1850

Northwestern University is founded by John Evans, the namesake of Evanston, Illinois. John Evans will go on to become an investor in the Cornell Watch Company and his sister-in-law will marry Paul Cornell.

1850

A.L. Dennison, the father of American watchmaking, pioneers the American System of Watch Manufacturing to make the first entirely American-made watch, leveraging mechanization, supply chain integration and interchangeable parts. By the end of the 19th century, the United States is the leading producer of watches in the world.

1861

Paul Cornell founds Hyde Park seven miles south of the Chicago River as a resort community connected to Chicago and the rest of the country via the Illinois Central Railroad.

1862

John C. Adams, co-founder of the Cornell Watch Company, is appointed official time keeper for all railroads centering in Chicago. John C. Adams would later develop the Adams’ System of Time Records to ensure accuracy for all watchmakers producing railroad watches for the primary, national railroads.

1864

John C. Adams founds the National Watch Company in Elgin, Illinois. For over 100 years, the National Watch Company, later renamed the Elgin National Watch Company, would be one of the largest watch manufactures in the world, producing 60 million watches.

1871

The Cornell Watch Company develops the first entirely American-made ladies stem winding pocket watch, touted as "perhaps, in finish and originality of design, one of the greatest improvements of the age."

Excerpt from The Watch Factories of America, Past and Present by Henry G. Abbott. 1888

1872

Charles L. Kidder, the co-founder of the International Watch Company (IWC), returns to the United States from Schaffhausen to run the Cornell Watch Company with Paul Cornell.

1873

In the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the Panic of 1873, the Cornell Watch Company investors step away and Paul Cornell assumes almost all company stock.

1874

In an attempt to save the company, Paul Cornell and 60 employees move the Cornell Watch Company to San Francisco, California.

1876

The Centennial International Exposition is held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, introducing the world to the American System of Watch Manufacturing and forever changing the Swiss watchmaking industry.

1876

The Cornell Watch Company is renamed the California Watch Company and moves operations to Berkeley, California.

1893

The World’s Columbian Exposition is held in Hyde Park, Chicago, bringing 25 million people, made possible by Paul Cornell’s vision and Hyde Park’s accessibility to the whole country via railroad.

1894

The former Assistant Superintendent of the Cornell Watch Company arrives in Japan as the Chief Supervisor of the Osaka Watch Company to introduce the manufacturing of pocket watches through the American System of Watch Manufacturing.  Modeled off the Cornell Watch Company railroad pocket watch, the Osaka Watch Company creates Japan’s first entirely Japanese-made pocket watch, launching modern Japanese watchmaking.