Robert H. Ingersoll
Encyclopedia
Robert H. Ingersoll was a late nineteenth/early twentieth century American businessman who produced the "Dollar Watch
," the first mass-produced
inexpensive pocket watch
. Born to a farming family in Michigan, Ingersoll moved to New York City
in 1879 and became an inventor while operating a mail-order bicycle parts business. He established his first watch factory at Waterbury, Connecticut
in 1891, and the first Ingersoll "Dollar Watch" was produced in 1892.
Ingersoll later bought the bankrupt New England Watch Company in 1914 and renamed it the Ingersoll Watch Company
. The company went bankrupt in 1921 following its over-expansion during World War I
. Its assets were sold to the Waterbury Clock Company, the predecessor of the modern day Timex Group USA.
Dollar watch
A dollar watch was a pocket watch or later, a wristwatch, that sold for about one dollar.The sale of such watches began in 1892 by the watchmakers Ingersoll Watch Company, Waterbury Clock Company, and New Haven. Later, Western Clock in 1899 and the E. Ingraham Company also began manufacturing them...
," the first mass-produced
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
inexpensive pocket watch
Pocket watch
A pocket watch is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist. They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wristwatches became popular after World War I during which a transitional design,...
. Born to a farming family in Michigan, Ingersoll moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1879 and became an inventor while operating a mail-order bicycle parts business. He established his first watch factory at Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
in 1891, and the first Ingersoll "Dollar Watch" was produced in 1892.
Ingersoll later bought the bankrupt New England Watch Company in 1914 and renamed it the Ingersoll Watch Company
Ingersoll Watch Company
The Ingersoll Watch Company grew out of a mail order business started in New York City in 1882 by 21-year-old Robert Hawley Ingersoll and his brother Charles Henry. The company initially sold low-cost items such as rubber stamps...
. The company went bankrupt in 1921 following its over-expansion during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Its assets were sold to the Waterbury Clock Company, the predecessor of the modern day Timex Group USA.
Sources
- James W. Neilson, The American Pocket Watch, June 1964
- INGERSOLL WATCH MAKERS BANKRUPT, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, December 28, 1921