Swiss silver lever watch for the U.S. Corps of Engineers Circa 1910

Silver military pocket watch
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A military pocket watch made for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by the International Watch Company in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, circa 1910. The numbered open faced case of this watch was crafted from silver and the back lid is engraved Property of Corps of Engineers U.S.A. The white enamel dial, of which the military marking was removed, has Arabic hour numerals, an outer minute track, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock and cathedral hands. The numbered movement has a high quality lever escapement and fine adjustment.
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Diameter: 52 mm
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Weight: 98 g
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Signed: International Watch Co. Schaffhausen
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International Watch Company Schaffhausen (IWC) was founded in 1868 by Florentine Ariosto Jones (1841–1916), an American engineer and watchmaker from Boston, Massachusetts, who had been a director of E. Howard & Co. in Boston, America’s leading watchmaking company at the time.

He established the company intending to combine modern engineering technology from the U.S. with the craftsmanship of the Swiss to manufacture high quality watches exclusively for the American market. Then, wages in Switzerland were relatively low although there was a ready supply of skilled watchmaking labour mainly carried out by people in their homes. Jones encountered opposition to his plans in French speaking Switzerland. People feared for their jobs and the work they did at home because he wanted to open a factory.

In 1850, Schaffhausen was in danger of being left behind in the Industrial Age. At this stage, watch manufacturer and industrialist Johann Heinrich Moser built Schaffhausen’s first hydroelectric plant laying the cornerstone for future industrialization. He probably met Jones in Le Locle and showed great interest in his plans. Together, they laid the foundations for the only watch manufacturer in northeast Switzerland: the International Watch Company in Schaffhausen.