Here’s a brand you don’t see often enough — Clinton. Founded in Chicago during 1920s, Clinton Watch Company began not as a true manufacture, but as an entity that imported high-end Swiss watch components and assembled them domestically. Although they officially relocated to Switzerland in the 1960s, they spiraled into insolvency alongside countless peers, all victims of the quartz crisis.

This 17 jewel Clinton has a remarkably unusual dial. People often talk of ‘linen’ dials, but we can’t recall ever seeing a dial that resembles the material as closely as this Clinton. Speaking of the dial, if you take a close look under 6 o’clock, you’ll see the word “Germany”. Kind of odd for an American-Swiss watchmaker, no? Well, Clinton occasionally imported movements from Germany, making them one of few American companies to do so at that time.