The 16th century was truly revolutionary for the watch industry. It was marked by the invention of pocket watches. The earliest models were more like works of art rather than precise mechanisms. It is believed that the first pocket watch was made in the 16th century by Peter Henlein from Nuremberg. One of the first copies was presented to Martin Luther in 1527 as a gift.
The first pocket watch had no glass cover for the dial. Each number had a bump so that it was possible to tell the time just by touching the watch inside one’s pocket. At the end of the 19th century, the first wristwatches appeared, however, aristocrats used only pocket watches which they fastened with a chain to their vest. By the 1920s–1930s, wristwatches became a product for the masses, and pocket watches remained as indicators of their owner’s high social status.
One of the largest watch companies, the Waltham Watch Company, also known as American Waltham Watch Co. and American Watch Co., is a manufacturer with a long and glorious history. It was founded in 1850 by Aaron Denison, Edward Howard and David Davis in Roxbury. In 1854, the company moved to the town of Waltham.
Waltham became the first industrial watch factory in the world. From 1850 to 1957, it produced about 40 million clocks, speedometers, compasses, time-delayed fuses and other precision instruments in the United States. After moving to Switzerland, the company continued its work as a leading manufacturer, but the main focus was shifted to the style and design of watches. In 1912, Waltham released its first women’s wristwatch “Lady Waltham” which significantly changed women’s fashion for watches.
Waltham often set the tone in international watchmaking. In 1981, the factory was bought by a Japanese firm. Since then, the company became interested in limited-edition watches. In 1990, it released the most expensive platinum watch in the world with 150 diamonds. The watch was presented by Frank Sinatra himself. Waltham was awarded a gold medal as the best watchmaker in the world at the World’s Fair in Philadelphia.
