c.1890 Trenton Watch Company Trade Card, Front This trade card, distributed by the Trenton Watch Company around 1890, promoted the company and its new factory in Trenton, New Jersey. At the time, the factory had only been producing watches for approximately three years. The front includes artistic text with the company name adjacent to the trademark, which includes the city seal of Trenton, New Jersey. The sales office is referenced as 177 Broadway in New York... Continue Reading

by Nathan Moore, 1 week ago

The Illinois Watch Company Observatory As watchmaking advanced in the 20th century, new methods were required to ensure precision and remain competitive in the market. In 1910, the Elgin National Watch Company constructed a dedicated observatory to time and adjust watches using celestial positioning. In response, the Illinois Watch Company opened its own observatory in 1913 following the same principle. The observatory project at the Illinois Watch Company was led by factory superintendent George F... Continue Reading

by Nathan Moore, 2 weeks ago

A guest post by Jonathan Luysterborghs. In the summer of 1913 the Seth Thomas Clock Company issued Centennial Medals to celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of the original founding of the company in 1813.  The medals were designed by Seth Thomas jr., the great-grandson of the founder of the Seth Thomas Clock Company. The Centennial Medals were two and one half inches (2 1/2”) in diameter, struck in bronze with a gold finish.  The obverse displays a portrait of Seth Thomas, in relief. Around the edge it reads “To Commemorate The 100th Year of Seth Thomas Clock Co”.  At the sides of the portrait “ Seth Thomas” and “1785-1859” is inscribed... Continue Reading

by Jonathan Luysterborghs, 3 weeks ago