Ingersoll Watch Company’s Dollar Watches
The Ingersoll Yankee ‘Dollar Watch’ and workers at one of Ingersoll's watch factories
Many of you might not have heard of this phenomenon as there was a lot more going on at the turn of the 20th century. However, for watch lovers it could be said it was a golden age in horology and an interesting period in American watchmaking – when decent timepieces were available for a mere dollar.
In the late 1800s the cheapest watch in America still cost about $10, which was a decent sum. Waterbury Watch Company was founded in 1880 to market and sell watches for $3.50, the cheapest at the time.
Ingersoll Watch Company grew out of a number of small businesses in New York City, producing handmade watches since the early 1880s and founded by brothers Roger and Charles Ingersoll. Ingersoll is known for many things today, but in 1892, the date it was officially founded, Ingersoll worked with Henry Ford to automate their production line and made the first of what we know as the ‘Dollar Watch’.
To be precise, in 1892, Ingersoll actually bought thousands of watches from Waterbury Clock Company (that already made inexpensive ‘clock watches’) for 85 cents each and resold most for $1.50 at the Columbian Exposition. Although they also sold some for $1 on their mail order catalogue, which is why they denote 1892 as the original release date of the Dollar Watch. In reality, it was in 1896 that they released the ‘Yankee’, which is what is recognized historically as the actual $1 watch. A standout in American watchmaking history.
By: Eric Mulder