New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-21
TIE WdTCH TRADE.
HOW WATCHES ARE sOLD-INGENIOUS SwTNDLES
ADVICE TO BUYERS.


whether it will come to a total and unmey stop within
week will register with unfaing accuracy the hyns
seconds OF lifetime. And in this deceptive day OF Gun
ming cOunterfeits and ingenious limitations II Is hard fO
any expert" TO distinguish watchcase Of
eighteen-carat gold from circular box Of vlllanou'
brass adrOitly washed" or gilded and shrewdy des
ignated by some sounding and pretentous title Hence
it happens, as In all trades where the knowledge Is eX
cusvey the sellers side that there excellent op
pOrtunity for fraud IN selling watches; and even the
most scrupuous among the thousand watch
vendors in the United States constantly tempted TO
enhance their profits by little quiet and strictly legal
swindng; while the nine hundred knaves, less,
who reap rich harvest as dealers in "bOgus" watches
may DO safely set down the most unprincip ed
| rascals.
When all the thousands OF pocket time pieces used in
the United States product OF European Ia ndi-
craft the general public In this country had but little
means OF Judging by trademarks otherwise to the
quality value OF watch and In those days the trade
presented the finest Of fields for following the canny
Scotchman's paternal injunction, Max sIller
Jock, honestly If ye can, but max sAIer -
Twenty years ago, in fact, there was no
standard whatever for the guidance Of ~atchbuyers.
and they consequently compelled to rely entirely
the honesty of the seller. That excellent individual,
deceive az 10 the quality OF his goods, Du his integrity
rarely restrained him, under the most favorable
ccumstances from p0ckeuhg prOIt ~ heavy IA MS
condng customer could be conveniently induced 10 pay
Even now the London watchvendor is not satisfied with
profit OF less than hundred per cent but IN this
country remarkable revolution has been wrought IN the
trade by the manufacturers or American watches and
especially by that ndomitabe and enteprising Company
whose fOuracre factory at Waiham II one or the most
extraordinary and magnificent industrial establishments
IN the world IL ma" peen the pan OF thls company
from the outset TO employ the most perfect machinery.
to adopt every valuable Improvement ana To use as
tinct and unvarying Trademarks. and thus to make
oi such cheapness and excellence To create at
wide aud mertted reputation aud popular de
mand for their manufactures by tho Introduction Of
tins system, aud the sale Of four hundred thousand
standard Of quality and price that has completely reyo-
luuOnlzed the trade. Aud many a dealer looks back
and English watches ruled the market and the public had
not been educated IN the Cities much less IN the
rural districts up the point where ~ becomes difficult
for any 10 get rich In hurry by the retailing OF
watches unless the business be done on the largest
Nobody who makes a living wholly or in part by selling
watches could be nationally expected TO relish such
change ms this. Nevertheless, it is by means I'M
mitigated evil, even TO 'he dealer For the American
watch sells ITSELF" 1t were, excellent is s name.
very fact that jeweler keeps for sale tends
enhance his reputation, besides attracting pur-
chasers for other articles Moreover American watches
are not only sold waste OF time In convincing
purchasers OF their value but they sold IN greater
numbers and ten dollars profit each Of twenty Amer
can tme-peces Is certainly better than gam Of twenty
five dollars apiece half dozen doubtful European
watches say nothing OF that patriotic pride IN native
manufactures which ought 10 Influence every one to
certain extent IN matters OF dollars ana cents AZ
any rate. admitting that the new phase OF the trade
nvouutariy brought about by the manufacture of Amer
can watches IT, the whole pecuniarily disadvantage
the dealer, II Is very obvious that the Individual
buyer must greatly profit by the change. Further
more. the revolution IN the legitimate watch
trade has been greatly hastened during the last twelve
month by Howard & Co OF this city, aud by other enter
psng and sagacous hrlus IN New ORR ana the larger
Western cities who have been retailing Walthan watches
from Maine Oregon, by mail or express g o. De- Win
hberality ana success witch tSlu 70 SUI i ele ~
profits Of the retailer and must certainly 70 lar
toward placing the watch-hLying public in the most adj
vantagenus OF positions This plan or doing business
very plainly bono pbOco but II seems so oDNlousy
injurious the great majority OF watch dealers that DIT
ter complaint has been made against H. ana there nave
even been legal attehPlS 10 coupe it @ W.
II must be admitted however that II any honest ana
capable chooses 10 undertake the precaros and ex
pensiye task OF building up great p'hsa On ts pai
he has perfect right Ia do So Bcsides3he greater ms
success the thoroughly will the reputation of the
watch he sells become extended and established, espe
oiay parts Of the country where honest
hitherto mainly monopoIzed the field The ordinary
purchaser village or town or other thickly settled
watch OF some friendly and responsible Jeweler
In his own vcinty, even at nttle extra
who has accumulated certain honest dollars wherewith
10 indulge himself the luxury and dignity OF carrying
WaIch-whethcr he be luuberman IN the woods OF
Maine freedman among the swamps OF Louisiana,
stt'rt t, -, Ginrsdo-may be safely recommended to
End his order TO Howard Co. OF No. 6I9 broadway. to
Fuller Co of No IS Johns or TO some other reliable
retailer Of waItham watches on the g. o. ID. plan.
IN might naturally be supposed that so delicate and
valuable piece OF mechanism a. watch would run the
most imminent risk OF being Injured nscarried or stolen
outright 10y mail express to any great distances
but business has been rednced To such perfect ss
tenn ns 10 make accident Oss 90 the buyer practically
impossible Howard q Co.'s liberal advertising through
out the United states has produced harvest OF orders Tor
Waltham watches amounting duri 2 the past year 10
thousand ana duflhE nc last rev
to n daily average OF over twenty, Each oI these Is
promptly filed and recorded, not only IN book put on
speca order" card, which indicates, by the
color OF the ink whether or not the Wach was palu lor
i'm advance and shows not only the number or the move
ment. the name OF The pureaset hnd tne p1Ce Vi tue
watch, bat also who put II up, VINO chafHed' VINO eA
amned, who packed, and VINO shipped II, ana
M MmI in small I'm boxes. aud each one i
parity wound up and then prevented rom running down
during the Journey by the nsertoh ~ the balance wheel
of a slender pointed slip OF paper which Il not only in
srribed with printed direction Draw TINS out care
fully" bui-sO perfect Is the system IN It's mnutest
els-s even puncturcd with little hole IN which TO
insert pin the purpose ot removing l III thc Waeh
i paid for when ordered the express or regsteedeter
buycf wishes examine his purchase before paying Tor
dcyery and an the buyer pays all the charges
both on the watch and for the sending OF the money by
does not prove satisfactory 1t may be returned ht once
and It has been paid for the money viii De reiuhdtd
In cas-. watch Is lost stolen on the way, an accident
which has rarely happened the buyer suffers no
loss for another watch promptly forwarded while the
seller looks 10 the EApless COMPANY io' us '"H u'N
EThr popularity and excellence of the Watham watch
nave nroduced any amount Of ingenious trckery aud
CONTRIBUTING, the part OF outside dealers ana manu-
flcturersIn Europe as well Us IN TINS country. some
nartes se Waltham movements In worthless cases, or
mix genuine Waltham watches win Wte,cheu oWIs oeS
aud sell them all at Walthan prices Ano e ach
and substituting miserable SWISS expansion Dalahc1,
worth IS cents for the Waltham made balance, which
costs a so This little dodge difficult OF detection and
adds over two dollars To the profits on each watch,
But the most annoying. injurious, ana cOntemptlDle
,rccry lies I'm the fraudulent imitation Of the Waltham
trodemarks Every genuine waltham watch Is inscribed,
WAltham Mass" and bears. on the pate OF the move
ment. one Of the following marks:
"Wm. Elery."
"P :. Bartlett"
"Waltham Watch Co"
"Applcton, Tracy & Co"
"Amercan Watch Co."
"Amn Watch Co." 49,, az, ~
RartIet Waldham" " L. 3. Barrett, Walhaln,
or "Wm. Euerty, Waham." or inscribed win
some other equally colorado and fraudulent
Imitation OF the genuine Waltham mark And certain
rascas Canada safely trusting 10 the cost
nd niculty OF litigation across the border have actu-
ally palmed Off many inferior watches III when the
Waham trademarks were exactly couneIielteu ~ 10
usnay the European maker puts on these fraudu;
81 A mIn