Pocket Watch Database

J. Boss Boss Patent
Watch Case Marking for J. Boss Boss Patent: [Crown and Scales]

Note: Case manufacturers modified markings over time. As a result, the image above is simply a representation of one particular marking used by the company. Your case marking may differ based on the production era and other parameters.

Boss Patent

James Boss was originally granted a patent for his process of manufacturing gold-filled watch cases on May 3, 1859 (U.S. Patent #23820). Reese Peters was the first manufacturer to utilize Boss' patent to create gold-filled cases, guaranteeing the cases for twenty years. At the time, these cases were referred to as "stiffened gold" cases. In 1871, Boss sold the rights to his patent to John Stuckert (Philadelphia). From 1871 to 1875, Stuckert manufactured gold-filled cases using the "J. Boss" name. Following Stuckert's death in 1875, the firm of Hagstoz & Thorpe purchased the factory and the rights to the "J. Boss" name and patented process. According to advertisements published in trade magazines by Hagstoz & Thorpe, the company introduced an improved Boss case in 1879, featuring a thicker layer of gold. A few years later, in 1883, Hagstoz withdrew from the company, and soon after, the company was renamed the Keystone Watch Case Company. Under the management of the Keystone Watch Case Company, the "Boss" cases became the most popular gold-filled cases in the country. Cases manufactured after 1883 will feature the Keystone Watch Case Company logo in addition to the "Crown and Scales" mark (or other marks later introduced to indicate quality).

Database ID:PWDB-457
Case Grade:Boss Patent
Material:Gold-Filled
Guarantee:20-Year
Introduced:c.1860
Note:The "Crown and Scales" mark also appears on cases manufactured by the Keystone Watch Case Company after purchasing the rights to the James Boss patent in 1883. The Keystone era cases will additionally feature the Keystone logo marking.
Patents:#23820
Original Papers:

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