From the Collection #12: Keeping Time
These photos and the accompanying caption were originally posted to our Facebook page (link to external site) on February 5, 2024.
We might take always having an atomic-synced clock in our pockets for granted today, but not that long ago, keeping accurate time was no small feat. Factors like temperature, how much wind-up was left on the main spring, and even the position in which the watch was held could make a mechanical watch run slightly too fast or too slow. For the average person, the difference was negligible, but for railroad workers tasked with keeping trains in perfect sync to ensure reliable service and avoid accidents, not just any watch would do. Almost all railroad watches were pocket watches until Bulova introduced the Accutron in 1960. This line of watches used a miniature tuning fork to keep time. The tuning fork vibrated at a consistent frequency, upping accuracy and reducing moving parts, all while making the timekeeping element small enough to fit inside a wristwatch.
This Accutron watch in the SAM collection was worn by Edgar Pierce of St. Albans, a brakeman on the Central Vermont Railway. The donor also included the original receipt, showing it was purchased in 1968 for $135, or nearly $1,200 today!