The first American passenger railroad engine rolled down the tracks of Baltimore & Ohio Company in 1830. Shortly thereafter when passenger service was placed on a schedule a reliable watch was realized as a requirement by the railroad men.

Over the years the watch companies specialized in providing railroad watches to meet this need. There are over 350 different railroad pocket watches that were made between 1866 and 1969 when the last railroad pocket watch was made in America.

This does not include the numerous varieties of dials and cases used on the railroad watches. Not all of the over one thousand American railroad companies in business from 1830 to the present approved all of these watches for their use. Many railroad companies were specific in identifying only those watches that they wanted there personnel to use.

Some companies were vague in their regulations specifying, "any watch that keeps the correct time" or any 17 jewel watch. Some railroads had no regulations on watches, leaving it up to the employee as to the watch he wanted to buy and use.

Generally prior to about 1893 the definition of a railroad watch was very vague. The larger railroad companies usually had specific rules, may times prior to 1893, not too rigidly enforced. However on April 19th 1891 there was a disastrous head-on collision between two trains of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway near Kipton, Ohio. There after watch requirements, regulations and inspection systems were more stringent.

In 1893 the railroad standards adopted were generally that any watch going into railroad service should meet these Standards.

Example:

Hamilton 940
21 Jewel Motor Barrel
Railroad approved