Albert H. Potter (1836-1908). Apprentice to Wood & Foley in Albany, from 1852 to 1855, when he established himself in New York, first at 19 John Street and later 84 Nassau Street. In addition to repair work, he made some 35 pocket chronometer movements, part with lever, part with detent escapements, which, once cased in gold were sold from $225 to $350. In 1861 he went to Cuba where he continued the same kind of work for five years, adding to his designs a quarter repeater and a form of duplex escapement. Back to New York, he took his first patent for an escapement in 1868 and soon after moved to the west. He remained in Minneapolis for a while and possibly also in Milwaukee, but by 1870, he was in Chicago. In 1872 he founded the firm Potter Brothers in partnership with his brother William Cleveland Potter. This association was dissolved in 1875 but the business was continued by W.C. Potter until his death. Albert Potter took a new patent on October 1875 for a compensation balance and improvements in escapements for watches, assigning one half of his rights to John H. IVlcMillan of Chicago who may have been in partnership with Potter in his early venture in Switzerland. During his residence in Chicago he designed and built a pocket chronometer which may be considered as his master piece. This watch was the prototype on which he made many in Geneva, where he settled and obtained his Permis d'Etablissement on 11th February 1876 and died , 23 rue Tronchin, on 25th January 1908.