Elgin’s rare American-made 27 and 30 jewel automatic watches, 1959-1963

In the final years of American watchmaking, Elgin launched a “chronometer-quality”¹ line of luxury 27- and 30-jewel self-winding watches. Made of materials such as stainless steel and solid gold, some were more expensive than a Rolex. Widely considered the only American-designed and made automatic watches, self-winding Elgins are often called the “Forgotten Masterpieces.”² This site provides the first comprehensive guide to these rare watches.