What is the history of the American Waltham Watch Company?

The history of the American Waltham Watch Company started in 1854, when Aaron Lufkin Dennison founded the company in Waltham, Massachusetts. There, it began to manufacture watches with interchangeable parts, a new approach to production that allowed the company to prepare watches much more quickly than its competitors. Still, the company experienced economic hardships during its early years, and Dennison was forced to sell his company to Royal E. Robbins in 1857. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Robbins and his business partners, Henry Asher Robbins and Daniel F. Appleton, capitalized on the military's need for reliable watches by introducing an inexpensive $13 timepiece called the William Ellery. Following the war, the company became a supplier to major railways. After a period of sluggish sales as a result of the Panic of 1907, the American Waltham Watch Company revived the business by expanding its manufacturing into fuses and other essential materials for World War I. By the 1920s, the company was producing wristwatches and continued to do so despite changes in ownership during the 1950s and ’60s. By the 1970s, the company was no longer manufacturing watches but had licensed its name to other watchmakers, a practice that continues to this day. On 1stDibs, find a range of American Waltham Watch Company watches.

American Optical Company

Vintage Eiffel Tower

Brass Spyglass

Industrial Rolling Stool

Aviator Glasses

Vintage Aviators

Anglo American Eyewear

Lake Shore Drive

Rimless Glasses

Aviator, Pilot Sunglasses

$383Sale Price|25% Off

H 1.97 in W 5.32 in D 4.34 in

Aviator, Pilot Sunglasses

Located in Oxfordshire, GB

late 1920's the American Optical Company filed for the patent on their new 'FUL-VUE' design. The idea

Category

20th Century American Aviation Objects

Materials

Gold

Mason Wells Watercolor

$1,600

H 19.75 in W 26 in D 1.5 in

Mason Wells Watercolor

By Mason Bacheller Wells

Located in Palm Springs, CA

American Optical Company. Framed it measures 26” wide, 1.5” deep and 19.75” high. Unframed it measures 19

Category

Vintage 1970s American Paintings

Materials

Paper

Mason Wells Watercolor

$1,800

H 26.25 in W 17.75 in D 1.75 in

Mason Wells Watercolor

By Mason Bacheller Wells

Located in Palm Springs, CA

and watercolor. His family were founders of the American Optical Company. Framed it measures 20

Category

Vintage 1970s American Paintings

Materials

Paper

Mason Wells Watercolor

$1,800

H 25.75 in W 19.75 in D 1.25 in

Mason Wells Watercolor

By Mason Bacheller Wells

Located in Palm Springs, CA

and watercolor. His family were founders of the American Optical Company. Framed it measures 19.75

Category

Vintage 1970s American Paintings

Materials

Paper

Mason Wells Watercolor

$1,800

H 20.25 in W 16.75 in D 1.25 in

Mason Wells Watercolor

By Mason Bacheller Wells

Located in Palm Springs, CA

and watercolor. His family were founders of the American Optical Company. Framed it measures 20.25

Category

Vintage 1970s American Paintings

Materials

Paper

Mason Wells Watercolor

$1,800

H 20.75 in W 26 in D 1.75 in

Mason Wells Watercolor

By Mason Bacheller Wells

Located in Palm Springs, CA

and watercolor. His family were founders of the American Optical Company. Framed it measures 26

Category

Vintage 1970s American Paintings

Materials

Paper

Mason Wells Watercolor

$1,600

H 20.25 in W 16.75 in D 1.25 in

Mason Wells Watercolor

By Mason Bacheller Wells

Located in Palm Springs, CA

and watercolor. His family were founders of the American Optical Company. Framed it measures 16.75

Category

Vintage 1970s American Paintings

Materials

Paper

Recent Sales

Anglo American Eyewear - AIRLITE

Unavailable

Anglo American Eyewear - AIRLITE

By Anglo American Optical

Located in HOUTEN, NL

The model AIRLITE is made by Anglo American Eyewear. The company was voted best designers of

Category

1980s English Sunglasses

Vintage Anglo American Eyewear - BICYCLE

Unavailable

Vintage Anglo American Eyewear - BICYCLE

By Anglo American Optical

Located in HOUTEN, NL

The model BICYCLE is made by Anglo American Eyewear. The company was voted best designers of

Category

1980s English Sunglasses

Vintage Anglo American Eyewear - EIFFEL TOWER

Unavailable

Vintage Anglo American Eyewear - EIFFEL TOWER

By Anglo American Optical

Located in HOUTEN, NL

The model EIFFEL TOWER is made by Anglo American Eyewear. The company was voted best designers of

Category

1980s English Sunglasses

Mason Wells Watercolor, 1946

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H 14 in W 20 in D 0.1 in

Mason Wells Watercolor, 1946

By Mason Bacheller Wells

Located in Palm Springs, CA

the American Optical Company.

Category

Vintage 1940s American Paintings

Materials

Paper

Mason Wells Oil, 1958

Sold

H 11.75 in W 15.5 in D 1.75 in

Mason Wells Oil, 1958

By Mason Bacheller Wells

Located in Palm Springs, CA

Center and the Art Gallery of Toronto.) His family were founders of the American Optical Company. Framed

Category

Vintage 1950s American Paintings

Industrial MCM Stand Up Desk Worktable by American Optical Consul Furniture Line

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H 45.5 in W 60 in D 24.5 in

Industrial MCM Stand Up Desk Worktable by American Optical Consul Furniture Line

Located in Topeka, KS

a little-known operation within American Optical Company for some time before that. From the moment

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Industrial and Work Tables

Materials

Aluminum, Steel, Chrome, Metal

WW II US Navy Spyglass Telescope

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H 59.5 in W 31.25 in D 31.25 in

WW II US Navy Spyglass Telescope

Located in London, GB

A US Navy MK I Quartermaster's Spyglass / Telescope by arguably America's finest optics company

Category

Vintage 1940s American Scientific Instruments

Second World War US Navy Spyglass Dated 1942

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H 63 in W 31 in L 63 in

Second World War US Navy Spyglass Dated 1942

Located in London, GB

A US Navy MK I Quartermaster's Spyglass by arguably America's finest optics company, Kollmorgen

Category

Vintage 1940s American Scientific Instruments

Materials

Gold Plate, Brass

Industrial Enamel Rolling Adjustable Stool by American Optical Company

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H 25 in Dm 18 in

Industrial Enamel Rolling Adjustable Stool by American Optical Company

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Industrial, midcentury, medical, optometrist stool by American Optical Company with orange vinyl

Category

Mid-20th Century American Industrial Stools

Materials

Steel

Machine Age Art Deco Adjustable Stool in the Style of Wolfgang Hoffmann, Webber

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H 26 in W 17.25 in D 17.25 in

Machine Age Art Deco Adjustable Stool in the Style of Wolfgang Hoffmann, Webber

By Wolfgang Hoffmann

Located in Cincinnati, OH

manner of Wolfgang Hoffmann and KEM Webber manufactured by the American Optical company.

Category

Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Stools

Materials

Aluminum, Steel

$Antique American Phoropter Vision Tester Genothalmic Refractor for Eye Exams$

Antique American Phoropter Vision Tester Genothalmic Refractor for Eye Exams

Sold

H 8.25 in W 9.5 in D 6 in

Antique American Phoropter Vision Tester Genothalmic Refractor for Eye Exams

By General Optical Company

Located in Los Angeles, CA

An early 20th century American vision testing device called a phoropter, an ophthalmic instrument

Category

Early 20th Century American Industrial Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

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American Optical Company For Sale on 1stDibs

With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the American optical company you’re looking for. Frequently made of metal, fabric and glass, every American optical company was constructed with great care. Find 12 options for an antique or vintage American optical company now, or shop our selection of 3 modern versions for a more contemporary example of this long-cherished piece. There are many kinds of the American optical company you’re looking for, from those produced as long ago as the 18th Century to those made as recently as the 21st Century. An American optical company is a generally popular piece of furniture, but those created in mid-century modern, Art Deco and industrial styles are sought with frequency. Hebanon Fratelli Basile, Hebanon Studio and Mason Bacheller Wells each produced at least one beautiful American optical company that is worth considering.

How Much is an American Optical Company?

The average selling price for an American optical company at 1stDibs is $1,750, while they’re typically $399 on the low end and $16,500 for the highest priced.