The only number found on the watch is "4", which is punched on the pillar plate, among other parts, in the manner that Elgin employed in its other movements. The official Elgin ledger starts with serial No. 101, with the first 100 watches apparently having been set aside for presentation pieces for important dignitaries.Frederick Ferdinand Low (1828-1894), a Representative from California, was born in Frankfort (now Winterport), Maine, and moved to California, where in 1849 he entered the shipping business in San Francisco. In 1854, Low moved to Marysville, California, where he worked as a banker before entering Congress in June of 1862. One year later, he was appointed collector of the port of San Francisco, and later that year became Governor of California, an office he held until 1867.On September 28, 1869, Low accepted an appointment to be the United States Minister to China, a position he held until 1874. With the title of "Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary", he sailed from San Francisco on February 1, 1870, presenting his Credentials on April 27, 1870. Low continued in this position in China until July of 1873.ElginThe National Watch Company of Chicago, Illinois was established in 1864 by Benjamin W. Raymond, Howard Z. Culver, George M. Wheeler, Philo Carpenter, Thomas S. Dickerson, Edward H. Williams and W. Robbins, who jointly contributed capital in the amount of $100,000.That same year, representatives of the company visited Waltham Watch Co. When they left, they were accompanied by seven of Waltham's key employees, later known as the "Seven Stars". At the time, the Stars did not come cheap: $5,000 a year for 5 years, with a $5,000 bonus each and one acre of land. However, as the saying goes, "what comes around goes around," and in 1870, Elgin lost "Five Stars" to The Illinois Watch Co.A year after its creation, the company was reorganized with capital of $500,000 and a plant was built in Elgin, Illinois, hometown of the company's president, B.W. Raymond. The preparation and organization of Elgin's production took two years, and the first watch, named B.W. Raymond, was produced on April 1, 1867. It was an expensive watch, which sold for US $117. (This watch is now in the Elgin City Museum).During the next few years Elgin's production increased and more models were launched, including keywound middle quality grade watches. In 1873, the company released its first keyless watch.Although named The National Watch Co., the firm was known in the trade as Elgin. In 1874, the name was changed accordingly to "The Elgin National Watch Company". In 1877, Elgin launched its first nickel movement and a year later a new model was released in a so-called convertible (cabriolet) case, which could be worn either as a hunter or open face, the latter being similar to, but more robust, than those produced by the Europeans since the 1850's.Elgin's production steadily increased, and by 1890 the company employed over 3,000 workers, with an equal number of men and women. Their salaries, however, were not equal, with women earning half of the earnings of their male counterparts, which came to about $6 per week.After Waltham, Elgin was the second largest American watch producer, with a yearly output of over 500,000 watches. What set these two firms apart was their internal structure. Elgin was organized by businessmen, whereas Waltham was organized by watchmakers. At Elgin, therefore, the emphasis was placed on efficiency from a business standpoint, which quickly helped establish the company as a leading U.S. watch manufacturer, in many ways relying on Waltham's image and reputation. After the Seven Strs, there were many other average workmen who left Waltham in search of higher pay at Elgin. This gave the company credibility and consequently allowed it to raise much needed capital. Furthermore, focusing its production on relatively inexpensive, middle grade, yet reliable watches gave Elgin the edge in conquering a significant sector of the American market. Focusing its attention on the middle grade watch did not, however, mean forgetting the higher end watches, many examples of which can beound on the following pages of this auction catalogue.