In the 1850's, Agassiz passed control of his company to his nephew, Ernest Francillon. In 1832, Auguste Agassiz began selling etablissage-produced watches under the name 'Agassiz & Compagnie' and was particularly successful selling those watches in North America. Watches were produced using the 'etablissage' method, where individual tradesman working out of small studios or their homes would produce parts (or sub-assemblies) which were then assembled and sold under the auspices of a single brand. In the early 1800's Swiss watchmaking was truly a cottage-industry.