Disrupting Time: Industrial combat, espionage, and the downfall of a great American company

by Aaron Stark

In the fall of 1876, two Swiss spies came to America and conducted some of the most covert and consequential industrial espionage in history, changing the course of the global watch industry forever. Had the events of 1876 never happened, we would likely know little of Swiss watches today.

Disrupting Time is a true historical narrative of business strategy, espionage, and consequences. Set during the Centennial Exhibition in 1876, a great world’s fair in Philadelphia, it details the story of Jacques David and Theo Gribi. Having attended the Centennial Exhibition and witnessed the powerful Waltham Watch Company’s frighteningly novel assembly line exhibit, they knew it spelled the end of their Swiss industry. Rather than be deterred, Gribi and David were commissioned by the Society of Jura Industries, a Swiss trade association, to acquire the secrets of America’s technology sector – the American watch industry. They captured their intelligence in a 130-page report that would remain mostly secret until 1992. Disrupting Time details the never-before-told story of David and Gribi’s secrets and mission, showing how they used disguises, agent recruitments, and other classic espionage methods to steal the secrets of America’s technology sector of the era.

Disrupting Time details a fascinating tale of cutthroat competition, industrial espionage, societal development, and a great world’s fair using the archival reports and letters of the spies, the Waltham Watch Company, and records from the 1876 Centennial Exhibition. It specifically examines the years 1857 to 1900. This period catalyzed modern, industrial watch production and solidified the Swiss’ role as the world’s best watchmakers, a reputation which has endured through many subsequent chapters of their history. The competition in this era was so intense it was even referred to as “combat of industry” by contemporary observers. It is a chronicle of strategy, competition, espionage, decisions, and consequences that shaped the global watch market at the turn of the twentieth century. It is the account of a remarkable turn of events driven by cunning spies, visionary leaders, and strategic choices that put the Swiss and American watch industries on entirely different trajectories.

The themes of this book are explored through the eyes of Waltham, the Swiss watchmakers, and their main Royal Robbins, Ambrose Webster, Jacques David, Theophilus Gribi, and Edouard Favre-Perret. This is the story of industrial combat, an industry ‘broken apart’ and ‘thrown into disorder,’ and how a cottage industry of Swiss watchmakers organized to defeat an American industrial power.

About the Aaron Stark is the author of the book 'Disrupting Industrial combat, espionage, and the downfall of a great American company.' Before entering business, he was an assistant professor of economics, with a specialization in finance. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School with a focus on finance and business strategy, and a BS in Economics from West Point. He is a veteran of the US Army with two combat tours in Afghanistan, serving as an Apache helicopter pilot.

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2022

Reviews

[Kevin Postlewaite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history of the changes of the watch selling market at the turn of 19th/20th centuries. To my mind it attributes more responsibility for the changes to industrial espionage than I would but there's no question that the man at the center of the espionage drove the changes of the Swiss manufacturers, setting up their long dominance of the luxury watch market. I think the book undersells itself as an insightful case study of a dominant company losing the market it once owned as it failed to understand and navigate rapid changes in the market, as well as losing sight of what it was that people were buying.

[Chris Elkhill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story about a company I never knew existed. Light, entertaining read about Waltham Watch Co, who used to be the worldwide leader in the industry.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

When market leaders enjoy their new place rather than expanding markets and products, slowly competitors nip at their heels. Few competitors want to lose and will go to various lengths to overcome deficits. Bad management, poor development of a range of products (innovative), and too much self congratulatory garbage led to the slow demise of the US watch leader.

The book reads like an MBA term paper / competitive analysis. Very dry but informative . Sort of like the watches the author speaks of. Greater dimension of all the people (especially the Swiss who listened to the watch spies) would have enriched the story.

[Cathy Gorton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaron Stark: Our Book Club's Guest Author
Loved the book's story of corporate espionage, organizational dynamics, business strategies, leadership challenges and how much of this story is applicable to modern business practices. Even better, Aaron Stark accepted our Book Club invitation as our guest author, and we enjoyed an incredibly insightful discussion with him. He shared fascinating details about his research journey, the watch industry then and now, business strategies, and so much more. He connected on zoom with us and we learned even more. Thank you Aaron!!!

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this history to be fascinating. Although completely obvious in hindsight, it never occurred to me that importance of keeping time is a relatively modern concept!

It's interesting that the business strategy of a "decent product at a decent price" could run itself into the ground due to arrogance and refusal to consider other options. The business people on both the US and Swiss sides had plenty of opportunities to make different decisions.

This was a quick and engaging read for something that some may consider a dry subject.

[Patrick W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might be a little biased… I collect pocket watches and I love the Waltham Watch Company. So, when I heard a book was available that discussed the inner workings of the company and the era.… I was hooked.
I’ll keep my review “spoiler free”… But I can tell you the book satisfied all my expectations. I learned some historical points about the Waltham brand that I never knew and it was presented in an exciting way. Who knew antique watches and espionage went hand-in-hand. Pocket watches meet James Bond. Enjoy the book and have some popcorn ready.

[Haggai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't exactly say that Industrial Espionage was actually a major part of this book, but it is an amazing exploration of business strategy, branding, and how the swiss watch industry has actualy weathered a crisis not dissimilar to the Quartz crisis almost 100 years before - and survived in much the same way, by competing on luxury and not on affordability.

[Chris Odgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb book

This book will be a fascinating read for anyone interested in watches, business, or both. It also clearly shows the damage industrial espionage can wreak whether occurring in the US watch industry 150 years ago or in the US tech industry today.

[Andrew Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough history of US watchmaking at the turn of the century and the rise and downfall of an American industrial giant. Reinterprets the role Swiss visits to the US may have changed the industry. A compelling read sure to spark debate and discussion.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written and interesting historical account.

[Ron · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the worst written books I have ever tried to read. Could have been so much better