The Seth Thomas Watch Company produced pocket watches in many various Seth Thomas grades. Among those Seth Thomas grades there are only four Seth Thomas Named Grades, Maiden Lane, Henry Molineux, Centennial, and Century. Aside from Seth Thomas and these four Named Grades, any other name engraved on a Seth Thomas pocket watch movement or pocket watch dial is a private label movement or private label dial. The highest quality Seth Thomas Named Grade is Maiden Lane, and the next highest quality grade is Henry Molineux. Centennial and Century grades each have strengths that the other does not. Centennial grade has certain more sophisticated components and interesting variations, and was manufactured in many higher grades than Century grade movements. Century grade, despite being considered the most basic grade, is a sturdy work horse that was manufactured in many beautiful variations, and it takes a licking but  keeps on ticking.  It is no wonder that so many people from the gilded age, and the many generations of pocket watch owners and collectors since then have truly loved their Seth Thomas pocket watches from each of the named grades.

From an historical perspective the lower quality named grade movements are actually more significant than the higher quality named grade movements in that they made up the vast majority of the consumer population’s experience of Seth Thomas named grade pocket watches. There were far more Century grade pocket watches sold from the catalog of Sears, Roebuck & Company than there were Maiden Lane and Henry Molineux grade pocket watches ever produced, by many multiples of times. If you consider the multitude of all private label watches manufactured in the Century grade; their impact, in terms of consumer contact with any of the Seth Thomas product lines, was quite huge.