Pocket Watch Database
Location: Waterbury, Connecticut
Years of Operation: 1879-1898
Successor: New England Watch Co.
Reorgnized as the New England Watch Co., 1898
Production Jewels: 2-6 Jewels
Production Sizes: Variety
Factory Building Status: Demolished in the 1960s. A Home Depot currently resides on the property.
Serial Number Lookup
1878
Daniel A. A. Buck, a masterful mechanical engineer, designs a model watch using fewer parts than other watches on the market. This design will allow movements to be made at a much lower cost compared to other companies.
December 1879
The Waterbury Watch Co. begins operations in Waterbury, Connecticut to fulfill a large demand for a cheap watch. Charles Benedict of the Benedict & Burnham Manufacturing Co. provides some machinery for manufacturing. The first factory proves to be too small and a new factory is constructed at the expense of $500,000 in Waterbury, Connecticut, designed by H.W. Hartwell.
1888
The Waterbury Watch Co. is producing roughtly 1,500 watches per day and employs 300 people.
1898
The Waterbury Watch Co. is renamed as New England Watch Co. and operations remain in Waterbuy, Connecticut.