Four Elgin businessmen agreed to acquire the property and then donated the required 35 acres to the watch company. The city selected a derelict farm however, the owners refused to sell the property unless the city purchased their entire 71 acres for $3,550. Initially, as part of the deal, the city was asked to donate 35 acres (142,000 m 2) of land for the construction of the factory.
The growing young city of Elgin, Illinois, some 30 miles northwest of Chicago, was chosen as the factory site. In September of the same year, the founders visited the Waltham Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts and successfully convinced seven of Waltham's watchmakers to come to work for their new company. The company was first incorporated in August 1864 as the National Watch Company in Chicago, Illinois, by Philo Carpenter, Howard Z. Boss inscription: pocket watches with this marking were known for their balance and guarantee for either 15, 20 or 25 years, as stated by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors.19th-century business card with Elgin logo The cases were produced using a range of metals, from nickel to 18K solid gold, and were marked with a grade such as the J. or a Keystone-Howard serial number chart.Īdditionally, owners interested in information regarding the pocket watch case can determine the quality and rough date of production by identifying the grade of the case. Howard Watch Co., and owners who assume production was between 19 can reference either a Keystone Watch Case Co. watch owners who suspect production dates from 1858 to 1902 should refer to a serial number chart specifically for the E.
Charts to match a serial number with a pocket watch’s date of production can be found online from watch retailers and repair services like Vintage Time Pieces and Renaissance Watch Repair.
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