Location: Cincinnati, Ohio and Mansfield, Ohio

Years of Operation: Before 1905

Successor: North American Watch Co.

The Bell Watch Case Company was organized by O.E. Bell around 1887 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Early grades included 10, 20, and 25 Year Gold-Filled cases marked "Comet," "Royal," or "Bell." Newspaper advertisements suggest the company may have used the initialed mark "B.W.C.Co." as well. According to The Jewelers' Circular, the company dropped the "Royal" name in 1896 because Bates & Bacon was already using it as a trade name. The "Royal" was renamed the "Bell Extra."

The company advertised heavily in newspapers across the United States from 1893-1897, claiming the company "makes the best gold filled cases" in "all sizes."

In July 1899, as the company considered relocating to Evansville, Indiana, it was reported to employ 200-300 men and paid a dividend of 8%. Akron, Ohio, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Dayton, Ohio, and Wichita, Kansas were also on the list of potential cities to land the watch case factory. By August, the Belle Watch Case Company had tight negotiations with government officials in Mansfield, Ohio, and by the end of the year, construction on the new factory had commenced.

In 1900, the company purchased the equipment from "a watch manufacturing concern from New York." On July 9, 1900, the new watch case factory in Mansfield started production. Mr. Bell immediately set his ambitions to build a factory to manufacture watch movements, ideally pairing his case company and watch company, likely inspired by the success of the Dueber Case Company and Hampden Watch Company.

Soon after, Bell began considering moving his operation to another city with hopes of building a massive factory to produce both cases and watch movements. In September 1900, O.E. Bell selected Appleton, Wisconsin, as the location for his new factory. While the Bell Watch Case Company continued, many wondered if the case company would be closed once the Appleton factory commenced production.

In November 1900, the company introduced a new line of watch cases.

Construction on the new Appleton factory commenced in August 1901, and the company was reported to have adopted the name "Remington Watch Company" instead of the "Bell Watch Company," as originally intended. The company was to produce the "Remington" movement (this movement was sold as early as 1897 and was described as featuring 15-Jewels).

As soon as the factory was prepared for production in Appleton, the Mansfield factory was sold at a sheriff's sale in January 1902 for $30,000. The following month, stockholders of the North American Watch Company reorganized the Bell Watch Case Company with a capitalization of $300,000.