waltham pocket watch
The Waltham Pocket Watch company of Waltham, Massachusetts, began in 1857 after the acquisition of a failed watch company by Royal E. Robbins. By 1881, Waltham was thriving, as reported in the Scientific American newspaper:
“There are 3 1/4 miles of work benches, mostly made of cherry plank, 2 feet wide and 2 inches thick. There are 4,700 pulleys; 8,000 feet of wall rods; 10,000 feet of main shafting, and 39,000 feet of belting, varying in width from 2 inches to 2 feet. All this machinery is driven by Corliss engine of 125 horse power.