Waltham Watch Company established at Waltham

Background. Aaron Lufkin Dennison, an American watchmaker and businessman, originated the idea for the Waltham Watch Company. In 1853, the name of the company was changed to the Boston Watch Company. The move to Waltham was facilitated by the Waltham Improvement Company, established by Dennison, through which local residents contributed funds for land and improvements.

Relocation to Waltham. In 1854, the company moved to a new factory in Waltham, Massachusetts. One hundred acres of land were purchased, and a building was constructed. Operations commenced in 1854. The Waltham Improvement Company, established by Dennison, contributed funds for land and improvements. This relocation marked the beginning of the Waltham Watch Company's operations in its new location.

Manufacturing in Waltham. The Waltham Watch Company opened its factory in Waltham in 1854 and was the first company to make watches on an assembly line. Waltham itself was an early center for the labor movement and a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution, and was a prototype for 19th-century industrial city planning, spawning the Waltham-Lowell system of labor and production.