Five Of Our Most American Watch Stories Ever, For The Fourth Of July

When you think of watches and watchmaking, you mostly think of Switzerland, Germany, Japan . . . but probably not America. But America was not only the first country to undertake industrial scale watch and clockmaking, it's also a country with a deep and abiding fascination for machines and what they represent. From modernity to efficiency to precision, to sheer beauty; from the Speedmaster on the wrists of American astronauts, to public clocks, to an avaricious appetite from some of our greatest captains of industry for the very finest and most complicated clocks and watches the world has to offer, watches have been part of the American landscape, and an object of fascination for Americans, since the country became a country in 1776. Here are five of our favorite American watch and clock stories from years past – stories that could only have happened in the USA.

I. The Speedmaster Professional: Still Flying After All These Years

The Speedmaster Professional is perhaps the single watch most intimately tied to American history, and to one of America's most defining moments: the Apollo program.  One of the most amazing things about the Speedmaster isn't just its status as official kit for the Apollo astronauts (though that would be astonishing in itself) – it's that to this day, it's still being flown.  That's right, a watch that was first sold in 1957 has been in use in manned space flight for over half a century, it's up there on the ISS right now, and we got the pictures to prove it.  

Real all about the flight history of the Speedmaster in "Actual Pictures Actually Showing The Speedmaster Professional Actually Being Used For EVA, Today."

II. A Clock Embedded In The Sidewalk At Maiden Lane And Broadway, There Since 1899

This was one of the most popular stories HODINKEE has ever published – it just goes to show you that, as the winemakers of Bordeaux have known for centuries, you can get international acclaim from a local product.  Author Stephen Pulvirent sets it up for us:

"In lower Manhattan, blocks from where the World Trade Center once stood, embedded deep into the sidewalk, is a clock. It's a simple clock, the hours and minutes are neatly displayed by spade hands, while roman numerals and train track minutes markers circle the dial. All of this is cloudy, but visible under the scratched and stained crystal that occupies a break in the pavement at the intersection of Maiden Lane and Broadway. And it has been ticking away there, under the feet of Manhattan, for over a century."

Check out "The Story Of New York's Sidewalk Clock" (and the amazing accompanying video).

III. Four Films That Bring American Watchmaking Back To Life

The American watchmaking industry: now long gone and largely forgotten (though attempts are being made to revive it).  But it was once not only one of America's most vital and important industries, it was so competitive that in 1876 a delegation from Switzerland came to America to see how we'd managed to become the single biggest country for watchmaking in the world.  Their conclusions?

"It is obvious to all that at this moment the American factories have the advantage. Their products are wanted everywhere, they manufacture and they sell, while the Swiss factory is idle and its agents are without business, many with unsold goods."

"This state of affairs is brought about by various causes which we want to enumerate as follows: Firstly, all the American products have the qualities of a saleable product. They have a very goodreputation because the manufacturers have never delivered bad goods, everything that has left their hands being, until now, in good condition, well adjusted and running well."

Check out "Four Fascinating American Watchmaking Films" – promotional films made by America's watchmaking brands in the 20th century, that show just how big American watchmaking used to be.

IV. The Most American Swiss Made Watch Ever Sells For $24 Million

It's a watch made in Geneva and it was auctioned in Geneva, by Sotheby's – nevertheless, the story is as American as apple pie.  The Henry Graves Supercomplication was the result of one of the most famous horological arms races between collectors ever know, with auto tycoon James Ward Packard in one corner, and banker Henry Graves Jr. in the other.  The "Graves Supercomplication" was the result – a titanically complex pocket watch by Patek Philippe, made to Graves' specifications, which auctioned in 2014 for a staggering $24 million, the highest price ever paid at auction for a watch.

HODINKEE was in Geneva to see the sale of this monument to both Swiss watchmaking, and American ambition, and you can see our video coverage in "Witnessing History: Inside The Room As The Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication Sells For $24 Million."

V. The Watch Collection Of Iconic American Sportsman Briggs Cunningham

It's not so much that Briggs Cunningham did any one thing well – he seemed to do everything well, whether it was watch collecting, yacht racing, or motorsports, and moreover, he did everything he did with a devil-may-care style that summed up mid-20th century American can-do optimism at its best.  Author Ben Clymer wrote:

"Cunningham skippered the 1958 America's Cup team, and won. He invented a system of rigging for sailboats, still used today, and still named after him. He built his own yachts and power boats. He was the owner of the first Ferrari in America, and the first Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, ever. He built his own Le Mans qualifying cars, which I'll run through below. And he happened to have been a very serious watch buyer, commissioning two of the most beautiful and functional watches to come out of the 1950s."

It's a fascinating story of a really unique individual, and I'll just leave you with one example among many of his larger-than-life persona: the first American car ever driven at Le Mans was built for and piloted by Cunningham, and it was a Caddy that looked like a backwards doorstop.

When race car designers were doing their best to give the air the slip, Cunningham took the perhaps uniquely American approach of simply beating it into submission by brute force.  Check out what kind of watches a man who'd drive that kind of car on a track, against Europe's finest, would wear, in "The Incredible Watches (And Cars) Of Briggs Cunningham."

Happy 4th of July!