Elgin Area Historical Society Research Services

Elgin Watches

If you are looking for information on old Elgin watches we can help. The Elgin National Watch Company operated in Elgin, Illinois from 1864 to1969. When the company failed, its assets were merged into a new firm known as Elgin National Industries. The new company was in the engineering and construction business and all watch making operations were ended. However, rights to the Elgin name lived on and over the years the name was licensed to importers who used it to label foreign-made watches. The M.Z. Berger Company currently owns the Elgin name and still uses it in this manner.

Neither M. Z. Berger or Elgin National Industries have parts or information on watches manufactured by the original Elgin National Watch Company, but the Elgin Area Historical Society has production records covering most Elgin watches manufactured before the mid 1950s. We can tell you the year the watch was made, the total production number of your watch, and the first and last year of production.

To receive information about your watch, send the information listed below to the following address:

Elgin Area Historical Society
360 Park St.
Elgin IL 60120

Check or money order for $10.00, payable to Elgin Area Historical Society, to cover research time and postage.
Serial number from the watch's movement. This is different from the serial number on the case. If you cannot find the movement's serial number or don't know how to open the case, you can ask a jeweler for help or check out this tutorial on opening watch cases. Be careful not to damage the watch trying to open the case.
Brief description of the watch. A photocopy of the watch or a handrawn sketch are almost as good as a well-done photo.
List any numbers, words or markings on the watch.
List any words or symbols on the case.

We will send you a letter with the date of manufacture and many other details about the production history of your watch. We also include the following:

a history of the Elgin National Watch Co.
diagrams explaining the parts of a watch movement and case
an article on railroad watches
an essay on the watch case industry
Perhaps, depending on what we can learn about your watch, we will have an informative article or two about a related topic.

Appraisals

The museum does not provide appraisals of the watch's value. However, we can provide you with information that will help you understand the historical context of your watch and which may be helpful to an appraiser. Appraisals should be done with the watch and case in hand, otherwise the "appraisal" is just a guess. You may wish to consult The Complete Price Guide to Watches by Cooksey Stugart, et. al. This annual publication can be found in the collectibles section of many large bookstores and sells for about $30.00.