About a decade ago, while he was an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, John Warren started collecting pocket watches made by the Cornell Watch Company, a short-lived but influential 19th-century brand that had its factory a couple of miles from campus.

“It was like a little secret for me,” said Mr. Warren, who is now 31. At that point, the brand wasn’t mentioned often, he added, “except in really nerdy pocket watch circles.”

Mr. Warren later became a lawyer, and his obsession with Cornell eventually went beyond collecting: In 2023, he acquired the rights to the brand’s name and formed, with his wife, Chrissy, and Garrison Jones, his college roommate, a modern watch brand that he said was deeply inspired by the original.

“We’re avid collectors, and we thought that other people would want to hear the story of the brand,” Mr. Warren said.

In late 2023, the new Cornell Watch Company unveiled its first release, the 1870 CE — CE stands for classic enamel, in reference to the grand feu (in English, “big fire”) technique used on its dial.

The 39-millimeter automatic stainless-steel timepiece does look a bit like a vintage pocket watch mounted on an alligator strap. The initial run of 10 pieces, each at $10,750, was sold in April. (More than 300 people wanted to buy one, so a drawing was held to select the winners.)