[Ham X Guy]

I live about 45 minutes from where the old Elgin National Watch Comapny and Illinois Watch Case Company factories were located back in the day. The town of Elgin has a rather big historical society and they have an extensive museum of pictures, watches, watch cases, tools and so on from when that area was a powerhouse of watch activity. They just did a massive renovation of their building and expanded back in February of this year. I have not been there sense the construction but the next time I go I'll take lots of pictures and post them on this thread.

Being that this thread is dedicated to all of the old factories, we'd love to see pics of the old Elgin factory as it stands today. These factories are such a wonderful part of our manufacturing history, although of course I wish they weren't history!

Keep us posted!:thumbup1:

 

[bazzab]

I came across this photo of Gruen's Time Hill

I understand that the building has know been listed

 

[salleh]

Fabulous thread.....and I am quite excited about the news of the Elgin building.....I live in California, but spend my winters here in St. Joseph, Mi, which is straight across Lake Michigan from Chicago, it's about 60 miles away, you can see the city on clear days and night .....

But a field trip to Elgin ! we have just put it on our list of things to do next year.....and as it happens I am a big fan of Elgin watches ........

.....And I am saddened by the old photos of those magnificent buildings as they fall into metal scraps......I am a huge fan of "Top Gear", the UK version, and the 3 guys were each driving a fine old English sports car around England, and at the end of the show, they went to each of the former factories of those cars, ....just as sad.....After WW2, the English were known for their fine sports cars.....


.....and most of my experience has been with antique furniture.....I have been in that field for more than 30 years.....and I have had hundreds of pieces pass through my hands, ususally needing some help of one kind or another.....but you can re-finish the old stuff, it's made of WOOD ! ....they can be structurally fixed, and cosmetically re-done.....(although, with the genuine antique stuff, get a professional opinion as to whether or not that's a good idea)


....But a piece of any furniture made of wood, whether it's veneered over hard or soft woods, or solid wood of any of the vast variety of woods they used....is going to last....just like our beautiful watches do......


.....ever tried to re-glue a piece of furniture from a place like Ikea ???? ah no, can't do it, glue doesn't stick to glue, and that stuff is made from sawdust and glue mixed up and formed into "furniture like" pieces.....


and like watches, there are some boutique furniture people, and lucky for us there are still a few furniture companies that make real wood furniture.....expensive.. true....


.....and can't help but say here, if you need a piece of furniture, go to a second hand store, or an antique store, you will get a lot better quality for less money....and any member who goes that route can PM me for directions on how to re-finish it!


....sorry about this, got carried away, but as a creative person, whose greatest joy is in making stuff, I am a "arts and crafts movement" thinker, and the joy in creating items of beauty and usefulness, and/or restoring them to their orginal beauty from a watch to a house is quite fulfilling, .... It's so very sad that the aquisition and amassing of consumer goods till the house bulges is the American way of life these days.....

....Not that I'll give up my laptop mind you !

 

[Ham X Guy]

Fabulous thread.....and I am quite excited about the news of the Elgin building.....I live in California, but spend my winters here in St. Joseph, Mi, which is straight across Lake Michigan from Chicago, it's about 60 miles away, you can see the city on clear days and night .....

But a field trip to Elgin ! we have just put it on our list of things to do next year.....and as it happens I am a big fan of Elgin watches ........

.....And I am saddened by the old photos of those magnificent buildings as they fall into metal scraps......I am a huge fan of "Top Gear", the UK version, and the 3 guys were each driving a fine old English sports car around England, and at the end of the show, they went to each of the former factories of those cars, ....just as sad.....After WW2, the English were known for their fine sports cars.....


.....and most of my experience has been with antique furniture.....I have been in that field for more than 30 years.....and I have had hundreds of pieces pass through my hands, ususally needing some help of one kind or another.....but you can re-finish the old stuff, it's made of WOOD ! ....they can be structurally fixed, and cosmetically re-done.....(although, with the genuine antique stuff, get a professional opinion as to whether or not that's a good idea)


....But a piece of any furniture made of wood, whether it's veneered over hard or soft woods, or solid wood of any of the vast variety of woods they used....is going to last....just like our beautiful watches do......


.....ever tried to re-glue a piece of furniture from a place like Ikea ???? ah no, can't do it, glue doesn't stick to glue, and that stuff is made from sawdust and glue mixed up and formed into "furniture like" pieces.....


and like watches, there are some boutique furniture people, and lucky for us there are still a few furniture companies that make real wood furniture.....expensive.. true....


.....and can't help but say here, if you need a piece of furniture, go to a second hand store, or an antique store, you will get a lot better quality for less money....and any member who goes that route can PM me for directions on how to re-finish it!


....sorry about this, got carried away, but as a creative person, whose greatest joy is in making stuff, I am a "arts and crafts movement" thinker, and the joy in creating items of beauty and usefulness, and/or restoring them to their orginal beauty from a watch to a house is quite fulfilling, .... It's so very sad that the aquisition and amassing of consumer goods till the house bulges is the American way of life these days.....

....Not that I'll give up my laptop mind you !

Great post Salleh!

I agree wholeheartedly. We have become gluttonous consumers, and uneducated consumers at that. We now live in a society where quality matters little, just so long as it looks good and lasts for alittle while. When it goes, just get another one. Nothing we own today has much meaning in our lives and very few items we own will ever have any vintage value.

I think this is why many of us gravitate to the vintage watch world - quality. And, it harkens back to a time when "Made In The USA" really meant something...:sad:

 

[lankyman]

condos

Actually, the news for Waltham is not so bleak. Phase one of its redevelopment opened last October. Most of the factory building is being converted to office space and a little light industrial space. A small exhibit of Waltham Watch Factory memorabilia is supposedly already open. The next phase will see one wing converted into apartments. There will also be some retail and restaurant space.

just started

 

[thumbs]

Does anyone know which Bulova factory this is, from the inside lid of a Bulova watch outer box from the 1920's?

I have searched on the web and can find no images. The logo on the roof says "Bulova Watch Co."