Keystone Watch Case Co.
Boss Patent

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-399
Case Grade:	Boss Patent
Material:	Gold-Filled
Gold Content:	14K
Guarantee:	20-Year
Introduced:	1883
Discontinued:	July 1889
Note:	This case was offered in a single grade until July 1889, when the Keystone Watch Case Company expanded the line and this grade was repaced by the "14K/20YR" designation instead of "Boss Patent."
Patents:	#23820
Marking Variants: (Not Intended to be Comprehensive)
Catalog Sources:	1877DFC 1878CYC 1880GHR 1880JAB 1880NHW 1882SFM 1883GHR 1883UNK 1884LSS 1885OY 1886HMS 1886RA 1887BHIA 1887LAM 1888BA 1888OY 1889BAM 1889EVR 1890AP 1890BA 1890CHK 1890JC05 1890OY 1890SFM 1891RR 1891SAC 1892ACR 1892BAC 1892CPS 1892WES 1893BFNA 1893BHIA 1893MCE 1893SAC 1894BA 1894BATM 1894NRC 1895OY 1895SFM 1896MF 1896OY 1897BB 1898MLMF 1899ACB 1899BHIA 1899SAC 1900BA 1900BHIA 1900LMC 1900NHW 1901BAC 1901OY 1902ACB 1902BATM 1902BB 1902MF 1903ACB 1903BAC 1903FDW 1903N76 1903ON 1904ACB 1904BA 1904LB 1904PWC 1905ACB 1905BAC 1905DH 1905FNCS 1905ON 1906ON 1906SRC 1907ACB 1907JVF 1907NAC 1907NBC 1907SFM 1908ACB 1909BAC 1910ACB 1911NG 1911OY 1911WJJ 1912COC 1912HA 1912NG 1912SFM 1912WJJ 1913FDW 1914ELD 1915ACB 1915ON 1915PWE 1916LCM 1917BA 1923CBN 1923ON 1925ASJ 1925CPS 1928ON 1932ON 1942WAG