In 1869 F.A. Jones rented the first factory premises in an industrial building owned by J.H. Moser at the Rheinstrasse. Having to rent further rooms in the Oberhaus By 1874 plans were already being made for a new factory and a site was purchased from Moser's hydroelectric company. Schaffhausen architect, G. Meyer, won the order to design and build the factory. A year later, in the spring of 1875, the construction work was completed. At first, 196 people worked in the 45 meter long factory, which could accommodate up to 300 workplaces. However, F.A Jones had trouble selling the watches in America due to tariffs, financing, and technical machine problems. By 1875, stockholders alleged that the company was on the verge of collapse, and Jones scrambled to find new investors. The company eventually filed for bankruptcy, and Jones was forced to relinquish control of the company.
