Aaron Dennison s Orphan Watches The Legacy of the Tremont Watch Co. in Great Britain
Dennison s Early Years in Watchmaking Dennison, Howard and Davis partnership formed to produce a machine made watch with interchangeable parts. The final iteration of this partnership was the Boston Watch Co. which failed in 1857. After several stormy years working for R. E. Robbins, Dennison was fired but eventually received a settlement. He also retained his Waltham stock holding of $10,000 purchased in 1859 by mortgaging his furniture. He cashed his Waltham stock in for $62,500 at the time of the Tremont launch to fund his participation in the venture. In retrospect he might have been better advised to just keep the stock and retire.
Tremont Watch Co. 1864-1869 Dennison was selling American iron processing machinery to manufacturers in Birmingham when he was approached by the prominent Boston jeweler Bigelow and others about starting up a new watch company Dennison accepted and persuaded them to invest in a scheme he devised to rapidly bootstrap a watch manufacturing company. Escapements, trains and other high skill items would be made in Switzerland using American production tooling and less expensive Swiss labor. Plates, barrels and other components would be made in Boston where watches would be assembled and cased. The other investors were willing but not necessarily enthusiastic about the Swiss agency which was located in Zurich.
Tremont Products The Tremont watch was a 15 jewel full plate watch with a distinctive wide balance cock similar to products being produced in England (Coventry and Birmingham) at that time. The watch had a chronometer balance and full jeweling to compete with Waltham s Appleton Tracy 1857 model and the new Elgin B. W. Raymond at a price near the lowest grades from the two competitors. A ¾ plate model was also designed to compete with the Waltham Nashua models. The first watches appeared on the market less than a year after startup. B. D. Bingham joined the company and introduced a patented dust band that could be retrofitted to the existing 1857 model Waltham as well as the new Tremont Model. The Tremont was advertised as a dustproof watch. Sales of Bingham patent dust bands to Waltham was a major source of income.* *Bob Howatt Private communication
Study Examples Tremont Watch Co. 1459 Tremont 1736 Tremont 2284 Tremont/Warren pat reg 5800 Tremont 6743 Tremont 31840 Melrose 31981 Melrose Tremont in England 11021 No Marking (EWCo) mvt 11928 Sainsbury London (Tremont) o London 1873 William Hammon (Cov) 14452 H. Samuel, Manchester, o B ham hm 1875 Thomas Wallen (Cov) 40627 ¾ Tremont Boston B ham hm 1876 Alfred Gurney (Cov) 40694 ¾ (Tremont) James Hardy Aberdeen, London hm 1876 Joseph Walton (Lon) u-undersprung/o-oversprung R reversing pinion H Haseler s patent click EWCo cypher: cd-under dial, cb-balance cock, cc-case English Watch Co. 144709N H. Samuel, unmarked EWCo urcd mvt 15850E WA Tyson Birmingham EWCo., ocbc B ham hm 1876 Robert Bragge 10046 Tremont London cc2 B ham hm 1878 Robert Bragge 10047 (identical to 10046) Penny 5/165* 27715 George Reeves, Appleby urh cdc2 B ham hm 1879 Robert Bragge mb.nawcc.org* 30830W Kendal & Dent Cheapside London RH EWCo, cd mvt 70448N EWCo sig BB u SWLS Ni Penny 6/50* 71651L EWCo sig BB urh mvt 89944 Kendall & Dent Cheapside London ur (EWCo) B ham hm 1887 K&D 90916W Kay, Jones & Co. Worcester EWCo, urh mvt 92335 EWCo sig BB u SWLS Ni (ibid 70448) * Reported observation
Timeline of Production Serial numbers and Hallmarks FP Tremont FP Melrose FP Anglo American ¾ Tremont English Watch Co. 1865e 1459 1864 Tremont Watch Co ~15,000 Tremont 1865e 1736 1868e 5800 1866e 2284 1,000 Melrose 1869e 31840 1868e 6743 1869e 31981 150 Anglo 1871 Anglo American Watch Co 14452 1875h 1873h TW 11928 1874 English Watch Co 11021 15850 E 1876h 40627 1876h 40694 1876h N 14470 9 1875e 10046 1878h RB 10047 1878h RB 30830 W 1886e 70448 N 8 year gap 71651 L 1888e 92335 89944 1887h 1887e 90916 Click on any watch to see the example. Click on this at the target to return
Tremont Boston 5800 15J Tremont Watch Co. Boston 11021 9J No Signature extra 0 inserted in sn could be from final run of 1500 ordered not sold.
Dials are marked either Tremont watch Co. or Tremont Watch Co. Boston Minor variations in early Tremont watches include moving the Fast/Slow marking from The vertical edges to the bottom of the cock. Early Tremonts A small number of both the full and ¾ plate are marked Washington St. on the barrel bridge. Warren s patent regulator is an early spiral track disk regulator similar to the J. P. Stevens later patent.
Bingham s dust band fits inside the plates of the watch and can be applied and removed at will. The small depression acts as the lock when the band is sprung to uniform diameter. Patent granted Feb. 4, 1868 about the time Tremont was folding up. Prior art was to fit the band to the outer edge of the plates requiring a larger opening. B. D. Bingham s Magic Dust Band
Melrose Watch Co When the inmates run the asylum Dennison s model of the Tremont Watch Co. depended on low skill/low cost assembly operators in America and less expensive (than American) skilled operators in Switzerland. Bingham staffed the American plant with skilled operators who were paid twice Dennison s estimated rate and were bored with the routine assembly work The result was a watch of medium quality that was too expensive to command market share and not interesting enough to excite the market. The American sales force took the easy way out and claimed that they needed a less expensive All American watch. The Melrose model/grade failed even more miserably than the Tremont had done. Eleven jewel watches were introduced in addition to the plain jeweled watches, but the game was over. The ¾ plate Tremont might have given the company enough product range to be competitive, but it was too late.
Melrose Watch Co Products 15J Tremont on left and 11J Melrose on right. A close inspection shows the Melrose jewel settings are fake circles engraved on the plate. Click movements for under dial view.
Anglo-American Watch Co. When the American backers pulled out, Dennison tried to dispose of the Tremont assets and held out the hope that he could interest another group of investors in reviving the effort. He eventually connected with investors in Birmingham who, in 1871, formed the Anglo-American Watch Manufacturing Company but did not offer Dennison an ownership position. A position as Superintendent was negotiated but never came to pass. The company itself failed to produce products and in 1874 the name was changed to the English Watch Company, Ltd. Dennison owned the material from the defunct Tremont Watch Co. which was a mix from the several flavors of Tremont and Melrose as well as the higher grade ¾ plate Tremont model. It is possible that Dennison continued to have watches finished for a period of time but since the bulk of the existing examples have markings from the English Watch Co. He likely just sold the material to raise start up capital for his watch case company.
Kelly Directory 1880 H. Sainsbury 11928 London 1873 Casemaker William Hammon, Coventry Only known English finished Tremont with hm 1872 1874. Likely finished by Anglo-American Watch Co.
The English Watch Co. The English Watch Co was a manufacturer of machine made watches on the American plan. As with other English machine watch manufacturers, in the 19 th century, they did not offer items under their company name but dealt almost exclusively in private label watches. An early customer was H. Samuel of Manchester who owned a chain of jewelry stores and advertised themselves as a watch manufacturer. (Which they were not.) Later they supplied the firm of Kendal & Dent who also pretended to manufacture watches but sold machine made watches of both English and Swiss manufacture as well as an occasional higher grade Clerkenwell watch.
H. Samuel Manchester 14452E hm 1875 TW English Watch Co. Tremont/Melrose 7J finished in Birmingham with addition of cap. Over sprung as is standard Tremont. Note in under dial view, the click and train pivots are identical to the Melrose. Casemaker Thomas Wallen, King Street, Coventry.
Tremont Boston 40627 ¾ Plate Finished in Birmingham hm 1876 AG Standard ¾ plate Tremont finished in Birmingham in 1876 by the English Watch Co. Casemaker Alfred Gurney, 4 Conway Buildings Smithford Street, Coventry
James Hardy 40694 Tremont 3/4 plate finished in England by English Watch Co as Private Label. Aberdeen 1876 London hm 1876 casemaker Joseph Walton, 28 Tyson St, Clerkenwell
W & A Tyson 15850 Birmingham hm 1876 Standard Tremont/Melrose finished by English Watch Co. Cypher on Balance Cock. Casemaker Robert Bragge, Villa Hall, 45 Villa St., Hockley, Birmingham for the English Watch Co.
Tremont London 10046 by English Watch Co. 15J Tremont 10046 finished by English Watch Co. in English Watch Co. Robert Bragge case hm 1878. SN 10047 with identical marking sold by David Penney Cat 5 lot 165
H. Samuel EWCo mvt 114709N EWCo Cypher Second form of English Watch Co. mvt with undersprung balance, reversing pinion and cap
Kendal & Dent 30830W Cheapside London English Watch Co. for Kendal & Dent. EWCo Cypher under dial and 1 st form Haseler s patent. Train and balance cock as in Tremont. ~15s
Late unmarked example of EWCo private label using Tremont parts. Train, balance cock and barrel bridge Tremont design or material. Kendal & Dent 89944 hm 1887 Cheapside London
Kay, Jones & Co Worcester W90916 The English Watch Co. continued to use design elements and perhaps parts from the Tremont/Dennison material in their reversing pinion watch calibers. Click to Compate Sizes Example of a small caliber ~15s with an individual or small jeweler private label.
Haseler s Patent English Watch Co. fully signed Tremont style watches1880 s Stem wind push set 18s Tremont style 18s caliber with new form of Haseler s patent click. Nickel OF case no seconds bit. (Would show at 4:30) 13 size plain jeweled with new barrel bridge design. Only the balance cock and train remain from Tremont.
Timeline of Production Serial numbers and Hallmarks FP Tremont FP Melrose FP Anglo American ¾ Tremont English Watch Co. 1865e 1459 1864 Tremont Watch Co ~15,000 Tremont 1865e 1736 1868e 5800 1866e 2284 1,000 Melrose 1869e 31840 1868e 6743 1869e 31981 150 Anglo 1871 Anglo American Watch Co 14452 1875h 1873h TW 11928 1874 English Watch Co 11021 15850 E 1876h 40627 1876h 40694 1876h N 14470 9 1875e 10046 1878h RB 10047 1878h RB 30830 W 1886e 70448 N 8 year gap 71651 L 1888e 92335 89944 1887h 1887e 90916 Click on any watch to see the example. Click on this at the target to return
Melrose vs. English Watch Co Bolt spring and hinge added. Sight holes omitted. Click image to return
H. Samuel EWCo Reversing Pinion Kendal & Dent Movement Sizes Kay Jones & Co. 45.85 mm 18s English Watch Co. Ltd. 42.33 mm 15s Click on pictures to return 42.33 mm 15s 40.6 mm 13s
Melrose/Tremont Under Dial Click image to return 15J Tremont 11J Melrose