The idea for the Waltham Watch Company came from watchmaker Aaron Lufkin Dennison. In 1833 he became a journeyman watchmaker with Currier & Trott in Boston, Massachusetts, leaving in 1839 to go into business for himself. He also studied under Tubal Hone, considered the best watchmaker in America at the time. He also created the Dennison Gauge which became the "US Standard" gauge used to accurately measure different parts of watches. Dennison had the idea to make watches using machinery utilizing interchangeable parts. This was to reduce the expense of repairing watches.