Feature: The best American watch brands

The USA was once home to several watch brands of repute, the best known of which are Elgin and Waltham—both long gone—and Hamilton, which was sold in 1974 to the Swiss company that would eventually become the Swatch Group.

Hamilton was a giant in US watchmaking, at one point supplying pocket watches to around half of all rail workers in the country, and its wristwatches were later worn by most US army officers during World War II.

The loss of Hamilton to foreign shores was a blow softened slightly by the fact that the US still had Bulova (to this day headquartered in New York City). But Bulova was moving towards quartz technology, leaving US mechanical watchmaking all but dead—especially as most of the traditional machinery and equipment got scrapped, never to be seen again.

In recent years, however, a new crop of US watchmakers has emerged, and while the infrastructure for a fully-fledged industry is still lacking, these tenacious individual companies are slowly building up a loyal following both home and abroad. Here are a few we’re excited about.

J.N. Shapiro

California-based Josh Shapiro spent seven years poring over George Daniel’s seminal book, Watchmaking, a how-to manual on the art of horology. And looking at his creations, the influence of Daniels is evident. Shapiro started off making watches in his garage as a side hustle while working as a vice-principal at a Los Angeles school.

J.N. Shapiro's intricate dial design's are among the more classic offerings from the States

He launched his first collection in 2018 and now employs an eight-man team at his workshop. Typical features of J.N. Shapiro watches include intricate guilloche dials and movements that are “damaskeened”—America’s very own version of Geneva striping (it’s basically wavier), which can be found on some old US-made pocket watches. The price for a Resurgence model, made fully in-house, start at $70k.

RGM

While the other brands in this round-up are relatively new to the game, RGM has been around since 1992. Founded by Roland G Murphy in Pennsylvania, it combines modern manufacturing processes with antique, hand-operated machinery to create some of the finest watches being made in America right now.

RGM watches is the oldest of the new generation of US watchmakers

While RGM manufactures a small number of its own movements, some come from old American pocket watches that are lovingly rebuilt, and they’ve also relied on Swiss Valjoux movements for their chronographs and GMT models. RGM’s annual production is in the hundreds of units, yet its offerings range from classic Breguet-style dress watches to sporty dive models, as well as limited-edition pieces with baseball-themed enamel dials. They’ve even made an in-house tourbillon model, which sells for around $100k.

MEC

The three co-founders of MEC (“Micro Engineering Company”) have the pandemic to thank for the formation of their brand. This trio of avid watch collectors and enthusiasts—with hugely diverse professional and cultural backgrounds—came up with a new aesthetic concept for watches that they billed “New Art Deco”.

The MEC 1 is one of the freshest-looking designs to emerge from America. Image: Aboud Dweck

The pictured MEC 1 model is the manifestation of this, with its geometric steel case, jump-hour smoked-sapphire dial and wedge-shaped minutes hand. The manual-wind movement is designed in-house and features German silver with a matt-black PVD finish on the bridges for a crisp and modern look. These are early days for the brand, but its efforts to bring something fresh to the market are to be admired. The MEC 1 sells for around $24k.

Weiss

Weiss has made huge leaps since its early days when its founder, Cameron Weiss, assembled its first batch of watches in his dining room. It was the realisation of a dream that began at the age of five when he attempted to repair his first watch, and continued via apprenticeships in Switzerland and the US where he deepened his expertise under the tutelage of Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin.

Weiss' Standard Issue Dive Watch features an in-house movement

Now based in Tennessee after moving from Los Angeles, Weiss is one of the foremost American watch brands, making pretty much everything in-house in a process that claims to “honour America’s horological past while pushing innovation forward”. Its “Americanness” is enhanced via collaborations with iconic brands like the shoe retailer Allen Edmonds, creating limited-edition pieces that highlight the art of American craftsmanship.

Kobold

A favourite of the late actor James Gandolfini, who even helped to design one of its watches, Kobold began life in 1998 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, becoming an early trailblazer during the Dotcom boom by being the first watch brand to sell its products online. It certainly had no trouble standing out in the market thanks to its rugged watches that looked like they were built for hand-to-hand combat.

Kobold's Soarway Diver was designed by the late actor, James Gandolfini

Kobold has expanded its range to include smaller, dressier options, but its military-style watches still comprise the core of its collection. It even makes a watch that’s available only if you’re a US Navy SEAL—civilians need not apply! In 2012 it opened up a branch in Nepal where it makes its Himalaya line of watches, but for the most part they are made at its Pennsylvania factory. While Kobold does assemble some of its own cases and some components, it currently relies on Swiss movements.