You don't have to change a million peasants, just one aristocrat. Remember, they would import a boat load of wild animals from Africa for one show at the Circus. That kind of money could buy a lot of top workmen.

You don't need an entire railroad, just a few hundred Napoleonic rifles.

One watchmaker can train fifty more in a lifetime.

Take your example of the telescope. Imagine what one telescope would mean to an army of the time. You could send out scouts with signal flags that could be spotted a day's ride away.