Omaha daily bee., 1883-01-06

ker. ~ have worn your watch for
over q week aud it has neither gained
nor lost n dozen seconds; but then l
am, from a corporal point of view,
your sntithesiO, | am Exceptionally
thin and slender"
The stout man unused. According
ly," ssid he, "optn.fscsd tickers for
tat men, closed cases for thin, eh2
mot at ALL" replied the other.
Thin mon have at times more mag
netism In their system, than fat men.
Every body is moro or less magnetic;
you happen to be particularly 50; l
happen to be quite the reverse; hence
my remarks and advice. For the
rest, open-faced watches are always
more accurate than hunters. They
are more air tight for one thing. AS
for tho steel Syringe in hunting cases,
mechanical u%eienc, has not yet die.
covered anything else to replace them;
the public Ike double cases, and there
the matter remains for the present,
There are, however, many ill.cou.
rived p rtions In watches, and while
the demand continues for watches Of
u certain price it ia impossible, from
u commercial point VI view, to think
OF improvements. Long usei methods
and iugeniou, eugiues have been
specially provided to fashion and
cut out every ono of the minute paris
which go to compose the existing In
strumen' Every watch consists Of
over 20u pieces employing over 200
persons, distributed among forty
trados, 80 cay nothing of the tool.
makers ( the artisans. If the con.
structioL { tho watch were material
ly altere all the trades would have
to be rel rned, new tools and wheel.
cutting c zines would have to DO de-
vised, A., the majority of working
watchmak rs become useless. The
conseque des would bs that the watch
would become enormously enhanced
in value b d it's possession q token of
wealth You Soe, in your compli.
Gated state of society even machines
in the prtoess of time come to sur
round themselves with a circle of
'vested Interests which embarrass at.
tempts at Improvement"
You are interesting me-" remarked
the stout customer, as he placed his
watch in his pocket. "You have been
many years In the business, l suppose.
OF course, there must have been some
improvements in your time
"Of course. Watches during the
past ten years have grown much in
thickness. Old fashioned watches are
thin and fat. have q watch in my
charge IA flat az u trade dollar, 1t 10
impossible to adjust the works for
heat, cold and position under such
circumstances. Islould have to give
you n long explanation of the packing
of mechanism to explain to you why. "
"Well, hiss the increased thickness
raised the value2'
"No. Ga the contrary, watches
arc now worth % per cent iotB than
they were twelve years ago. That
fact, you will say, bears a]gsiu1t my
previuuo remarbs. | am referring to
tho cheaper grade OF wntches worn b
the majority Of people. There are
watches which bring $4,000, and
watches which can bo purchased at
$40 a dozen. II you arc willing to
pay for costly work almost anything
can be accomplished.
81 made "a watch for a physician
which fitted into n signet ring not
much larger than q pen, 1t had only
second hands, / was perfectly aoou-
rate and WAS used by the doctor to
time the pulse of his patients. That
cost $500. Watches are made from
the size of a ten.cent piece to half a
dollar, and worn as trinkets by ladies'.
They are also fixed in bracelets, broo-
ches, tops lof pencils, eyeglasses, and
even umbrella handles; but they are
very luxurious toys,"
The stout man paid his bill and
went home.