Tower Watch, Ingraham Watch Company, Bristol Connecticut. Probably 1940s.
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Hi, this is Alan.Thanks for reading, and for your interest in watches. My contact info is at the bottom.
This is interesting and attractive watch made in the US. It made by the E. Ingraham Watch Company, under the brand "Tower." The Tower brand and logo later showed up on watches made by US TIME (TIMEX)! More on this later.
I'll show the rest of the movement later, but it's stamped THE E. INGRAHAM Co BRISTOL, CT. U.S.A, and then lists the watch (or more likely the movement as MODEL L).
Let's have a look at this dial with the crystal removed, for clarity. I find dials like this to be immensely pleasing too look at. There are lots of contrasting elements, especially at the periphery of the dial with a round grey area in the center. The numerals don't have an "old fashioned" look, but appear modern and uncluttered by fancy elements, and are black against the slightly off-white dial. At the edge, some fun color with the marks every five in, with a "railroad track" outer markings. The TOWER logos at top, and U.S.A. Black hands (no seconds).
Lugs are interesting. Rather than molded as part of the case, they are four separate pieces of curved metal that have been fused to the side of the case, with a hole created for the springbars. Notice the fairly inexpensive appearance of the materials and the finish.
Here is the back of the watch. Notice all the scratches and loss of plating allowing the darker basemetal to show through. These were inexpensive watches.
Here is the movement. Lots of brass. Inexpensive, zero-jewel pin-lever movement
Early clock and watch manufacturing happened in a few parts of the United States, including parts of Illinois, but a major center developed in Connecticut, and specifically in the Naugatuck River Valley in western Connecticut during the early and mid 1800s. A combination of factors led to this including nearby sources of copper. Firstly, though other parts of the US were more rich in copper ore, there was copper and other mining in Connecticut, allowing access to raw materials. Next, there were skilled tinsmiths and other specialists, including brothers William and Edward Pattison who were able to train others and advance the industry. Also, not to be underestimated, the Naugatuck River was crucial not only in providing power for manufacturing processes, but allowed for transportation of raw materials into the Valley, and finished products out of the area, including, crucially, New York.
1877 map of Naugatuck, CT
Another look at the worn-out case, and a good look at the big crown.
Watchmaking in Connecticut's Naugatuck Valley was a very important contribution to American industry, in particular providing reliable watches that were considerable less expensive than imported Swiss watches, (also less expensive than American watch companies using imported Swiss movements like Bulova.)
Companies like the Waterbury Watch and Clock Company, E. Ingraham, New Haven and others, produced millions of wrist and pocket watches, and allowed the "everyperson" to own a watch.
Generally, the watches used less expensive materials and manufacturing methods than Swiss watches or expensive American brands, allowing the watches to be sold for very low prices compared to Swiss. Famously, the "dollar watch" allowed someone to buy a watch for what was considered single day's daily wage. In many ways, the products from these companies had a "democratizing" effect.
I don't actually own this watch! My friend Knut in Norway bought the watch, but the seller was one of those "I don't send anything outside the US of A" kind of sellers, so I agreed to receive the watch and resend to him. As a consequence, I was able to take a look at it. (Knut gave me permission to handle it, take it apart, and take pics.)
Not sure if strap original, but it's old for sure, and might be. Just a beautiful watch made affordable by innovative inexpensive production methods. Because of their humble origins, and for what they allowed people to, these watches seem special and worthy of preservation and display.
Now, what about these watches branded TOWER on the dial, but made my US TIME? These all seems to be from the 1950s, and my thoughts are that E. INGRAHAM sold the TOWER brand to US TIME/TIMEX. Notably, Ingraham continued making watches until 1967 with watches branded Ingraham on the dial, so the company wasn't bought by US TIME, but seems to be the TOWER name.
Have a look at this watch. It's got the same logo as my earlier watch, is clearly using the TIMEX Petite case, and has dial and hands identical to other watches branded TIMEX on the dial. The movements shown always look like US TIME movements, and (crucially) they are stamped with the classic US TIME rectangle on the back. This one from an auction pic, they didn't show a pic of the back, but below is another Petite, goldtone, branded TOWER on the dial and stamped US TIME on the back.
Here is that gold Petite. TOWER logo on the dial, US TIME stamped on the back. Clearly a TIMEX Petite, but with the TOWER brand instead.
Here is another. In this case, the auction seller showed no pics of the caseback, but this is 100% a TIMEX Marlin with another name. Exact case, and crown, and there are other TIMEX dials that are identical with this goldtone design with the "collegiate" typeface.
Makes you wonder how this came about. How did US TIME and E. INGRAHAM decide/agree that US TIME would make TOWER watches? Maybe EI needed to raise some revenue, and the TOWER name had value, so they just sold it? Maybe EI somehow let the trademark lapse into the public domain, and US TIME somehow snatched it up? Haha, that would be great. If anyone has any documentation or any other evidence about this, please let me know.
Attractive, inexpensive wristwatch that I believe is from the 1940s, an important example of the products from Connecticut's Naugatuck River Valley, where millions of watches that almost everyone could afford were produced.
Thank you for reading.
I hope you will like it.
Below some pictures of towers, if you are interested, haha.
Alan
Contact:
Website: Alan's Vintage Watches
