Florentine Ariosto Jones: A Yankee in Switzerland and the Early Globalization of the American System of Watchmaking

This book recounts the story of Florentine Ariosto Jones, who after the Civil War decided to manufacture watches. Combining the cheap labor available at the time in Switzerland with US manufacturing technologies, Jones embarked on his venture to produce affordable watches for the American market. Consequently, he became a pioneer in the business of outsourcing labor for economic purposes through his contracting of labor to Europe.

While the company still exists today, very little is known about Jones. The present book will undoubtedly change this by telling the fascinating story of an American adventurer and his pursuit to globalize American watchmaking at the end of the 19th Century.

List of Figures and Tables

Foreword by David R. Seyffer

Introduction

1. A Short History of American Watchmaking until the Civil War

2. The Civil War, Jones, and the Birth of an Idea

3. Jones and the International Watch Company

3.1. The Swiss Context

3.2. Jones and His Watch Company

3.3. Home Made and Global Problems

Conclusion

Index

Dr. Frank Jacob is Professor of Global History (19th and 20th Centuries) at Nord University, Norway. He has authored and edited more than 60 books and his research foci include Japanese History, Military History, and the History of the Transatlantic Left.

global economic history, history of globalization