“Elgin, The Watchword for Elegance and Efficiency.”
By the early 20th century, Elgin was producing over 1 million watches per year and was the largest producer of fine watches in the world.
ELGIN WATCH COMPANY was a leading American watch manufacturer that operated from 1864 to 1968, founded by a group of investors in Elgin, Illinois, and quickly became one of the most successful watchmakers in the United States.
The early years of the company were marked by rapid expansion and innovation. In 1874, the company introduced the first full plate movement, which was more durable and accurate than previous designs. In 1875, Elgin introduced the first watch with a stem winding and setting mechanism, which became the industry standard. The company was also known for its high-quality movements and its innovative designs, which included the first wristwatch with an alarm and the first watch with a shock-resistant balance.
During World War II, Elgin produced watches for the military, including the A-11, which became known as the "Watch That Won the War." After the war, the company continued to produce watches, but faced increasing competition from foreign manufacturers and the rise of quartz technology.
In 1968, the company ceased production and its assets were sold to a group of investors. The Elgin name has since been used by various companies, but the original Elgin Watch Company is remembered as one of the most important American watchmakers in history.
This is a vintage Elgin Windsor Shockmaster Durapower automatic wristwatch reference 6808 and dated from the 1950's.
It is a manual-winding watch powered by the original signed Elgin movement caliber grade 645, 11/0s, 17 jewels, sweep-second hand, unadjusted, 18,000 A/h, Swiss made.
The watch still has the original champagne quadrant dial with gold Arabic Numerals, gold hour markers, bold minute/seconds track and gold matching hands. The dial is signed with "ELGIN, Self-winding, shocknaster and Durapower logo.
Cased in a 26mm square case featuring fancy lug design; all in 10K yellow gold filled. Domed crystal. The whole in the caseback has been filled with a sealant.
It comes on a brown signed Dakota Genuine Leather two-piece strap. This watch is also coming with the original Elgin box.
This watch is a perfect collector's item! Runs very well, keeps good time!
Thank you for looking! Please feel free to contact us with any questions or respectful offers.
Case Back Markings: 6808 Cased and Timed by Elgin National Watch Co. Hadsworth 10K Gold Filled U786418
Measurements (mm): Case 26 Case with Crown 27 Case Lug to Lug 35.7 Case Thickness 12.6 Lug Width 16 Band Width 16
Vintage watches are traditionally smaller than today's watches. Men’s watches typically measure between 29-36mm wide (some larger, some smaller) excluding the crown. In the listing details we typically try to do our best to list all pertinent dimensions of a watch. If you don't see it, or we failed to do so, please reach out to us. Women’s watches from the 1900s-1970s were also much smaller than today's offerings. Please also feel free to ask any questions you have pertaining to size.
We prefer to shoot photographs outside when weather is permitting. However, when we shoot indoors, please be aware that we shoot our photographs inside of lightboxes that are lit with 360 LED bulbs. This indeed magnifies any flaws. Usually, they are much less obvious to the naked eye. Having said that, we never photoshop any of our photography, remove blemishes, etc. We adjust lighting when necessary, but what you see is what you are getting, and we take pride in that.
The condition is pre-owned. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear but is fully operational and functions as intended. Please review the photos and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
It will be carefully packed.
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