The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-12-24
The OrOide Watch Trade.

JUST aS tareS and wheat grow together
in Q field, 70 fools and thieves thrive side
BY side in large city like New York.
Ne man can be safe from the snares of the
latter, for the more extensive any legiti-
mate business is, the greater inducement
it offers to kpaves and sWindlers to cOun-
terfeit it. In nothing is this truth 80 ap-
parent as the watch trade.
We have in ttis city rs genuine i'm
porters aud wholesale traders, besides
large army of retail dealers and others,
who are every year beaten in their bust
ness by the bogus watch importer, backed
BY about 50 dealers in the goods. Net
less than 100, 900 of these bogus and oroide
watches were sold in this country last year,
and as the demand is constantly increas-
ing, the number disposed of this current
year will probably exceed this. Their
shops are usually slowed away in little
Railways, in dark Easements, or up two or
three flights Of stairs in some large build.
ing where there ID likely to be great deal
of traffic on other accounts. The extent
Of their profits il almost fabulous, for, be-
ing in an megitimste business, conceived
and carried on in deception and fraud,
means of disposing of their wares.
4u0CCQ, ~ SA6SAoAvC 40 VIC OooAhCco VI oAC-
acted by some of the bogus watch dealers
that one of them on Broadway boldly pro-
claims the character of his trade, and yet,
we understand, sells from $40, 900 to $780,
600 worth month. Poor humanity loves
to be duped and swindled, and like gam
bling or drinking or any other passion,
when this desire to gain million by in
vesting q thousand in q lottery, or which
10 the same thing differently applied, the
passion to get q $3.50 gold watch for
81 in paper, grows upon q man; he actu-
ally places himself in positions to be
swindled. Now, a strictly honest and
honorable man, who will not take thing
without rendering full equivalent, can
never be deceived by such f1imsy shows.
And yet some well-meaning men are very
often deceived by these sharp and shrewd
onea
In Switzerland the several pieces that
60 to make the complete watch are made
at separate factories remote from each
who puts the different pieces together.
The matchmaker purchases his stock by
the thousand or ten thousand pieces from
the different factories. As consequence
of such want Of system in making the
quantities improperly finished and mper-
feet. These imperfect pieces are again
slightly altered and put together, and con-
stitute the movement for the oroide watch.
These movements are placed in brass
casses manufactured for this very purpose,
costing about seventy-6ve cents each, and
exported to England and America, where,
it has been definitely settled, the greatest
number of fools exist The French
Government will not admit them unless
properly described, and the English Gov
eminent places them under the ban
in 30 far as to prohibit the use
of genuine names or trade marks; but,
like our own Government, it reaps profit
from their importation and sale. These
are the famous oroide watches. They are
worth, according to some of the largest
genuine practical dealers and watchmakers
in this city, from 81 80 to a each. The
very best quality cost but $55 dozen.
They sell in the bogus stores for from 81
to e25 each, and, a. our City Marshall
Tooker's complalnt-book can testify, often
for double and treble these sums
The bogus watch dealer dresses loud
and fashy. You may see him any day
on Broadway, Fulton, Nassau. and other
streets down town. He sports two or
more diamond rings on his fingers, and
sparkling diamond of immense size in his
shirt bosom. His attire is faultless when
he lays for wealthy game. But when he
wants to entrap the green countrymen, he
can put on . seody suit, and be very inno-
cent and hard up-ready, indeed, 70 part
with the geld watch for few dollars to pay
his board The bargain appears to be 50
great that the verdant IL only too eager to
close It and pocket his prize. But after q
few days or houTs he finds out that all il