Halda

The factory distinguished itself through a level of vertical integration rare for the period. All movement components, including the jewels, were produced in-house rather than sourced from Swiss suppliers. Halda developed 18 distinct calibers, each identified by a single letter rather than a number, with models ranging from the entry-level Export caliber to the high-grade H model with 19 jewels and a patent regulator. The Z caliber was the most frequently produced, accounting for approximately 20 percent of total output. All movements used a Swiss lever escapement with free-standing lever pallets, and most were Lepine (open-face) configurations. Only the L and R models were produced as Savonnette (hunter) versions with protective covers.

At the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Halda received two medals - an early validation of the factory's technical standards on an international stage. Total pocket watch production over the factory's entire operating life reached approximately 8,000 pieces, reflecting the intensive labour of a manufacturing process that involved around 3,000 distinct production elements and testing stages for each watch.

Hammarlund diversified early. From 1890 onward the factory also manufactured typewriters and taximeters, and the taximeter division proved particularly consequential. The Halda taximeter became the only approved meter for London's taxi fleet for several decades from around 1902, making it a significant export product at a time when London's cab trade was growing rapidly. When demand for pocket watches declined after World War One, the watch division could no longer sustain itself financially and closed in 1917. Halda Fickursfabrik was formally declared bankrupt in 1920. The company then split: AB Halda Fabriker continued producing typewriters, while Fabriks AB Halda taximeter carried on with the meters. A third line of succession passed through AB Urfabriken (ABU), which was formed in 1921 by Carl Borgström, who had worked at Halda since 1904 and purchased remaining watch parts and machinery. ABU eventually pivoted to fishing tackle and became one of the world's largest fishing reel manufacturers, today known as ABU-Garcia, still based in Svängsta.

On the Nordic auction market, Halda pocket watches appear predominantly at Bukowskis Stockholm, which accounts for roughly a third of the 36 items indexed on Auctionist. The top recorded sale reached 36,500 SEK for a 50mm silver pocket watch. The majority of the Halda material circulating at auction falls under watches and miscellaneous categories, with some items sold as sets of movement parts - reflecting the collector interest in both complete watches and the mechanical components themselves. Individual silver-cased examples typically trade in the 1,500-2,500 SEK range at Swedish auction houses.