Hampden Pocket Watches

Developing innovative watch designs since the late 19th century, Hampden pocket watches honored the traditions of American time telling while also celebrating innovation. Taking the name of the Hampden Watch Company in 1877, its founders, Donald Mozart and Samuel Rice, had actually been designing watch works since the previous decade.

It was their reorganization and relocation from Rhode Island to Springfield, Massachusetts, however, that prompted their new name. The company expanded in 1888 when it was acquired by John C. Dueber. From that point it was known as the Dueber or Dueber-Hampden Watch Company, and it soon became one of the most popular watch producers in the country.

Dueber-Hampden timepieces were known for consistent quality and reliability as well as their stunning gold cases. They continued such high standards of production into the 1920s, yet their reputation continues today as one of America’s finest producers.

Quick Facts

• The first name that Mozart and Rice used was the “New York Watch Company.” Then, when they relocated to their new home in Massachusetts in 1867, they began stamping their watches “Springfield”
• During some of Dueber-Hampden’s peak years in the late 1890s, they produced over 600 watches a day
• This company is often credited with introducing the first 16 size, 23 jewel watch movement in America