The Dollar Watch
The Dollar Watch was introduced around 1885 for $1 and produced for about a hundred years by various manufacturers, making it the cheapest mechanical watch ever produced, affordable to all people. Before this pocket watch was introduced, watches were only affordable to the well-to-do. It was probably the most mass-produced mechanical timepiece in history. Like the Model-T Ford, the Dollar Watch changed the lives of millions of Americans. It was also remarkably well made, considering its low cost. Having no jewels, it was not as fragile as more expensive timepieces, so it could be worn, for example, by workers in the fields and in the factories. The example below is an Ingraham from 1965. The last photo shows a good example of the Pin-Pallet Escapement. Notice that the pin-pallet fork is poised (it has a counter-weight, so its weight distribution is balanced).
