Lancashire Watch was built to fight American factories — bankrupt in 21 years

Until the late 19th century, Prescot in Lancashire was the centre of English watchmaking. Workers made parts in small cottage workshops and were paid by piece work. The American System of Watch Manufacturing, used by Waltham and others, produced watches at much lower prices, and the Swiss industry was doing the same. Prescot's traditional trade was in decline.

In 1889, Thomas P. Hewitt founded the Lancashire Watch Company to revive the local industry. A large factory was built to produce complete watches under one roof, emulating the American factory system. The watches were designed more like American models than traditional English fusee watches.

The company struggled from the start. It could not achieve the economies of scale of its American and Swiss competitors, who had larger factories, more advanced machinery, and more efficient production systems. The Lancashire Watch Company could not make a profit.

In 1910, just 21 years after its founding, the company went bankrupt and ceased operations. The attempt to revive English watchmaking through factory production had failed against the industrial scale of its global competitors.