John Martin Bostwick and John Martin Bostwick, jr were the jewelers and proprietors of John M. Bostwick & Son, the oldest business house in the City of Port Washington Wisconsin from 1870 through 1933.

In 1888 J. M. Bostwick, sr. opened the Wisconsin Chair Company which eventually provided half of Port Washington’s jobs, which led to a surge almost doubling the city’s population. In 1899 the Wisconsin Chair Company caught fire and created a conflagration that burned down half of Port Washington. The business was insured and rebuilt an even larger factory in a location with direct access to the railroad.

The pocket watch movement has what could appear to be an after-market engraving "J. M. Bostwick Port Washington Wis". It should still be considered a true private label because if the Seth Thomas Watch Company didn’t actually perform the private label engraving, they certainly participated by leaving their own standard movement markings off of the movement.

An obituary for John Martin Bostwick, jr., who pre-deceased his father read: “He died at age 60. John was the son of J.M. Bostwick, Sr, President of the Wisconsin Chair Company. He was born in Port Washington. He took jewelry and engraving and had been proprietor of the J.M. Bostwick Jewelry Company for 35 years. He is survived by his wife Daisy, his father, a brother Ed, five sisters, Mrs Nellie Ramsey, Mrs Otto Pfeil, Mrs Ione Fairbands, Mrs Allen Cady, Mrs Harry Henery.”