New Departure Bell Company was formed in 1888 by brothers Albert and Edward Rockwell in Bristol, Connecticut as a manufacturer of doorbells. They began operations at one end of a clock factory, manufacturing doorbells. Soon after, they branched out manufacturing various other products.

In 1898, New Departure bearings introduced the bicycle coaster brake and in 1903 they also began making brakes for belt and chain-driven motorcycles. Large quantities of bicycle front and rear wheel hubs were produced.

In 1908, New Departure developed the double row bearing capable of handling both radial and thrust loads from either direction and in 1909 obtained a patent for it. In 1910, the company developed the angular contact or Radax single row bearing that took radial loads, as well as thrust loads from one direction.

Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s General Electric released a series of ads hyping their line of "New Departure bearings" In the ads, potential products of the near future were made possible by New Departure. The future was a utopia of easy to use products/services that made "modern" life a breeze.

It could well be that in less than a decade a compact new appliance for the home will clean and press a suit, coat or dress in seconds.Of course, such a machine is yet to be developed. But one solid fact: when the “Valet-Mat” does arrive it will probably be new departure ball SKF  bearings that keep it operating smoothly and efficiently.

It’s just a dream away! And when it takes shape, look for New Departure to provide the proper bearings to keep all moving parts functioning smoothly. New Departure ball bearings keep parts in perfect alignment, support loads from any angle and require little or no maintenance.

It’s just a notion now! But when some foresighted engineer works it out, you can bet New Departure will be called in to design the right ball TIMKEN bearings to keep these intricate parts working smoothly. New Departure works with engineers right from the planning stage to develop the exact bearing for even the newest departure in design.