Nevertheless, Elgin pocket watches still remain popular today. Because of this change, Elgin dropped the name ?Elgin National Watch Company? and adopted Elgin National Industries instead as its official moniker. During this time, Elgin stopped making timepieces and moved on to bigger things such as engineering construction, among other ventures. During World War II, Elgin shifted their focus from timepieces to precision instruments used in the military and defense industry, but the factory never really closed down until 1964, which was coincidentally its 100th anniversary. Elgin then became known for producing high quality yet affordable watches, thanks to the usage of easily-repaired and replaced parts made by machines. The watch was named in honor of the then-Mayor of Chicago of the same name. Elgin made its first watch in 1867, and it was a BW Raymond railroader's watch in size 18 and with a full plate design.
Because of Raymond's political influence, a lot of investors came along their way quite easily. Benjamin Wright Raymond, then-Mayor of Chicago, was one of the first investors the team recruited. To achieve this goal, they teamed up with renowned Chicago-based watchmaker JC Adams in an effort to find inventors interested in their proposed venture. Several former employees of Waltham wanted to build another watch company within the US this time, they wanted it to be in the Midwest. The founding of Elgin was largely influenced by the success of another similar company, the Waltham Watch Company which was based in Massachusetts. To show the government's support for the industrial age, the city of Elgin gave the company 35 acres of land on which the factory was built within just two years. It became the Elgin National Watch Company when the city of Elgin in Illinois was picked to be the site for the factory. Then, it was only known as the National Watch Company. Elgin didn't start out with that name when it was founded in August 1864 around the time of the end of the Civil War. watches were one of the first machines for which the public had a high demand so it was no surprise that a company devoted to manufacturing watches appeared in order to meet the public's needs.
Aside for being known as an enduring company that produces classic watches, Elgin is also known for the big role it played in America's transition from agriculture to industry in the mid-19th century.
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