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Tremont Watch Co. of LONDON "Click" to Login or Register 
IHC Member 1610
Picture of Harry J. Hyaduck Sr.
posted
I just received this Tremont from England few days ago. I could not see the movement and knew it did not run but the dial looks correct. It is a Tremont but instead of being signed Boston it is signed London. I have it running now. The canon pinion was completely worn so the minute and hour hands would not move, The seconds chapter was completely loose, the second hand was bent in two places, the push button was missing and so was the screw that ran through the bow and it was filthy. I have all that fixed. For the push button I used a dremel tool to fabricate a new button made from a large spiral nail. It still needs a new crystal.
Tremont was started buy Aaron L. Dennison in 1864 and lasted until 1866 when they moved to Melrose, Mass. and renamed the watches Melrose Watch Co. although they still kept the Tremont Watch Co. dial. Melrose was in business From 1866 until 1868. Melrose serial numbers started much higher than Trenton at 30,000. About 1870 Melrose Watch Co. was sold to the English and they used the name Anglo-American Watch Co. This information was obtained from Complete Price Guide to Watches 2018 edition.

My Tremont is # 10,907 and is marked London. Since the Price Guide does not reflect the London signed Trenton movements. I did find the following information on another site and I will cut and paste the information here and I will assume that since my serial number is 10,907 this all happened before it was sold to the English company before it became Melrose but I do not know for sure. The English case is marked 1874;

"Tremont, London. Here is a summary, by Phil Priestley, of some Dennison papers. One of these papers is an autobiography. In it
Dennison writes (and this is quoted verbatim by Priestley); "I should state here that after the Tremont Watch Company concluded to wind up its affairs, I ordered from them 1000 of a certain class of frames for which I had been preparing counterparts, that I might have them to put into marketable shape, that is to say complete them as movements to be sold without cases or to have cases made for them should it be necessary to do that."

"The thousand movements were nearly complete and ready for cases when the Anglo-American Watch Company took the business and as soon as their arrangements were complete for doing any work, a quantity of these were finished, that is to say 150 pieces, and sent to the USA for sale, without cases, but as it turned out the market was overstocked in that class of goods so that but a few of them could be sold at a profit."

Priestley continues - "Aaron Dennison then concluded to make cases for these movements in an attempt to find a sale in either England or the colonies..."

My reading (author of this article) is that the batch of 150 were signed Tremont/London."

Here are some pictures of the London Tremont. Sorry about the regulator being off to one side I accidentally knocked it out of place when I took the picture. I have put it back in the center and it is almost a minute fast in 12 hours. I could adjust the regulator a little but since I don't carry my watches I will just leave it alone.
Thank you!

 
Posts: 3858 | Location: Georgia in the USA | Registered: September 22, 2011
IHC Member 1610
Picture of Harry J. Hyaduck Sr.
posted
Dial

 
Posts: 3858 | Location: Georgia in the USA | Registered: September 22, 2011
IHC Member 1610
Picture of Harry J. Hyaduck Sr.
posted
Hallmarks

 
Posts: 3858 | Location: Georgia in the USA | Registered: September 22, 2011
IHC Member 1610
Picture of Harry J. Hyaduck Sr.
posted
The push button I made.

 
Posts: 3858 | Location: Georgia in the USA | Registered: September 22, 2011
IHC Member 1610
Picture of Harry J. Hyaduck Sr.
posted
Close up.

 
Posts: 3858 | Location: Georgia in the USA | Registered: September 22, 2011
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