The 1858 (Underground) Railroad Watch

A shameless bit of self-promotion -

For those of you who might have missed it, this is the 1858 from the Oberlin Watch Company. And to clarify things, yes, I am the owner of the Oberlin Watch Company ; )

The 1858 is a hand-wound watch. The case is stainless steel with a solid case back. 

This was originally a pre-order model, but we are now selling the final 9 available pieces. The price is $458 US.

Should it be in your wheelhouse, here are the pertinents -

The Basics:

The 1858 is a hand-winding watch. It is stainless steel, with a solid case back to allow for personalized engraving. The movement is made by Seagull, a Chinese manufacturer. The movement is the ST-3600, which is a clone of the ETA 6497.

The watches are assembled and tested in the United States. The watch comes standard with a blue and a black leather strap. The straps utilize quick spring bar attachments so they can be changed without the use of a tool using your finger and thumb!

The Particulars:

Case - stainless steel, 40 mm in diameter, solid case back with Oberlin engraving

Movement - Seagull ST-3600

Strap - black leather with quick spring attachment, stainless steel folding clasp

Warranty - 1 year

The 1858 Pulls into the Depot!

This is a bit of shameless self-promotion ; )

I am very proud to finally announce the release of the Oberlin Watch Company's 1858!

The 1858 is a hand-winding watch designed to bridge a few different ideas and stories. 

So, it is completely true that there was a pocket chronograph produced by an assembler in Besançon, France way back in the day -

But the "Oberlin" on that watch dial denoted the Oberlin Pharmaceutical Company, also French. The watches were produced to give as promotional gifts to pharmacists (that's chemists on the other side of the pond), and doctors. Today their lucky if they get post-it-note pads and disposable pens ; )

So suffice it to say, there never actually was an Oberlin Watch Company...until now.

The 1858 is not only a "chapeau!" to the original Oberlin Pharmaceutical Company, it is also a "tip of the hat" to an event that happened in (and near) my hometown of Oberlin, Ohio. The Oberlin-Wellington Rescue. 

The short part of this story is that Oberlin was one of the last depots on the Underground Railroad, and also fervently abolitionist. John Price had lived as a slave and managed to escape and made his way to Oberlin, where he had been living for (it is said) 2 years. The law in the US at that time allowed for slave owners to enlist marshals and other officers to help them recapture "fugitive" slaves. John Price was lured to the outskirts of town where he was captured. His captors realizing that they were not going to get a lot of support and understanding in Oberlin, took Mr. Price to Wellington (the next nearest town with a rail station), and hid out in a hotel there. 

And it is here where the story takes a turn that we in Oberlin have always been proud of. We proved that you very often have more friends than you realize. A not insignificant number of men made their way to Wellington where they were joined by like-minded folks in that community. They tried to reason with Price's captors to no avail, and ultimately found him hidden in the hotel's attic. They brought him back to Oberlin where he was hidden in the home of a future Oberlin College president before being taken to Canada, the final stop on the Underground Railroad.

So that's pat one - tune in tomorrow for part 2, and more details on the watch itself!

The 1858 - From a Friend For a Friend

As a matter of full-disclosure, I (James Henderson) am the owner of the Oberlin Watch Company.

Ladies and gentlemen, and children of all ages, I am very proud to introduce you to the 1858 from the Oberlin Watch Company.

When I introduced the first quartz pieces back during the pandemic, there were some who thought that I had "re-birthed" a defunct French watch brand. That notion was based on the existence of a pocket chronograph that had been produced by the Oberlin Pharmaceutical  Company, of France back in the 1900s - 

As far as anyone knows, the Oberlin pocket watches were manufactured to be given as promotional gifts to doctors and pharmacists in an effort to promote the Oberlin Pharmaceutical Company. These watches were manufactured in Besançon, France.

So in other words, there was never an Oberlin Watch Company. But there is one NOW!

Courtesy of D.N. Mason

So for those just tuning in, the 1858 is what we're calling an (Underground) Railroad Watch. The great Kipton train wreck that forced the dramatic improvements in the manufacture of pocket (railroad) watches and standardization of scheduling and timekeeping, happened within virtually walking distance of Oberlin. So there is certainly a train connection to my hometown. But dig a little deeper into Oberlin history, and you will learn about the Oberlin - Wellington Rescue -

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Long story short? John Price was an escaped slave who had found his way to Oberlin. Under the fugitive slave act, the government would assist slave owners by capturing and returning those lucky enough to escape in the first place who were unlucky enough to be discovered and identified as an escaped slave. And this is exactly the fate that befell John Price. He was spirited away by a Marshall and small group of henchmen to Wellington, the town next door where they intended to hop onto the first thing smoking the next day and forcibly take John Price back to Kentucky.

From a Friend For a Friend -

In his short time in Oberlin, John Price had made some friends. More than he probably knew. Because as word spread of his abduction, the townspeople of Oberlin got together, met with like-minded folks in Wellington, and when negotiations for Price's release failed? They forced their way into the hotel that Mr. Price's abductors had been holed-up in, and found him in the attic. They took him back to Oberlin, where he was hidden in the basement of future Oberlin College president James Harris Fairchild. Shortly thereafter he was taken to Canada, the last stop on the Underground Railroad. 

The Oberlin Watch Company was born out of a request from a friend - could you make a watch for us? The first series sold out before it was even produced. It would seem that the Oberlin Watch Company had more friends than we realized ; )

The pre-sale of the 1858 sold out, but we will have a handful of pieces available for those who joined us late.   

Stay tuned!

The Countdown Has Begun for the 1858!

I am very happy to announce via this shameless plug of self-promotion for the Oberlin Watch Company, that the 1858 is nearing completion and we are projecting the first models to be complete in the next few weeks!

The pre-order sold out, but there will be some additional pieces available for purchase - our hope is by the end of May, but it could be sooner.

The specifics:

The 1858 is a hand-winding watch. It is stainless steel, with a solid case back to allow for personalized engraving. The movement is made by Seagull, a Chinese manufacturer. The movement is the ST-3600, which is a clone of the ETA 6497.

The watches will be assembled and tested in the United States. The strap that the watches will ship with will be black. The blue strap in the image is strictly for rendering purposes.

The initial production will be for a minimum of 25 pieces with the potential for a larger series, up to 100 pieces. This will be dependent upon the number of preorders received.

Case - stainless steel, 40 mm in diameter, solid case back

Movement - Seagull ST-3600

Strap - black leather with stainless steel folding clasp

Warranty - 1 year

Less Than A Week To Preorder!

We're coming down to the wire, with seven days left to preorder the Oberlin Watch Company's (Underground) Railroad Watch - the 1858.

Here is a quick rundown -

The preorder deposit is $58 US dollars and is non-refundable. The total price for those who do preorder will be $285 US. The watches are projected to ship in April. Keep in mind, that is a projection, not a guaranteed delivery date.

Once the preorder period is over, the price will be $385. The preorder will run until December 15.

Artistic Interpretation courtesy of D.N. Mason

The specifics:

The 1858 is a hand-winding watch. It is stainless steel, with a solid case back to allow for personalized engraving. The movement is made by Seagull, a Chinese manufacturer. The movement is the ST-3600, which is a clone of the ETA 6497.

The watches will be assembled and tested in the United States. The strap that the watches will ship with will be black. The blue strap in the image is strictly for rendering purposes.

The initial production will be for a minimum of 25 pieces with the potential for a larger series, up to 100 pieces. This will be dependent upon the number of preorders received.

Specs:

Case - stainless steel, 40 mm in diameter, solid case back

Movement - Seagull ST-3600

Strap - black leather with stainless steel folding clasp

Warranty - 1 year

Artistic Interpretation courtesy of D.N. Mason

You can preorder here -

https://oberlinwatch.com/products/1858-preorder-deposit