Internet Horology Club 185
CASE identification CORNELL W.C.Co.

This topic can be found at:
https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1086047761/m/9223957297

May 24, 2019, 19:08
Bill Chandler
CASE identification CORNELL W.C.Co.
CASE identification CORNELL W.C.Co.

I have an 18s ELGIN watch that was Manufactured in 1910. the movement I can (and have) identified, but the CASE it's in, is a mystery.
can anyone tell me WHO this Mfg is?
case is marked (in a fancy filigree box)

CORNELL

then below it says:

W. C. Co.
Guaranteed
20 years

who is W. C. Co?

thanks
Bill


May 24, 2019, 20:35
Kevin Hoffman
I went thru the trademarks book from Ehrhardt and drew a blank , could it be made by Cornell ?
May 25, 2019, 00:29
Buster Beck
It may remain a mystery....

After Cornell Watch Co. was reorganized in 1876 as The California Watch Co. the new company bought machinery to make watch cases of gold & silver ! However the whole idea of moving to San Fransisco by Cornell who had bought out Newark Watch Co. in 1870 never worked out as the reason for moving from Chicago to San Fransisco was to take advantage of the Chinese immigrants in San Fransisco as cheap labor !

The California Watch Co. was in deep financial trouble and started paying their employees with watches and soon caved in the same year it was founded in 1876.

Independent Watch Co of Fredonia NY bought the defunct inventory of California Watch Co in 1877-1878.

So we see there was a whole lot of "shaking" going on in the watch industry. Hopefully someone will have better information on the Cornell W.C. Co. but that's all I can come up with. Sorry.

Here's a great historical read and if I'm on the correct track, it goes on to tell about their adventure and the machinery to make their own cases;

https://www.newspapers.com/cli...out_the_cornell_and/

regards,
bb
May 25, 2019, 11:56
Kevin Hoffman
Good read Buster , I saw another article that said the Cornell watchmakers went on strike due to the chinese labor , I guess management wanted them to train their replacement employees .
May 25, 2019, 18:49
Brian C.
Thanks for the link, Buster.
May 26, 2019, 11:58
George Ulrich
wadsworth case co.