Why the founding fathers' watches still matter to collectors

The Founding Fathers' watches still matter to collectors because colonial-era pocket watches were ultra-rare luxury objects whose artisanal finishing, provenance, and design mirror today's independent watchmaking renaissance. Experts say these timepieces reveal how America's founders valued precision, taste, and craftsmanship at the highest level. Antiquarian horologist Richard Newman tells Robb Report that understanding why the Founding Fathers prized these timepieces reframes modern collecting—from Washington's Parisian Lépine to Jefferson's Monticello experiments.

Key Takeaways

• Colonial American watches were extraordinarily rare; only the very wealthy could afford a personal timekeeper.
• Washington bought elite French horology and may have been the first commander to coordinate a military attack with a watch.
• Jefferson corresponded with Philadelphia watchmaker Robert Leslie and designed a Monticello clock movement.
• 18th-century production involved 80 to 130 specialized craftsmen—paralleling today's ébauche supply chains.
• Newman urges collectors to study cases, dials, engraving, and proportions—not movements alone.

Why Do Founding Fathers' Watches Matter to Collectors Today?

It is easy to assume American watchmaking begins with Waltham, Elgin, or Hamilton—or that fine horology belongs almost entirely to Switzerland. Decades before industrial America transformed global watchmaking, the Founding Fathers lived in a world where mechanical timekeeping represented the pinnacle of craftsmanship, technology, and taste.

Richard Newman, an antiquarian horologist who runs colonialwatches.com, calls colonial watchmaking "the highest level of technology, pure magic that was ever done." That rarity is why collectors should care. Today's enthusiasm for independent watchmakers, artisanal finishing, and provenance has surprising parallels to the late 18th century.

Newman sees the current renaissance of small-scale makers as a return to an earlier ideal—when the maker who signed a watch actually had hands on the work.

What Made Colonial American Watchmaking So Rare?

Documentation is scarce, and surviving examples are even scarcer. Newman says probate records and newspaper advertisements suggest pocket-watch production in British America probably dates to the 1760s, but almost none survive with definitive provenance.

Colonial watchmaking existed largely as finishing and assembly. American makers relied on unfinished movements imported from England. Newman explains that 80 to 130 individuals could be involved before a watchmaker regulated, finished, assembled, and signed the completed piece.

For collectors accustomed to discussing ébauches today, the model feels familiar. The same discerning eye that guides buyers exploring luxury real estate and dream homes applies here: provenance, craftsmanship, and design integrity define value.

What Did Washington and Jefferson Seek in a Watch?

George Washington coveted French horology, purchasing watches from Paris when French design represented the height of fashion. Acquiring a watch by Jean-Antoine Lépine placed him among the best-informed collectors of his day. "Getting a Lépine was… wow. You're talking Ferrari," Newman says.

Washington also understood precision's practical value. According to Newman, he was likely the first military commander to coordinate an attack using a watch during the Revolutionary War.

Thomas Jefferson corresponded with Philadelphia watchmaker Robert Leslie and designed the movement for a Monticello clock—though Newman notes Jefferson "was a crappy clock designer" and the piece did not run well.

How Should Collectors Evaluate 18th-Century Watches?

Newman argues collectors should approach 18th-century watches as decorative art as much as engineering. "Watches are fashion, jewelry, status, phenomenal design, decorative arts," he says. The same goldsmiths creating luxury objects for aristocratic clients were also producing watches.

Newman suggests studying case proportions, dial quality, engraving, materials, and design balance. Makers such as Thomas Harland, John Cairns, Robert Leslie, and Henry Voight worked from imported components, but their reputations rested on finishing and execution—much like today's independent watchmakers.

Peel back the onion, Newman says, and conversations about independents, craftsmanship, and provenance look remarkably familiar, 250 years later.