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Watchmaker profile

John Harwood

John Harwood patented a self-winding wristwatch mechanism using a limited-travel oscillating weight and a rotating bezel for hand setting. 2

Patent names Harwood in Baldrine, Isle of Man. No blanket claim to invent all automatic watches; the US grant date is not the Swiss grant date.

At a glance

Dates
1893–1964

The watchmaking story

Useful places to start with John Harwood's work include US1576120A, Wrist watch and other watch (filed 1923 and granted 1926). 2

Sources associate John Harwood with Harwood Self-Winding Watch Company, although the precise role remains unresolved. 123

Recognition: British Horological Institute Gold Medal, 1957

Scope: Direct watchmaking

Why this person is included

Documented original work

Background and working context

Affiliations and workshops: Harwood Self-Winding Watch Company

Documented origin: United Kingdom

Geographic ties: United Kingdom; Isle of Man; Switzerland. Documented workplace / industry location

Brands, workshops, and other relationships

  1. Watch brand / watchmaking business · Inherited source-linked record; relationship classification reviewed, sources not reopened

    Harwood Self-Winding Watch Company — Association — role unresolved. Watchmaker / inventor 123

    Legacy affiliation: Harwood Self-Winding Watch Company. Person-level contribution: Patented a self-winding wristwatch mechanism using a limited-travel oscillating weight and a rotating bezel for hand setting.

    Original affiliation wording: Harwood Self-Winding Watch Company. No present-day employment or ownership inferred.

Evidence and limitations

This dossier connects 3 field-specific evidence records with 3 public sources. Known links only; full career not established; unresolved relationship(s) remain

Sources

  1. John Harwood (watchmaker)Wikipedia · Encyclopedia / tertiary · Last edited 2025-10-23

    [S0132] Wikipedia. "John Harwood (watchmaker)." Last edited 2025-10-23. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harwood_(watchmaker) Accessed 2026-09-13.

    Source context

    Relationship to subject: Tertiary compilation

    How it was checked: Page opened; relevant text read

  2. US1576120A — Wrist watch and other watchJohn Harwood · United States patent record / Google Patents · Patent / primary technical record · 1926-03-09

    [S0177] John Harwood. United States patent record / Google Patents. "US1576120A — Wrist watch and other watch." 1926-03-09. https://patents.google.com/patent/US1576120A/en Accessed 2026-09-13.

    Source context

    Relationship to subject: Patent names the individual inventor

    How it was checked: Page opened; relevant text read

    Limitation: HTML patent text and metadata read. Filing, priority and grant dates are different events; the record does not establish an uncontested worldwide first.

  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harwood_(watchmaker) https://patents.google.com/patent/US1576120A/enlinked source

Corrections and stronger evidence

Names, dates, and workshop relationships can change as archives are digitised. If you have a primary source that clarifies this record, use the correction process.

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