Speidel

Speidel is a manufacturer of watchbands and related items based in East Providence, Rhode Island, United States.

Friedrich Speidel founded the Speidel Company in 1867. With an initial investment equivalent to $10, Speidel started making gold and silver chains with his wife, in the basement of his home in Pforzheim, Germany. He has been credited with developing the gold-over-metal method of manufacturing called "bi-metal" (also incorrectly known as gold "plating") which proved successful. In 1896 he built the company’s first factory, and installed state-of-the-art machines for the production of gold chain, previously manufactured entirely by hand.

Friedrich Speidel sent his three sons, Albert, Edwin and Eugene to America to establish a branch of the family’s jewelry chain manufacturing business. The Speidel Chain Company was officially founded in the United States in 1904.

By 1912 the Speidel brothers hired the architectural firm Monks and Johnson to design the company’s first headquarters. The five-story building, with its European-style front, was originally called the Doran-Speidel Building. In 1912 Edwin Speidel went on to found the Automatic Chain Company, which produced neck chain, chain-by-the-foot, and watch bracelets, most of their output being sold to watch manufacturers such as Bulova.

At first, only chain was made in the new facilities. During the 1920s, costume jewelry and watchbands were added to the line. Men’s watchbands surged in popularity due to their introduction and use in the military during World War I. In the early 1920s Albert Speidel formed Speidel Brothers, producing watch bracelets that were manufactured and sold primarily to wholesalers.

In 1928 the Speidel family in Germany and the brothers who lived in the United States, decided to merge all of the businesses into the Speidel Corporation in order to strengthen their position. The first president of Speidel Corporation was Albert Speidel, one of the Speidel brothers living in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1934 Paul Levinger was hired by Speidel Corporation as a plant foreman.

In 1937 Albert Speidel died at an early age from pneumonia. His brother Edwin, the founder of the Automatic Chain Company who had not been active in the Speidel Corporation up to this time became president of Speidel Corporation and Paul Levinger was made vice-president. At that time, the majority control of the business was held by the German family. However, in 1939, all of the shares held by the German stockholders were purchased by Edwin Speidel and Paul Levinger.

Watchband production was cut back during World War II when Speidel converted most of its facilities and started manufacturing cathode ray tubes for radar and other electronic applications. However Speidel came back strong in watchbands as soon as peace returned. In 1947 Speidel brought out its first modernized version of the scissor-type expansion band called the Golden Knight. It proved to be a tremendous success in the men’s watch bracelet field. The company also introduced elaborate packaging for its line of watch bracelets.

...
Wikipedia