Worn & Wound
Time Through the Ages, Part 4: The Waltham Watch Company – A Seismic Disruption in Time
Editor’s Note: Time Through the Ages is a four part series written by Andrew Canter, member of the British Horological Institute, Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers, and the British Watch & Clock Makers Guild. In this fourth and final installment of the series, Andrew examines the dramatic leap forward in watch manufacturing made by the Waltham Watch Company, and how the Swiss watch industry responded. For more from Andrew, check out his work at Mr. WatchMaster. “Had the Philadelphia Exhibition taken place five years later, we should have been totally annihilated without knowing whence or how we received the terrible blow. We have believed ourselves masters of the situation, when we really have been on a volcano.” Edouard Favre-Perret, Swiss Member of the International Jury Have you ever heard of Jacques David or Theophilus (Théodore) Gribi? How about Ambrose Webster? They were the key protagonists in the fascinating story of the rise of American watchmaking and subsequent potential demise of Swiss watchmaking. It’s a story of industrial espionage and spying that changed the course of the global watch industry forever. The Centennial Exhibition of 1876 took place in Philadelphia and was the first official World’s Fair to be held in the United States, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Almost 10 million visitors attended the exposition, with 37 countries participating. Centennial Exhibiti...
