A short history of Waltham Watches. The inventor of the American System of Watch Manufacturing Join the next chapter: Waltham Field & Marine www.watchangel... Waltham A17 www.watchangel...
16:34 - I'm surprised they don't explain why the Swiss took 90% of the US market during and after WW2. I guess I'll say. US watch companies were required to only produce war materials to include gyros for navigation, bomb sites, and GI issued watches. A-11s ect. By wars end the US equipment was completely worn out. Meanwhile, the Swiss had their import tariffs substantially lowered, by the US government, and stayed lowered after the war. Why was that? Because the US watch companies (group A) leased the watch making Tools from the Swiss tooling companies (Group B), But the Swiss (Group B) bought US equipment that made the watchmaking Tools (group C) that the US watch makers (Group A) leased from Group B, the Swiss. Why? They didn't want the Swiss to stop buying the US tool making equipment (Group C) so they gave the Swiss watch makers (Group D) excellent tariffs for selling watches. Which by the way was subsidized by the Swiss government to undercut US watch companies (Group A). It is no surprise the US watch industry collapsed. This is known history and should be a lesson of corrupt gov involvement within the private sector. I smell kick backs from Group C and Group B) to a few elected dudes. Lesson: Don't elect bad guys to fight bad guys. It never works out for the good guys. Unless your a Neutral party. The Swiss
A brilliant documentary-such an impressive industry and a superb company. It’s great that collectors still keep alive the enthusiasm for the products and achievements of the large American watch companies.
It's a shame that many of us have lost sight, and thus passion, for American heritage brands such as Waltham. In its heyday Waltham was a horological powerhouse, manufacturing time pieces that could rival any in the world in beauty and reliability. Imagine if they would have continued on this same trajectory; would the US be a watch industry player capable of matching the Swiss in quality?
There were no battery powered watches in the 50s. Sounds to me that the company was mismanaged and the Swiss had an advantage as they didn't fight in the war.
15:05 I thought the decline of Waltham (and Elgin and Hamilton too) was brought about by cheap, disposable watches from Timex. These unjeweled movements lasted a few years, until the steel vs. steel friction wore out the pivots and holes. Nobody cleaned and lubricated, let alone repaired these movements because it was uneconomical and watchmakers didn't have the special jig required to assemble them. Eventually, the LED, LCD and analog display quartz-crystal watch would eliminate the Timex mechanical watch in the same way.
They catered to different markets. If you could afford a Waltham why would you buy a cheap Timex? Quartz watches, however, did indeed kill many watch companies, because they were much more accurate. But the first quartz watches were, in fact, very expensive. They did not start to become inexpensive until the late 70s.
@@roytofilovski9530 Some of the early Timex adverts were meant to appeal to those who had a Waltham now fifteen years old and no longer running well. They had been thinking of taking it to a jeweler, then saw the Timex appeal and considered: why spend $15 (and up) for basic service on the Waltham when I can have an entirely new watch for a little more than half? The short-lived Timex cost more in the long run, but few noticed.
