Elegant American Elgin Pocket Watch, Gold-Plated. Year 1896

Elegant American Elgin Watch, Gold-Plated. Year 1896

This beautiful gold-plated watch was manufactured by the Elgin Watch Company in 1896. Its age and the prestige of the manufacturer make it a true collector's item, which also continues to function perfectly despite the passage of time. The gold-plated case is exceptionally beautiful, and the front cover is engraved with delicate ornamental motifs that frame an oval designed to hold the owner's engraved initials. The watch is in exceptional condition, and it looks as though time has left no mark on it.

On the dial, protected by the front cover, the watch's brand name is stamped: ELGIN. The Elgin Watch Company, also known as the Elgin National Watch Company, was the largest watch manufacturer in the United States in terms of production. It is known that this company manufactured and sold approximately half of all high-end pocket watches produced in the United States to date. The company's total production over the 100 years it was in business reached 60 million watches. It was founded in 1864 as the National Watch Company, and in 1874 added the name of the city where it operated, Elgin, to its name. The company ceased operations in the early 1960s.

The watch face is white, with delicate black Roman numerals and a seconds hand. The case back features the same engraving as the front, except that inside the oval there is a fine engraving depicting a country house by a lake. Inside this caseback-and also on the dust cover-we can see the word CHAMPION above a figure representing the statue of a naked wrestler. Below the engraving, the watch's serial number also appears: 2792939. The dust cover is engraved with a name in elegant calligraphy, likely that of the watch's first owner. The movement revealed when the dust cover is lifted is engraved with the company's name and its own serial number: 6749880.

This fantastic pocket watch is an item steeped in history, destined to belong to someone who knows how to appreciate the most special objects.

Dimensions: Width: 41 mm. Height (with crown and ring): 56 mm.