ELGIN pocket watch, 1910s

— American history on an enamel-style dial —

A pocket watch made around 1915 by the Elgin National Watch Company in Illinois, in the middle of a great deal of world change. More than a century later it keeps a dependable rhythm and speaks quietly for the technique and usefulness of its day.

— A black dial, made to be read —

Arabic numerals on a black dial: a design that follows from putting legibility first.

The neat, almost military bearing has a universal quality that carries into present-day watch design.

— A SILVERODE case —

The case is SILVERODE, a nickel alloy made by the Philadelphia Watch Case Company, designed to keep its brightness in hard conditions.

It suggests a watch used as a tool for daily life rather than as an ornament.

— A golden movement —

A gold-coloured movement with fine engraving. 1915 was the mature period of the pocket watch, and the seven-jewel construction still carries a warmth that nothing digital reproduces.

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