Precision Pocket Watches in the Industrial Age

Glashütte in Saxony. It was here in this impoverished village that Adolph Lange began the production of high-quality pocket watches in the 1840s. With the addition of more factories and the German Clock-Making School (Deutsche Uhrmacherschule), Glashütte became the epitome of German precision time-
keeping. In Silesia the Eppner brothers had been making pocket watches ever since 1852. However, the good yet expensive pocket watches from Germany remained a niche product.

Factory-made precision timepieces came from the USA as from 1870. Innovative machines and rigorous division of labour made it possible to produce watches with the aid of trained labourers. The components, which had narrow margins of production tolerance, could be used without the need for finishing. Companies, like Waltham and Elgin, produced over one million quality timepieces annually around 1900.

Swiss watchmakers pursued various strategies. Luxury brands from Geneva adhered successfully to the traditional manner of making their products; in the Jura Mountains, on the other hand, factories built along the lines of those in the USA began emerging sometime around 1900. In so doing, Switzerland, a low-wage country at the time, recaptured its position as the market leader.