Every good name has a story behind it. CTW finds its inspiration in one of the great Canadian manufacturing stories from World War Two.
Behind the Name
The story begins when Canada declared war on September 10, 1939. Canada, like every western democratic country, required firearms. The most pressing need was to arm thousands of volunteers who joined the Canadian military. The UK was in a similar situation after the collapse of France and the loss of weapons during the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. Unfortunately, Canada did not have a firearms manufacturing capability to meet this need.
On May 31, 1940, as the war raged in Europe, the Department of National Defense submitted a proposal to the government to build a domestic small arms manufacturing plant. By June 1940, DND received authorization to start construction at a site located just west of Toronto in the neighbourhood of Long Branch (part of modern day Mississauga, ON). This neighbourhood would give the manufacturing plant its iconic name Long Branch Arsenal.
In order to ensure this endeavour was properly managed a non-profit Crown Corporation, was created to spearhead the project. Construction started on an empty plot of land co-located with an existing rifle range 20 August 1940. There where extreme challenges turning this empty lot into a small arms manufacturing center. Yet in only 10 months by July 1941 a manufacturing facility of 81,000 sq. ft was built (later growing to 212,000 sq. ft) a monumental achievement.
Shipments started with 200 rifles sent to Europe in September 1941. Rifle production reached 25,000 per month by 1942 and by the end of the factories production run in 1945 roughly 1,000,000 rifles had been produced to aide the war effort.
By any standard, Long Branch Arsenal was a success. For an initial investment of $8,500,000 to build the factory, the business generated nearly $44,000,000 in sales. Employees enjoyed good pay, health benefits, and working conditions. This created an opportunity for better housing, schools, and an expanded industrialized economy for local citizens.
Just like Long Branch Arsenal, Crescent Town Watches gets its name from the local community here in Toronto that our manufacturing was initially established.
CTW represents the best of watchmaking in Canada. We do this by manufacturing our own designs and representing our partners as an authorized dealer. We want to employ as many Canadians as possible in stable, good paying jobs to make our community and country strong. We are Canada’s Watchmaker. We are Canada’s Watchmaker.
Unlike other brands who contract their designs out to Switzerland or Asia for production we try to produce as much as we can in-house here in Canada. A portion of the proceeds on watches purchased go towards the goal of meeting the highest standard of Canadian Production as defined by the Canadian Competition Bureau “Product of Canada”. The label "Product of Canada" means at least 98% of the total production or manufacturing costs were incurred in Canada, and virtually all major ingredients or components are of Canadian origin.
Just like with Long Branch Arsenal setting up production like this is incredibly difficult. We are currently working towards this goal but not there yet. With your support we believe this is a goal that can be achieved by our team. We would like to truly thank all of those who support us by purchasing our watches and helping built out the Canadian watchmaking industry.
