Smithsonian Videohistory Collection
Waltham Clock Company
(RU 9548)
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Background
The Waltham Clock Company of Waltham, Massachusetts, the modern successor to the first American watch manufacturer, Waltham Watch Company, was founded in 1850. Waltham employees pioneered the machines and techniques necessary for the mass-production of pocket watches that made the company the dominant American watchmaking manufacturer in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The electronics revolution, beginning in the early 1970s, made mechanical watches and watchmakers nearly obsolete. At the time of the video recording, Waltham Clock was the last firm in the U.S. still producing mechanical watches. Employees made government-specified aircraft "clocks" (actually large eight-day mechanical watches), similar to ones originally designed during World War II, for installation in extremely high-technology cockpits. These mechanical timekeepers served as back-up in case of failure of the electronic timekeeping and navigation instruments in the cockpit.
Participants
Carlene E. Stephens, curator of mechanisms in the Division of Engineering and Industry at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (NMAH), conducted a videotaped tour of the Waltham Clock factory to document operating machinery, and to record the process of making and testing mechanical watches. During the sessions, which took place on June 27 and 28, 1989, Stephens spoke with employees who represented a range of factory operations.
In Session One, Stephens interviewed Joseph "Chuck" Martin and Marie Bastarache in Secondary Operations about jewel setting and balance screw insertion; David Buccheri, Charlie Paradis, and Vincent Rhoad, in the machine shop, about making screws on three generations of machines; and Richard Halstead and Edward Pitts, in the heat-treating room, about making hairspring coils.
In Session Two Stanford James spoke about quality testing of the watches; John Valmas demonstrated subassembly and final assembly operations; and Bruce LeDoyt discussed the need for engineering and maintenance within the factory. Edward Murphy, Tam Thi Le, Richard Welch, and Savay Xayavong assisted with demonstrations in the assembly process.
Video Sessions
This collection consists of two interview sessions, totalling approximately 5:40 hours of recordings, and 170 pages of transcript. There are three generations of tape for each session: originals, dubbing masters, and reference copies. In total, this collection is comprised of 17 original videotapes (17 Beta videotapes), 5 dubbing master videotapes (5 U-Matic videotapes), and 4 reference copy videotapes (4 VHS videotapes).
Session One (June 27, 1989), in Secondary Operations and the basement machine shop of the Waltham Clock Company, documented operations related to the making and assembling of the watch balance, c. 1880-1989, including:
- jewel setting demonstration;
- description of balance wheel function;
- hole tapping of balance wheels;
- balance screw insertion;
- the manufacture of balance screws using three generations of screw-making machines;
- mainspring and balance spring making;
- heat treating of various watch parts.
Visual documentation included:
- use of jewel setting press machine and gauge;
- instruments associated with balance wheel hole tapping and balance screw insertion;
- operations of a Waltham Vander Woerd screw-cutting machine, a modified Swiss-made Tournos screw-cutting machine, and the modern numerically-controlled Nomura screw-cutting machine;
- rolling mill, optometer, and other instruments associated with construction of mainsprings and balance springs;
- use of the atmosphere furnace and pyrometer for heat treating.
Original Masters: 8 Beta videotapes
Dubbing Masters: 3 U-Matic videotapes
Reference Copies: 2 VHS videotapes
Transcript: 85 pages
2 hours, 40 minutes
Session Two (June 28, 1989), in the Testing Operations room and the Final Assembly room of the Waltham Clock Company, documented final testing and timing of the watches, subassembly relating to balance and balance springs, and final assembly of the movement and casing, c. 1989, including:
- testing watches with timing machine for accuracy;
- testing of the watches' hand assembly, especially the "tote" hand;
- insertion of crystal over the watch face;
- brightness testing of lighted dial faces;
- master hydrometer and micrometers;
- discussion of environmental extremes testing procedure;
- subassembly of the balance and balance spring;
- use of watchmaker's workbench;
- hairspring truing;
- final assembly of dial, watch hands, and crystal;
- installation of the outer casing;
- discussion of engineering and maintenance requirements for factory operations.
Visual documentation included:
- various timing machines;
- light testing booth and equipment;
- detailed close-ups of working parts of the watches;
- watchmaker's workbench;
- tools associated with subassembly of balance and balance springs;
- tools associated with final assembly and casing.
Original Masters: 9 Beta videotapes
Dubbing Masters: 2 U-Matic videotapes
Reference Copies: 2 VHS videotapes
Transcript: 85 pages
4 hours
Additional Information
Artifacts and documents from the Waltham Watch Company are located in the
Division of Engineering and Industry, NMAH, accession number 225.117. For more information, please contact the Division of Engineering and Industry, National Museum of American History. |
