Are Ingersoll watches Swiss-made?

Although Ingersoll watches are not Swiss-made, there are a couple of Ingersoll watches that use Swiss movements. Ingersoll does not meet up with Switzerland’s Trademark standards and therefore cannot be labeled Swiss-made.

Ingersoll invented the “dollar watch” which was the cheapest watch at the time. These watches cost only a dollar, hence the nickname. 

The company didn’t stop there as they went ahead to accomplish more firsts and made huge advancements in the watchmaking industry such as the smallest existing pocket watch, the first glow in the dark watch, the first-ever military watch, and the first character watch (commissioned by Disney to feature Mickey Mouse).

Where are Ingersoll watches made?

Along with the constant change of ownership, Ingersoll has been forced to continually change its production location. But since its partnership with Waterbury Watch Company, they have remained in London.

Ingersoll watches are now made and assembled in Zeon Limited’s London Factory. The factory is located in Apsley Way, London.

The watches are manufactured and assembled there. The Zeon Limited factory was formerly located in France, but because it became such an expensive location to operate from, they relocated to London.

The Headquarters of Ingersoll Watch Company is located in Virginia, USA.
This is where the administrative functions take place. The licensing agreement between Ingersoll and Zeon allows the watch Company to supervise the production of watches on behalf of the brand.

Who Own Ingersoll Watches?

Ingersoll Watch Company was founded in 1871 by two brothers, Robert Hawley and Charles Henry Ingersoll. Based in New York, each watch was initially produced by hand until 1892 when Ingersoll developed a production line for pocket watches and wristwatches.

The ownership of Ingersoll Watch Company has been transferred to different watch groups throughout the years. The company has also experienced its fair share of bankruptcy, but somehow it’s managed to stick around. 

It is currently owned by Zeon watches, a British subsidiary of the Hong Kong-based company, Herald Group. The brand originated in the United States of America in the late 1800s. 

Zeon watches provide sourcing, product development, quality assurance and compliance, and Marketing services for Ingersoll watches, as the trademark owner. Zeon has its own in-house testing labs as well as close working relationships with internationally accredited testing laboratories. The watch company is a market leader in the licensed character timepiece business. The company also owns brands like Braun, Vivienne Westwood, and Jack Wills.

Does the Ingersoll watch use a Swiss movement?

Ingersoll features some Swiss movement in a few of their limited edition watches.
The company uses mostly Chinese and Japanese movements. 

Ingersoll features a mix of quartz, Mechanical and Automatic movements for their watches, and some of these movements are the Miyota and Seiko movements. In fact, a whopping 75% of Ingersoll watches are powered by Seiko movements.

Swiss ETA movement is found in limited editions such as the Ingersoll Trenton watch. So yes, Ingersoll uses Swiss watches, but for only a small percentage of their watches.

Do Ingersoll watches have Swiss parts?

This watch brand does not make use of Swiss Parts.

The use of Swiss parts will further imply that there is a possibility of Ingersoll watches being Swiss-made. The parts used to make Ingersoll watches are gotten from Japan, Hong Kong, and China.

Are the watches still made in the London factory? 

When Ingersoll watch Company was founded (formerly RH Ingersoll and Bro company), the Ingersoll brothers had their watches produced by Waterbury Watch Company.

RH and Bro ran into bankruptcy after World War 1, when there was a great fall in the economies of many countries. It was at this time that the company was purchased by Waterbury Watch Company. The watch production was then moved to Britain.

After the Second World War, the company joined Smiths Industries Limited and Vickers Armstrong in setting up the Anglo-Celtic Company. The first model of this watch was branded as Ingersoll Triumph and Smiths Empire. Ingersoll Limited pulled out of this venture in 1969. The watches produced during this period were manufactured near Swansea, Wales.

Since then, there have been many administrative changes that have taken place within the company. 

The production of watches now takes place in London, within a watchmaking factory owned by Zeon Limited.

Does Ingersoll have a Swiss-made model?

Ingersoll has a couple of Swiss-made models.

One such watch is the limited edition Trenton Ltd Watch. The watch is 43 mm in diameter, and 11 mm thick. The crown is made of stainless steel and the watch is powered by a Swiss ETA Quartz movement. The strap material is made of Genuine Horween Leather and has a water resistance of 10 ATM.

Some models of women’s watches are powered by the Swiss movement. They are all vintage pieces and have been produced since before Ingersoll moved to Britain. Ingersoll has a large collection of vintage watches and these vintage pieces are also affordable.

Are Ingersoll watches good?

Ingersoll has shown resilience, even more than some older brands. Although not the most high-quality of watches, these watches are affordable and look presentable. They are classed as a medium brand with many watches under $600.

These watches are not very high quality, but they are also inexpensive. The quality of their watches was once good, but ever since they decided to opt for Chinese movements, there has been a noticeable drop in the quality of watches produced. The quality of Chinese movements has improved greatly, but it hasn’t reached the expectation of watch enthusiasts. Ingersoll watches are a fair enough deal for their price range, but in the area of durability, the watches don’t just cut it.

Conclusion

Ingersoll is a well-known watch brand that has been continuously producing watches since the late 1880s.
The brand has a mixture of mechanical and quartz watches to offer, along with modern designs and heritage models. 

No longer owned by an American company, Ingersoll has been a household name for years. They have an interesting history, bound up with Timex, Smiths, and other watch groups.