Elgin

The Elgin National Watch Company was founded in 1864 in Chicago, Illinois, and relocated to Elgin, Illinois in 1866. The company operated the world's largest watchmaking facility, producing pocket watches and later wristwatches using mass-production techniques. During World War II, Elgin shifted entirely to military production. Manufacturing relocated to South Carolina in 1963, and all US production ceased in 1968, ending over a century of American watchmaking.