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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Tool · Automatic screw machine

Waltham Automatic Screw Making Machine

Partially verified

This automatic screw making machine was manufactured around 1875 by the Waltham Watch Company based on designs invented in 1871 by Charles Vander Woerd. Conceived as the first automatic lathe designed for fabricating watch screws, it fed rod stock through a succession of cutting tools to shape individual screws sequentially. Originally developed for tiny jewel-holding screws and refined after 1874 to cut various screw sizes, this specific nickel-plated cast iron unit represents a demonstration piece rather than standard factory equipment.

Three-quarter elevated perspective of the nickel-plated automatic screw making machine on its mounting base.
Three-quarter elevated perspective of the nickel-plated automatic screw making machine on its mounting base. — National Museum of American History. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
www.si.edu
Category
Tool · Automatic screw machine
Maker / attribution
Waltham Watch Company
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
ME.316564
Source-reported date
ca 1875
Country
United States

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Technical Development and Function

Charles Vander Woerd, a superintendent at the American Watch Co., invented this machine in 1871. It functioned as an automatic lathe designed to fabricate watch screws, utilizing an operator to feed rod stock into the mechanism. The machine shaped individual screws sequentially by passing the stock through a series of cutting tools.

Initial production was focused on small screws for watch jewels. Following technical refinements after 1874, the machine's capabilities were extended to include the production of other screw sizes.

Evidence for this section
  • “Charles Vander Woerd, a superintendent at the American Watch Co. in Waltham, Mass., invented this machine in 1871.”
  • “Fed rod stock by a machine operator, the machine worked on a single screw at a time, passing the stock through a succession of different cutting tools.”
  • “The earliest machines produced minute screws to hold watch jewels, but, after 1874 improvements, the machines could make watch screws of other sizes.”

Physical Configuration

The machine is composed of nickel-plated cast iron. Its design incorporates spindles, cams, gears, and tool slides mounted onto a metallic bed plate. A handwheel is located on the right side of the mechanism, and the unit is supported by a pedestal base.

The presence of a nickel-plated finish has been interpreted as an indication that this specific unit served as a demonstration piece rather than a machine intended for standard factory production.

Evidence for this section
  • “Physical Description nickel plated cast iron (overall material)”
  • “The nickel-plated finish on this example indicates it was a demonstration piece, not a factory production machine”

Historical Context and Performance

According to a Swiss observer, the Waltham Watch Company exhibited two automatic screw machines at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition. Reports from this observer stated that one machine was capable of producing 800 screws per day with a 5% waste rate.

While it is suggested that this unit may have been one of the machines exhibited at the 1876 Exposition, this has not been confirmed.

Evidence for this section
  • “The watch company displayed two machines at the Philadelphia Exposition in 1876, according to a Swiss observer, who reported that one machine could make 800 screws per day with only 5% waste.”
  • “it may have been one of those at the Exposition.”

Open research questions

  • Are there specific archival shipping records for the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition that list the serial numbers of the machines provided by the Waltham Watch Company?
  • Does the Smithsonian record indicate the presence of any maker's marks or serial numbers on this specific unit that might aid in its provenance?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Waltham Automatic Screw Making Machine
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
ManufacturerWaltham Watch Company“manufacturer Waltham Watch Company”
DesignerCharles Vander Woerd“designer Woerd, Vander”
Date madeca 1875“date made ca 1875”
Overall materialnickel plated cast iron“Physical Description nickel plated cast iron (overall material)”
Object ID NumberME.316564“ID Number ME.316564”
Operational CapacityOne worker could tend 6-8 machines with a total output of 1200-1500 screws per day.“By one count, one worker could tend six or eight machines, with an output between 1200 and 1500 screws per day.”

Visible details

  • Complex assembly of nickel-plated spindles, cams, gears, and tool slides mounted on a rectangular metallic bed plate.
  • Handwheel positioned along the right rear side of the mechanism.
  • Machine base sits atop a rectangular dark wooden or painted pedestal.

Research qualifications

  • Whether this specific unit was exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition is noted as possible by the source but unconfirmed.

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Automatic Screw Making Machine | Smithsonian Institution

Reviewed 2026-10-25 · Record 5a2b817524