Waterbury
From Brassworks to Timex: The Clockmaker That Taught America the Value of Time
The story of the Waterbury Clock Company is, in many ways, the story of American industrial ingenuity. Founded in 1857 in Waterbury, Connecticut—a city already famed for its brass production—the company emerged from a booming regional economy built on metalworking, manufacturing, and the increasingly urgent need for affordable timekeeping.
Waterbury was determined to make clocks accessible to the average American household, and it did so with a combination of clever engineering, mass production, and relentless cost reduction. What began as a regional brass company would eventually become one of the most influential timekeeping corporations in the world.
Affordable Time for the American Home
In the late 19th century, Waterbury specialized in inexpensive brass-movement clocks designed for everyday families. Their products were simple, sturdy, and stylish enough to match popular Victorian tastes. Among their most recognizable offerings were:
Cottage clocks, a staple of modest American homes
Ogee clocks, descendants of earlier wooden-case designs
Lever-escapement models, which allowed for ultra-low-cost production
Waterbury clocks put reliable timekeeping within reach for millions—an accomplishment few manufacturers could claim.
The Wristwatch Revolution and an Unexpected Mouse
As the 20th century unfolded, the wristwatch slowly overtook the mantle and wall clock as the preferred personal timepiece. Waterbury adapted by producing affordable pocket watches such as the famous “Long Wind” watch—marketed as requiring only one weekly winding.
But the company’s most infamous innovation arrived in 1933, when Waterbury produced the first Mickey Mouse wristwatch under license from Disney. Against all expectations, this simple cartoon watch saved the company from the brink of bankruptcy during the Great Depression. Millions were sold, and Mickey’s rotating hands became a cultural icon.
From Waterbury to Timex: A Transformation
Following WWII, Waterbury underwent a dramatic transformation. In 1944, the company rebranded as United States Time Corporation, focusing heavily on durable, low-cost military timepieces. Using newly developed wartime materials like Armalloy (a shock-resistant alloy), they created watches that outperformed more expensive competitors.
By the 1950s, the company adopted a new consumer brand name—one that would soon overshadow its own identity: Timex.
Timex quickly became one of the most recognized watch brands in the world, supported by marketing campaigns that promised their products could “take a licking and keep on ticking.” This transformation marked the effective end of the Waterbury Clock Company as a standalone identity.
Late-Stage Trials and the Ghost of Waterbury
Though Timex remains a global presence, the original Waterbury manufacturing infrastructure struggled through the late 20th century. As with most American clock and watch factories, shifting production costs and overseas competition forced the company to shut down most U.S. operations. By the 1980s, Waterbury’s historic factories had largely gone silent.
Today, Timex occasionally releases “Waterbury Collection” models as homages to its origins. But these are tributes—not revivals—and the original clock company that once helped teach America to keep time no longer produces movements in its ancestral home.
A Legacy of Democratized Timekeeping
The true legacy of Waterbury is accessibility. No other American manufacturer contributed more to the idea that every home—and every person—deserved a reliable clock or watch. Whether through inexpensive cottage clocks or the wildly successful Mickey Mouse wristwatch, Waterbury shaped the daily lives of millions.
Like so many American clockmakers, the company’s factories may have fallen silent, but its influence continues to tick on in every affordable, dependable timepiece that followed in its footsteps.
