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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Waltham, United States · 1849 – 1905

Duane H. Church

Partially verified

Watch factory automation

Life & work

Mechanical genius at Waltham; developed automated machinery for plate drilling.

Training, contributions & innovations

  • Revolutionized watch factory automation

Inventions & patents

  • Numerous patents for watchmaking machinery

Signatures & markings on surviving work

  • Waltham

Collecting significance

Authenticity depends on signatures and movement quality. For 19th-century makers, serial numbers often allow for precise dating. For modern independents, documentation from the maker is key.

Related photographs

Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917
Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917 — WatchMuseum.org, © WatchMuseum.org, used with permission. WatchMuseum.org catalogue record
Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917
Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917 — WatchMuseum.org, © WatchMuseum.org, used with permission. WatchMuseum.org catalogue record
Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917
Waltham Octagon14 Karat Pocket Watch Jewel – 1917 — WatchMuseum.org, © WatchMuseum.org, used with permission. WatchMuseum.org catalogue record

No confidently matched photograph of this subject has been found yet. These photographs show a closely related record, and are not examples of the type described on this page.

Sources & references

  1. Britten, F. J., Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers
  2. Loomes, B., The Early Clockmakers of Great Britain
  3. Ehrhardt, R., American Pocket Watch Identification and Price Guide
  4. Museum catalogue records

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.