New Departure Arrives

The ball bearing manufacturer New Departure got its start in 1888 when brothers Albert and Edward Rockwell devised a clockwork-powered doorbell and started their business in the clock-making town of Bristol Conn. They tried their hand at all sorts of bell-related products and other metal fabrication. As the bicycle boom hit they went on to make bicycle accessories- bells at first- and invented the coaster brake in 1897-98. Before bearings, this was the product that the company became known for.