Posted 12 years ago
Deanteaks
(291 items)
this pocket watch marked Hudson Watch Co., with key wind, any ideas on the age of this piece and information on the Hudson watch co. I can't find much on the net, this was owned by Joseph Smith, maybe ? of the Mormons, I was told from the man that it was purchased from in Independence Mo.
Deanteaks,
I think this is a private label watch, possibly a Jeweler by the name of Hudson.
I'm not sure if this is the same Hudson, but this is what I found on Hudson Jewelers.
Josiah B. Hudson
In 1876 he started a small jewelry store in Washington Court House, Ohio which he continued to operate for 10 years before moving to Minneapolis, Minn. in 1886. He opened a new store in the Nicollet House block at No. 230 Nicollet Ave.. In 1905 he incorporated in the name of, J.B. Hudson & Son. In 1920 they moved to 33-35 South Seventh Street. It is stated that this firm, holds the honor of conducting the "Finest Jewelry house" in the Northwest, and one of the best in the United States.
Forwarding to 1929 and their sale to Dayton Hudson Corp.
The Dayton Hudson Corporation was founded by George Draper Dayton. Dayton purchased a lot of land next to his church, on which he erected a six-story building that would eventually house his first store. Dayton bought the land as a charitable gesture, as the church required the income from this sale to rebuild after it burned down in a fire. In 1902 Dayton purchased Goodfellow Dry Goods store to occupy his new building. The store was renamed the Dayton Dry Goods store, then the Dayton Company.
The company prospered, and by the 1920s it had become a multi-million dollar business. In 1929 Dayton purchased J.B. Hudson & Son, Minneapolis jewelers. The company survived the Depression and thrived during World War II. Sales volume during the war increased, as consumer goods were so scare that it was not necessary to persuade shoppers to buy available merchandise. In 1944 the company became one of the first stores in the nation to offer to its workers a retirement policy, and in 1950 Dayton offered them a comprehensive insurance policy.
In 1956 Dayton decided to build a mall outside of Minneapolis. The mall was built under cover, as Minneapolis had only 113 good shopping days a year, and became the first enclosed shopping mall in history. Dayton continued to expand and succeed. In 1962 it established Target, a large discount chain. In 1966 the company established B. Dalton bookstores. In 1967 the company, then known as Dayton Corporation, made its initial public stock offering. That same year the company acquired Shreve and Company, which merged with J.B. Hudson to form Dayton Jewelers. In 1968 the company bought the Pickwick Book Shops and merged them with B. Dalton. That year, the company also acquired department stores in Oregon and Arizona, and the following year bought J.E. Caldwell jewelry stores and Lechmere, a Boston retailer.
Dayton acquired J.L. Hudson Company in 1969. This merger resulted in Dayton Hudson Corporation, the fourteenth-largest retailer in the United States. J.L. Hudson was founded in 1881 by Joseph Hudson. Ten years later, the company was the largest retailer of men's clothes in the United States. Among Hudson's innovations were price marking (instead of bargaining) and offering return privileges.
In 1970 Dayton Hudson bought two more jewelers, C.D. Peacock, Inc., and J. Jessop and Sons. By 1971 the company's revenues surpassed $1 billion.
I'm not sure if this connects to your watch, but I found it interesting anyway,
Dave
very nice information, thank you Dave, I'm sure my watch is old because of the key wind and set and it's set in a Dueber case #591234 with an anchor emblem
I believe that this watch was made in Switzerland because of its odd-shaped pallet fork. It is a variation of a "moustache" lever. One way to tell is to take the dial off and if it has 2 feet, it is most likely Swiss. If it has 3 feet, It is a US made dial. The Swiss made several of these "Swiss Fakes" to sell on the US market in a way to compete. The plates also look suspiciously Swiss. Finally, the font is definately of Swiss origin.
yes, that would be nice thank you, cause I have no idea :)
You remove the case screws and take the movement out of the case. Carefully remove the hands. Dials are held on by several different ways, the most common are side screws (You don't have to remove the dial at this point, just count the screws or turn the movement upside down and count the feet). You will see 2 or 3 of these tiny screws in the rim just beneath the dial, loosen these and lift the dial off carefully (you don't have to take out these screws, just loosen them. The dial may also be held on by pins through the dial feet, if so, just pull these tiny pins out (save them) and lift the dial off.
I have just posted an example of a "Swiss Fake" and show the difference between the two dials.
Can you tell me who manufactured the Hudson Pocket Watch?