It would be pleasant to report that after the fiasco of the rotary model
these timers were a financial success, but the facts indicate otherwise.
They were well built and reliable, so that the trade was pleased to stock
and promote them. The public responded well when in the market for a
timer, as might be expected, since no other stop watch with fractional
second dial or split-second hand was made in the country. Those imported
from abroad were many times as expensive. Unfortunately the demand was
seasonal. Sometimes, during the racing season, demand would reach 400
per month, while at other seasons of the year practically none at all
were sold. Some remained in stock during the remaining life of the
company, as is shown by the following advertisement,[41] which was
accompanied by an illustration of the watch:
The old reliable Auburndale Chronograph Timers, for sale by Edward
H. Brown, No. 16 Maiden Lane, New York. The manufacture of these
watches having been discontinued for reasons entirely apart from
their value and reliability, the stock in existence is very
limited, and is now in the hands of Mr. Edward H. Brown, No. 16
Maiden Lane, New York City, the well known and reliable dealer in
Watches, Diamonds and Jewelry. The Auburndale timer has been in the
hands of a number of competent judges, and has always been found to
be accurate. It is of convenient size, and is contained in a German
silver case, nickel plated. The timers are manufactured in two
qualities, without split seconds for $15 and with the split second
for $25. They all have minute, second and lightning hands. We
recommend all desiring a cheap and reliable timer to apply at once
to Mr. Brown, No. 16 Maiden Lane, New York.
A steadier market was sought with the introduction of a low priced
3/4-plate, back-setting, 18-size watch to compete, it was hoped, with the
full-plate watches of similar price made by the established companies.
Nearly all these watches had seven jewels, some few had more. The
majority were key wind and set with a folding winding key permanently
attached to the barrel arbor, as in figure 21. These were named
"Lincoln" for Mr. Fowle's son, Lincoln A. Fowle,[42] and had a solid
steel balance with screws and the general appearance of a compensated
balance. A stem-wound, lever-set edition of the same basic watch was
named "Bentley" for Bentley D. Fowle, another son.[43] This had a cut
bimetallic balance and higher finish. Conventional gilt finish was used
on both of these models, although one isolated specimen found in factory
remainders[44] has a bright nickel finish comparable with the rotary
watch. These watches were designed by Chauncey Hartwell,[45] after J.
H. Gerry had removed to Lancaster, where the Lancaster Watch Co.,
organized in August 1877, was attempting to bring a line of watches onto
the market although beset by acute financial woes similar to those
building up at Auburndale. To return to our 3/4-plate watches, it may be
said that they were well made for the price, reliable, and successful
from a manufacturing point of view but could not be sold at a figure high
enough to return a profit on the manufacture.
[Illustration: Figure 19.--SPLIT SECOND MECHANISM of the Auburndale
timer, as shown in drawings from U. S. patent 220195, issued September
30, 1879.]
Up to this time, about November 1, 1879, the Auburndale Watch Co., had
existed as a private company; now it was incorporated with a book value
of $500,000, and William B. Fowle, who at this point had invested about
$250,000 (mostly unrecoverable) in the enterprise, was elected president,
and George H. Bourne was elected secretary and treasurer.
After a quantity of these Lincoln and Bentley watches had been
manufactured[46] and it had become clear that they could not be
attractively priced to the trade, the company sought a product adapted to
their factory equipment for which a constant market could be found. The
product chosen was a line of metallic thermometers.[47] Two patents,
240058 and 240059, were issued to William A. Wales, assignor to the
Auburndale Watch Co., of Weston, Massachusetts, on April 12, 1881.
Whether these patents represent the first thermometers made at Auburndale
or reflect the result of experience gained in making conventional models
is not clear. The earliest evidence dating the appearance of the
thermometer is the 1881 _Boston directory_ which appeared on July 1. This
illustrates the same model of thermometer seen in figure 22. The patents
cover means of eliminating springs of any sort from the mechanism, so
that the hand or dial pointer is entirely under the influence of the
fused bimetallic thermal strips. Manufacture of the timers was carried
along with thermometer manufacture at first, but production of the timer
was finally dropped, as the stock on hand was constantly increasing, and
for a while the factory was at last operated at a profit, on thermometers
alone. These were furnished in cases from 20 inches in diameter down to
the size of a ten cent piece, according to the advertising.
[Illustration: Figure 20 (_left_).--AUBURNDALE TIMER WITH SPLIT SECOND
HAND. Note the stop and start lever for the "split" hand at the side of
the case. (In author's collection.)]
[Illustration: Figure 21 (_above_).--AUBURNDALE THREE-QUARTER PLATE
WATCH, typical of both Lincoln and Bentley grades. (In author's
collection.)]
Unfortunately Mr. Fowle had suffered so much loss through the watch
venture and from other investments that he was forced to make an
assignment of his personal estate. The watch company, without his
support, was carrying too large a burden of debt to be self-supporting.
In the fall of 1883 a voluntary assignment was made and the equipment was
sold in February 1884.[48] The _Newton directory_ of 1885 lists W. B.
Fowle as a thermometer manufacturer on Woodbine Street, "house near." His
home, "Tanglewood," was on Woodbine Street and perhaps the thermometer
business was operating in one of the outbuildings. William A. Wales
assigned to the Auburndale Watch Co. patent 276101, of December 4, 1883,
covering details of a unit counter for keeping score in games, and for
similar work. Among the relics in the author's collection is a box
bearing the label "Auburndale Counter, W. B. Fowle & Son, Auburndale,
Mass." These counters were packed two in a box, the box just mentioned
being suitable to contain counters the size of the thermometer in
figure 22. Figure 23 shows a larger counter measuring 4-1/2 inches in
diameter. From this and the fact that Fowle as late as 1887, is carried
in the _Newton directory_ as a manufacturer of metallic thermometers, it
seems that some attempt was made after dissolution of the watch company
to carry on manufacturing, or perhaps only the assembly on a small scale
of parts previously manufactured. The _Directory_ of 1889 lists Fowle as
an accountant on Ash Street, Auburndale. He had bought this property in
1887, presumably after disposing of "Tanglewood" which now would be too
large for his needs. In the editions of 1891 and 1893 he is listed as
United States collector of internal revenue, with an office at the Post
Office building, Boston. In 1895 he appears as an accountant at the same
address and from then to his death in 1902 he is listed as an accountant
at his home address in Auburndale.
[Illustration: Figure 22 (_above_).--AUBURNDALE THERMOMETER, about 1-3/4
inches in diameter. (In author's collection.)]
Jason R. Hopkins, inventor of the first Auburndale product, passed away
in Washington late the same year, 1902, having spent all the intervening
years as a watchmaker.
-----
[41] _The Jewelers Circular and Horological Review_, July
1884.
[42] _Newton directory_, 1884-85; Crossman, _op. cit._
(footnote 8), December 1887.
[43] Records of Veterans Administration, pension application
WE 666 675 of Mary E. Fowle (widow of William B.
Fowle).
[44] Serial 926, in author's collection.
[45] _Newton directory_, 1879.
[46] Each model of watch made at Auburndale was numbered in
its own series, starting at number 1, contrary to the
usual watch factory practice where blocks of serial
numbers are assigned to different models. Other
Auburndale products seem not to have borne serial
numbers.
[47] Crossman, _op. cit._ (footnote 8), December 1887.
[48] _Ibid._