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| RGM Watch Company |
The United States isn't exactly a hotbed of watchmaking. Granted, there are always exceptions, but in general one would be hard-pressed to count American watch companies on two hands. And of those that could be named, the management offices might be located in the States though the watches themselves are invariably produced in the Far East or are "Swiss made." A proud moniker for a watch to wear, to be sure, but there is something very courageous about starting a luxury watch company in the United States and not falling back on this certain sign of quality as it is seen today.
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Roland Murphy is certainly courageous. Originally hailing from Maryland, he discovered at a fairly early age that he has a natural talent with his hands. From woodworking at a vocational school he then began to make cabinets at a clock company, finally moving on to constructing his own clocks. At this point his proclivity for watch and clock movements became apparent, and he went to Lancaster, Pennsylvania's Bowman Technical School and then to Neuchatel, Switzerland, to graduate from the famed Wostep program. A few years with one of the industry's biggest names, the SMH (now the Swatch Group), taught him the rest of what he needed to know about the watch business. Here he learned the important features of design, marketing, and business.
In the early 1990s he took that final step and started his own company, his collection soon freely disposing of almost all complications known today. Murphy's rectangular beveled case, first introduced in 1994 and unique to the RGM brand, has become the identifying trait of his William Penn collection, a series of watches created to honor the memory of William Penn and the state of Pennsylvania.
Expansion is the order of the day at RGM. Recently moving into new premises in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, the company now employs three full-time watchmakers alongside Murphy as well as an in-house art director for all of the non-horological creative work that any watch company must be able to complete well in addition to its chief task of making watches.
The historical building, from the 1930s era, now housing RGM was originally a bank, providing more than enough space for these watchmakers to breathe life into mechanical parts made of precious metals. One big advantage of being in a former bank is the huge safe still located on the premises, which has been duly decorated by the company's art director. Murphy has financed such expansion projects by becoming the U.S. service center for such top-quality brands as Girard-Perregaux and JeanRichard. Custom-made watches can also be ordered
from RGM, completely according to the specifications of the customer, a rarity in the United States, and in fact anywhere else, in this quality. While the predicate "Swiss made"
might be worth its weight in gold for most watch companies, Roland Murphy displays the only predicate he needs on his dials: "RGM."
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RGM Watch Comapny
801 West Main St.
Mount Joy, Pa 17552 USA
ph. 717 - 653 - 9799
fax. 717 - 653 -9770
www.rgmwatches.com
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