases, and it is believed only 18K and 14K cases were offered by the company.
The American Watch Case Company was organized February 24, 1890 in Newark, New Jersey and New York with a capital stock of $50,000. An amended certificate of incorporation was recorded in April 1892 [JC, May 4, 1892].
In late 1892, Victor Nivois severed his connection with the company to form the Standard Watch Case Company, manufacturing solid gold cases. According to The Jewelers' Circular, Nivois purchased the entire set of dies from the American Waltham Watch Company to make his cases.
After Nivois left the company, the factory building was offered for sale by Henry Lefort, advertised as a "four and a half story brick building, 32x90 feet, with a 35 horse power engine of the best makers (Ecauhert), rollers, and a number of lathes, Farragut press, screw presses, etc., lately occupied by the American Watch Case Co."
After the factory was sold to an unknown party around 1893, the company moved operations to 4 E. 4th St. in New York City [JC, February 6, 1895]. By 1894, the American Watch Case Company was advertising its gold cases from a sales office at 11 John St. in New York [JC, March 21, 1894]. These advertisements illustrated the "A.W.C.Co." mark in a pointed banner. Zacharias H. Oppenheimer was still associated with the company at this time.
In February 1901, the factor on E. 4th street suffered a fire, and many of the equipment owned by the case company was destroyed [JC, February 13, 1901]. The company began moving the surviving machinery to a new factory.
Mentions of the company ceased around 1937.
Case Grades
Note: This chart is not intended to be a comprehensive list of grades. Some grades changed traits over time and other grades may not be listed. This chart will be improved as additional information is studied.
| Image | Name | Case Material | Gold Content | Gurantee | Source Catalogs | Trademarked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
14K | Gold | 14K | |||
 |
18K | Gold | 18K |
