Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-08-28
EXPERTS IGNORE FACTORIES
Finest Swiss Watches Are Made IN Little
COttages

Finest Swiss Watches Are Made Ia Little
Cottages.
7 II is most Interesting 20 9 .r1rare he
, different methods by means 4 whi.h
the highes: grade of mechanical pcrfec-
/ tion IS attained in Nario ~ -rrntii. =,
Notwithstanding the nigh character "
American watches. for example, the
finest Swiss watches stu maintain their
great reputation. The Swiss ,vOrlSn
receives the parts from the manufacture
o. in tDe rough, takes them 20 his home
puts his bcs' individual skill into the
finishing and assembling, ard brings
the completed watches 10 his EN-
ploycr. The latter inspects the ,vo. X.
md out of batch OF. say. 50 watches
lie selects five or six us worthy of lis
own attention. and p,ss the others into
his regular trade under some general
trade name. The selected watches ~
rcadjusts. working them over Cor days.
weeks, and months, before he CONSIDER.
them worthy 10 bear his own name. auI
II is these watches which 90 to those
who not only have the money 10 buy.
but also the patience 10 wait.
A prominent firm cf American Jewell
,r:'. chatting Under the Inconvenience OF
this old world method OF doire THINGS.
sought 10 introduce American methods,
and see II the highest grade of SNsss
witches could not bc made more no
thodicollv. \ factory was built, en-
ucing rates Of warts were offered 20
the most ekillful worllmCn, and The cA-
pertinent wns tried. But, alas, The
Swiss workman soon found that no
regular wages could pay him for his
loss Of liberty. To be o. band when the
whistle blew I'm the morning, 20 hava
his stated hour for dinner, and his fixed
hour For quitting at night-thcse rc,
stF'ictio2s he could not ioce stansi
Formerly he hnd worked when he fell
hko 1t and stopped when II pleased him
cnd whsp be was poM for one tob he
took bis tame 10 begin the next, ssnerrA
ly waiting until hi,s funds ran low. IN,
factory plan d!1 not work for IoyAsr. nr,5
the idle building now bears silent tcst;
rony TO the Swiss love for indcpcnd
ence. which is MS much a factor In pres
ent life as " has been in pos: history.
The fact that much of the work OF thu
Swiss watchmatcrs and instrInu, n
makers is done i'm this primitive manner
does rot in The least dctrnct. from II,
high quality, but rather adds 20 it's ne,.
lection hy cInhodying in each nrticl,
the individual skill Of the workman
The writer desired to procure one Of tn,
famous coldschmidt onero:d barornct
ers, and only inter some difficulty and
many Inquiries did he succeed i'm find
Ing the whereabouts Of the maker atal,
AT last lac was directed 10 the quaint
stree In the quarter of the city al
Zurich known rs the "Trittligasse" CHE
street of the little s,cpa) There he
found gate I'm "a wall bearing the dc
sired number. but NO name or sign OF
any description TO Indicate what WI,
within. Knocking To obtain admission
h" was finally let into n garden, over
ano'Hcr wall and up n picturesque set oil
stc~". and raherCd into little ~oor, ir
wh'rh Was worl, Of the finest ,icscrip
tiun
\ few mon and boys, n couple Of
women this was thc working force
but here were products which SURPASSED
the finest Instruments of any he had
ever seen. Zach article was shown and
handled rs IL H. had been n personal net
hardly 20 be parted with. and it was in
decd interesting 70 see how every
instrument was calibcrcsl and tested
and recorded i'm n manner which could
not but prove that for such work ia.
dividualism had its advantages over CO..
lectivism. The articles were indeed
manufactured" in the true etymologic.
al sense % the term, "hand made" ard
head made, too, for that matterand al
'n's in little out-building accessible
only after diligcnt search and MANY
misadvcntures-Cassier's Magazine.