A Short History of Elgin Pocket Watches and Wristwatches
elgin vintage pocket watch
Elgin started in the watch business in 1864. The first Elgin was the BW Raymond railroad watch, which was released to the public in 1867.
Elgin’s first company name was the “National Watch Company. In 1874, the name became “Elgin National Watch Company”. This name remained in use until the late 1960′s, when Elgin got completely out of the watch business. The new name was “Elgin National Industries”.
Elgin was the first major watch company to mass produce high quality pocket watches. Elgin National Watch Company produced some 60 million watches, so both watches and spare parts can still be found today.