Crescent Watch Case Co.
Privateer

Privateer

The "Century" case produced by the Crescent Watch Case Company was silver-filled and offered as a mid-grade option between the company's nickel and silver case grades. These cases were manufactured using a similar process as gold-filled cases, except the metals used were silver and nickel instead of gold and brass. The "Century" grade name originated from the case guarantee duration of 100 years.

The grade first appeared as a product of the American Watch Company around 1883. When the Crescent Watch Case Company absorbed the case operation from the American Watch Company, the "Century" grade was retained and was offered on the market until around 1909.

In the 1910 A.C. Becken Catalog, the "Century" case had been ommitted, replaced with the "Privateer" silver-filled case.

The name "Privateer" was originally trademarked in 1894 by industry tycoon Theophilus Zurbrugg, owner of the Philadelphia Watch Case Company. In 1904, the Crescent Watch Case Company was acquired by Zurbrugg, so the "Privateer" name was a reasonable option for the new generation of silver-filled cases.

It was also around this time that the Crescent Watch Case Company was absorbed into the Keystone Watch Case Company. The "Crescent" name persisted, but the company marketed the products more cohesively from this point forward.

While the "Century" case continued to appear in some catalogs until around 1913, the primary wholesale catalogs had dropped the case by 1910.

No survivng cases have been found with "Privateer" markings.