SIGNED P. S. BARTLETT, WALTHAM, MASS., NO. 1636, CIRCA 1854

In 1850, David David, Edward Howard and Aaron Lufkin had the idea to produce interchangeable movement parts and from their vision came the American watch industry. Originally called the American Horologe Company, the entity went through several name changes including Boston Watch Company, Appleton Tracy & Co. and American Watch Company. In fact President Abraham Lincoln received a Waltham watch Model 1857, grade "Wm.Ellery" in honor of his Gettysburg Address. Waltham holds such achievements as becoming the main supplier of railroad chronometers to railroads in North America, winning a Gold Medal in a watch precision contest at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition and outfitting Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis with an 8-day watch on his transatlantic flight from New York to Paris.

The P.S. Bartlett watch, introduced in January 1853, was named for Patten Sargeant Bartlett, an early employee of the Waltham Watch Company.