Great things often have small, even inauspicious beginnings. The Keystone Standard Watch Company was only in business for five years, and in that time they produced a relatively small number of timepieces. The company was finally forced to file for bankruptcy in 1891 and was later sold at a sheriff's sale to a group of investors from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. These experienced entrepreneurs wanted to build high-quality timepieces in America. Before this time, almost all of the top watchmaking firms were located in Europe.