The Waterbury Watch Museum - Home - History - Articles - Documentation - Repair - Gallery - About Us - Credits - Contact - Resources- A History of the Waterbury Watch Co. Most watch collectors are only vaguely aware of the existence of the Waterbury Watch Co. Most have heard of the Waterbury long-wind, but few are fully aware of what a significant impact this short-lived company had on horology. While many had dreamed of producing an inexpensive watch, they were the first company to successfully mass-produce a reliable watch that was affordable to the general public. Many people confuse the Waterbury Watch Co. with the Waterbury Clock Co. Although both shared the same founder in the Benedict and Burnham MFG Co, they were actually separate and unconnected enterprises. Waterbury Clock actually did make millions of dollar type watches, but none of them came even close to the accuracy and finish of Waterbury Watch. Perhaps the most important figure in the history of the Waterbury Watch Co. was a brilliant watchmaker and jeweler named Daniel A.A. Buck, without whom the company would never have been born. Buck was born in 1837. As of this writing I have found little about his childhood. Besides being the chief designer of movements for Waterbury Watch, Buck was also actively involved with other watch companies, most notably the short lived Cheshire Watch Co, for which he was the chief superintendent. Daniel Buck died of heart disease in Medina, NY on April 7th, 1904, at the age of 67. He was survived by a widow and three sons. His first wide - spread notice was at the 1876 Centennial Exposition, where were exhibited side by side the largest and smallest steam engines in the world. Buck walked in one day - unannounced - with the remarkable miniature engine in his vest pocket. The entire creation could fit under a common sewing thimble, and was only 7/16" square and 5/8" high. It was designed and built by Buck in his shop using his watchmaker's tools. The engine contained 148 different parts and 52 screws. Three drops of water filled the boiler to its capacity. After the Centennial Exposition, Buck took the miniature engine home with him, where he displayed it in the window of his shop in Worcester, Mass. The following year, in 1877, it was noticed by a patent solicitor named Edward Locke. Intrigued, Locke offered Buck $100 to design an inexpensive watch. Buck rose to the challenge and several months later had designed what was later to be dubbed the Waterbury long-wind. The whole watch contained a mere 58 parts, and used only three wheels. The watch had a duplex escapement, and the entire movement rotated in the case once an hour. It was driven by an unimaginably long nine-foot mainspring housed in the back of the case, which took 158 turns to wind. Together, they took Buck's creation to Charles Benedict, one of the founders of the Benedict and Burnham Mfg. Co. The meeting took place on January 9th, 1878. Benedict and Burnham were at that time one of the largest manufacturers of brass products in the world. They had already been involved in the founding of many other prominent companies, including the Waterbury Clock Co. in 1857. Recognizing what promised to be a successful enterprise, they set aside $10,000 capital and agreed to begin manufacture of the watch in a set of unused rooms above the company offices. Actual manufacture, however, did not begin until late in the following year. An instant hit, the first 1,000 watches bore the Benedict and Burnham name stamped on the pierced spring cover. Selling for a mere $3.50, the watch had an open six spoke skeletonized dial, allowing the movement to be seen as it ran. It was sold in a nickel-plated brass case with a typical English patterned back, but a very few were sold in other variations, such as gold plate or three spoke dials. These variations are very rare. In fact, all Benedict and Burnham watches are very rare. Few were made to begin with, added to which the company very foolishly advertised the watch as being completely repairable by the owner, even giving detailed instructions on how to disassemble it in the accompanying instruction booklet. This probably explains why today so many long-winds have unimaginable butchery inside - staffs completely broken in two, broken pivots, bent wheels - things that not even the worst watchmaker would do. At any rate, they must have learned their lesson very quickly, as such instructions were printed only once. Starting with the "Series C", a warning not to remove the dust cover was stamped inside the watch. In 1880 a stock company called the Waterbury Watch Co. was formed, with a capital of $400,000, and Charles Benedict {the company later named a watch after him} as its first president. The principal shareholders included the Benedict and Burnham MFG Co. Edward Locke, D.A.A. Buck, and George Merritt, who would became the chief selling agent for the company. The first watches made by the Waterbury Watch Co. were very similar in appearance to those made by Benedict and Burnham. At first the cases were identical, with the exception that the pierced dustcover became solid, and was just marked "The Waterbury Watch". After that, a few thousand were housed in colored celluloid cases and sold with special celluloid boxes, but only a few of these were made. The watches were then sold in plain nickel-plated cases. The most significant difference between the first Waterbury Watches and those made by Benedict and Burnham was that the skeletonized pattern of the plates was changed to a much fancier pattern, and was marked with the company name. The first watch marked with an assigned "Series" letter was the final variation of the Waterbury skeleton, most of which are marked "Series A" on the spring cover. It is unclear if the watches were successively assigned a letter as each new model was released, but it seems probable although there are a few watches which don't seem to fit this pattern, most noticeably Series "F" through "H". So successful was the Waterbury watch that soon the rooms above the Benedict and Burnham offices proved too small. Around 1880 when the new company was formed, architect H.W. Hartwell of Boston Mass was asked to build a whole new factory. Hartwell already had experience designing watch factories - both the Waltham and Elgin buildings were of his design. While the watch itself was inexpensive, no cost was spared to the building. Completed in 1881, it cost nearly $500,000 - half a million dollars - to build. In its day it was one of the most modern and beautiful watch factories in the world. The five story gabled building was composed entirely of brick, and covered with climbing vines. On top of a large spire proudly flew an American flag. The building started out with two spacious wings, but business grew to the point that a third was soon added. Although today it would probably be considered an uncomfortable work environment, in its day it was one of the most comfortable. Spacious corridors were lined with sinks and labeled hooks for cloaks. High ceilings and tall windows provided space and light. The workers were mostly women, as Waterbury considered the supple and delicate fingers of a woman well suited to assembling watches. Women also most likely had the advantage of requiring less pay. For the first eight years, the company manufactured only long-winds, although they did produce {in a very limited number} a skeletonized carriage clock using the skeleton rotary long-wind movement. An advertisement in the back of the instruction booklet for the "Series B" mentions an eight - day travel clock, but as of this writing I have never seen one. Both clocks are extremely rare. Like most watch companies, Waterbury also occasionally experimented with products unrelated to horology. The most noteworthy example is a 10,000-mile bicycle cyclometer released in 1890. Named "The Trump", it accompanied the "Series I" watch of the same name. When purchased to accompany the cyclometer, the watch came with a special stand to clamp it to a bicycle frame. Strap-watch bands to hold 4's watches were sold for ladies. In late 1881, the company discontinued the "A" and introduced the new "Series B", which had a closed dial and a solid plate aluminum movement. They claimed the new watch was easier to read and was more popular, but more likely it was done to cut manufacturing costs. By not skeletonizing the plates, the long-wind could be sold for a mere $2.50. At any rate, they never made another skeleton watch. A year after introducing "Series B", it was replaced with "Series C". There are very few changes between the "Series B" and "C". Both have almost identical cases, although "C" was also marketed in some fancy embossed cases as well as plain. Both watches have a wide reflector ring. Like the previous watches, "B" had patent dates on the crown, but "C" did not. All long-winds have paper dials. Around 1885, "C" was replaced with "Series E. "E" is visually different from both 'B" and "C" in that the wide reflector ring was done away with, and it has a much larger dial. It is also slightly slimmer, although not by much. "E" was a popular watch and was manufactured until the company attempted to update their image by producing exclusively short wind watches. The "old fashioned long-wind" was discontinued in the early 1890's. Interesting to note is the "Series D". This watch was either never marketed, or else was sold only in very limited numbers. I have only seen one, and then only for a brief look, but it is a very strange watch, unlike any other produced by Waterbury. The watch is an 18's, with a ¾ plate nickel movement - the only nickel watch made by Waterbury that I am currently aware of. The watch is not a long-wind. It is actually very similar to the many jeweled short wind watches the company started mass marketing in 1888. "Series D" remains one of the most rare and sought after Waterbury watches. Another very rare watch is the key wind Waterbury. As of this writing I have never seen one, but the watch does exist and is certainly very rare. Throughout their short lifespan, Waterbury did make several very strange watches, and variations of watches, such as the many "Addison" models, the identical "L" and "LW" series, and the "Series F". For the first few years, sales of the Waterbury soared. It was a completely new and miraculous product, and the public wanted it. A "Waterbury" quickly became a household word. Colorful trade cards and lavish color ads in popular magazines such as "The Youths Companion" were mass distributed, although strangely enough most of this colorful advertising disappeared by the 1890's. Best selling authors such as Horatio Algers Jr. presented the idea of owning a watch such as the Waterbury to be the ideal goal for every boy. In 1886, the company even started up a selling office in London, with plans to sell all over Europe. Waterbury watches were seen everywhere, even as far away as Japan. They eventually developed a booming business with the Australian market as well. Waterbury watches sold on eBay are still more often seen coming from Britain and Australia than any other country except than United States. Some models were probably made with specifically with export in mind, such as the "Series T" "Oxford", and the redesigned variation of the "Series J". These watches are often found in typical English cases. 1888 marked the start of Waterbury's own company newspaper, named simply "The Waterbury". This newspaper was sent to both company employees and jewelers at large. It offered tips for selling watches, hints on how to design window displays, news about the latest products, and also commentaries on the news of the world at large. The pages were largely speckled with humorous political cartoons. These cartoons reveal much about life as it was lived then, ranging from the rights of African Americans to suffrage for women, and many that were simply pure whimsy. "The Waterbury" magazine lived a seven-year life span, and was discontinued in1895. Still, the Waterbury Watch Co. was beginning to have problems. They had begun to acquire a bad reputation due to poor marketing techniques. For the first few years, the company paid little attention to developing a network of authorized dealers, instead selling watches to anyone who would buy a dozen at a time. Long-winds were very often used as premiums, given away with clothing and other merchandise. Thus a Waterbury came to be associated with shoddy products. Besides, to the general public it just didn't make sense to buy a Waterbury retail when you could get one free. Other companies, especially the Swiss, had also grabbed onto the idea of a cheep watch by this time, and Waterbury Watch found competition hot. The watch itself was also beginning to be a problem. While its accuracy and reliability was never a problem, people were tired of the "old fashioned" long-wind. Jokes abounded, such as "Here, wind my Waterbury for a while - when you get tired, I'll finish winding it", and "I come from Waterbury, land of the eternal spring". In the city of Waterbury legend still tells of young boys like Tom Sawyer winding the watch by holding the crown against a picket fence, therefore winding it a bit as the crown turned a bit on each picket. I have heard rumors of a special watch winder sold in order to make winding the long-wind faster, but I have never seen one. Despite the simple plan of just winding the crown a few turns every time you took it out to tell the time, the watch remained unpopular. Recognizing these problems, Waterbury stopped selling to dealers and attempted to set up an organized network of loyal retail jewelers. In 1888 they also began manufacturing a wide range of "short wind" watches. Although more expensive than the $2.50 long-wind, these watches were much better finished. They contained more parts then the long-winds, but still significantly less than most watches, and all of them were capable of excellent time keeping. All Waterbury short winds used the duplex escapement - as of this writing I have never seen a Waterbury with any other type of escapement. All were jeweled, most having at least four for the balance, and an occasional six by jewelling the escape wheel as well. The highest quality watch was the "Series R" "Tuxedo", which had the top plate completely jeweled - a total of nine jewels. The cheapest short wind marketed by Waterbury was the "Series I" "Trump". It had two jewels, and sold for $2.50 retail. Most short winds are found in a few basic movement styles, the majority of which are gilt. A few models, besides long wind, are found in aluminum, but these are scarce. The new short winds were offered in a variety of cases, including silver, gold-filled, and even solid gold. Solid gold examples are very scarce. The most popular cases were silver plated nickel, or gold fill. More expensive models like the "R" "N" and "K" are often seen in sterling silver. Almost all short winds were sold with enamel dials, and some of the more popular models were occasionally seen in fancy multi-color. The first short wind that was really widely mass marketed to the general public was the "Series J", released in late November 1888 just in time for the Christmas holidays. A few months later the first watch for women, the 8's "Series L" was introduced. These models were relatively popular with consumers, selling for around $4 retail. Waterbury Watch continued to make a wide variety of short winds, ranging in price from $2.50 to $25. In 1894 they released the "Series S" "Elfin", a six jewel 6/0 sized pendant watch for ladies which was then the smallest made in the United States. The watch sold for $15 and was very popular. The workers of the company even organized a club named after the watch, the "Elfin Social Club". Later models however, with the exception of the 4s "Series N" "Addison" were not nearly as successful, and today are not frequently seen. Note should be made of the many varieties of short winds named "Addison". There were three completely different models and series which shared this name - "Series N", "K", and "W". "N" and "W" are both 4's movements, although they are completely different models. "K" is an 18's watch, one of the more expensive models offered by the company. Even stranger, an identical "K" was also sold under the name "Charles Benedict". One has to wonder if Waterbury started assigning the name Addison to these models in order to avoid putting their own by then somewhat dubious name on them - variations of these models with the company name or trade mark are very uncommon. Outwardly, 1893 was perhaps the crowning year of glory for the Waterbury Watch Co. This was the year of the great 1893 Worlds Fair Columbian Exposition. Waterbury Watch had one of the largest and most striking pavilions, designed in a Moorish fashion. Above the entrance was a reproduction of an ancient sundial. Blue silk banners on the roof read "Watches". At each of the four corners of the building mirrored display cases were filled with Waterbury Watches. The inside was decorated in colonial colors of cream, blue, and gold. Inside the pavilion stood what was undoubtedly the masterpiece of Daniel Bucks life, and one of the most magnificent contributions to horology every made, the massive Century Clock. 'The Jeweler's Circular' reported, "The clock as it stands is without doubt the most elaborate, intricate, and beautiful piece of mechanism in America, and probably in the world." It stood twenty feet high, with a case made of black walnut. The dial showed not only the time, but also the day, month, year, moon phase, and tides. Surrounding a large hand painted portrait of the Waterbury Factory were a variety of mechanical scenes celebrating American mechanical industry and history. Besides a scaled down replica of the train room in the Waterbury Watch factory, there were scenes such as the Declaration of Independence, the invention of the cotton-gin, Elias Howe inventing the sewing machine, and the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. All the miniature figures, 100 in all, were driven by an electric motor, and tiny electric lamps lit the scenes by night. They were so life like in their movements that reporters compared it to a very real scene from Gulliver's Travels. Small booklets presenting all the marvels of the Century Clock were given away in the pavilion. Buck's masterpiece was designed and built in absolute secrecy, taking twelve years to complete. The clock, however, has disappeared without a single trace - the last record of it was a short paragraph in "The Waterbury" magazine noting that it was on display in a shop on Broadway, in St. Louis. Valued at $60,000 in 1893, if found, today it would be priceless. Still, despite all the glorious outward splendor displayed at the Exposition, the Waterbury Watch Co. was beginning to sink. 1893 began a downward decline with the company. An unfortunate combination of poor marketing, timing, and the economy at large was taking a serious toll on the company. In what was probably one effort to reduce costs, watches were no longer sold in individual boxes. Previously each watch had been sold in its own colored cardboard box with bright silk lining, shipped six each in one large cardboard shipping box. But in 1893, "The Waterbury" magazine announced that they would in future be shipping watches in compartment boxes, with each watch accompanied by a colorful cardboard tag and silk thread depending on both model and case style. In early January of 1896 the company was forced to lay off 210 workers and slack off on production, all at a tremendous financial loss. The May 6th, 1896 edition of "The Jeweler's Circular" contained a lengthy interview with Waterbury secretary A.O. Jennings. According to Jennings, "1896, so far, has been the worst business year we have ever experienced. 1893 and 1894 are not to be compared to it." Natural disasters and epidemics had all but cut off the trade with Australia, and according to Jennings, "In the United States, buying is very slow." By the summer things had become so bad that on August 1st they were forced to close down for nearly two months, not resuming work until September 28th. All of the more expensive watches were discontinued, and only the cheapest models were manufactured. Waterbury Watch never recovered, and on July 1st, 1898 they were reorganized as the New England Watch Co. New England is best remembered for their beautiful fully skeletonized pocket watch, and the 7 or 11 jewel chronograph introduced in 1909 - a watch which really "sunk them" according to George Tetro, a former employee of the company. They are also remembered for their high quality ladies enamel watches. The watches made by the New England Watch Co. are similar to those made by Waterbury. They continued most of the popular models, some with slight variations, others with no change at all. It is sometimes difficult to tell the two apart, although most are marked. Most of the "Addison" watches, particularly the 18's variations, were made by Waterbury. They also produced several lever movements of higher quality. Usually New England marked most of their watches with either the company name or a marked company case. Most New England's also had serial numbers, although that alone is not conclusive. Waterbury also used serial numbers close to the end of their life. New England Watch Co. struggled continuously with financial difficulty, and in 1912 closed their doors forever. The factory was purchased by Ingersoll in 1914. All the machinery was later scrapped, and the building torn down some time in the 1920's or 1930's. A "Home Depot" now sits directly on top of the property. Today, the once famous Waterbury Watch Co. has been largely forgotten by collectors, and the world at large. Throughout their short history, Waterbury Watch manufactured watches unlike any others that have ever been made before or since. They remain a true curiosity of mechanical genius in their form and simplicity, and usually generate much curiosity when they surface. Although this once-great company has been forgotten, they left an enduring legacy by paving the road for a reliable watch that everyone could afford. Copyright 2003 C.L. Stephenson