18K Gold Waltham Pocket Watch, 1857 Model, produced in 1862, Grade: P.S. Bartlett. Engraved on back: "Charles J. Thayer Christmas 1902 From his brothers and sisters." Markings on inside, Serial # 63014.

Size: 3 3/4 x 2 in.

Gross Weight: 73.7 dwt. 114.7 g.

Prior to 1850 watches in America were generally supplied either from England or Switzerland. In 1854 Aaron Lufkin Dennison (1812-1895) created the Waltham Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts, hoping to combine the lessons about quality and style he had learned as a journeyman watchmaker with the blossoming industrial concept of mass production. Specialized machinery was designed and the flow of daily operations perfected, while he and his associates worked to attract Swiss watchmakers to the American factory to ensure their quality and reputation. Royal E. Robbins bought the company in 1857, with Dennison staying on as superintendent until 1862. By the time of his death over 15 million watches, clocks, speedometers, compasses, and other instruments had been produced, with massive booms in watch sales created by both the Civil War and the rapid expansion of the railroad throughout the United States. During World War II Waltham was an important contractor for the American military, producing timepieces for service personnel and timing devices for military ordinance, such as bombs and torpedoes. The company went through numerous bankruptcies, restarts, and rebrandings under new ownership and a variety of names throughout its existence, with watches and clocks bearing the Waltham name still being made and marketed today. The serial number on this piece indicates that it was manufactured in 1862, the last year of the founder's involvement.