Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-09-07
h is about as far

| which Is about as far a.
makers here go. though one
maker has movement ne sells at $ll5
Practically, however you can buy Q
very excellent watch for 500 complete
In grades less expensive there Is now
sold the filled case two thin plates OF
gold Joined TO metal back by tre-
mendous pressure. The result is. to all
intents and purposes. O solid case OF
| gold, better than many Of those sold
as solid gold The prices OF these run
as low as s24. For SO you can get a
| very good silver watch.
How do the makers manage to sell
!, 1000. 600 American watches a year.
Well. each year there are hundreds OF
thousands. perhaps several millions. Of
boys and girls ready for their first
watch. Then there are, at the same
| time. other hundreds OF thousands OF
young men and women OF the age Of II
who want something better than they
had as children. In addition to these,
some men are always getting new
watches, to replace those lost. or buy
ing cheap ones for country wear
Some, too. like to have a number OF
watches. and change Off on them"
The styles in the costlier watches for
this year will be very rigid. The open
face now rules: the hunting case has
gone out Of fashion. The dials have the
hours marked In Arabic numerals In
stead Of Roman. For men the watch OF
The day Is severely simple. 1t is fairly
small. and must have no ornament.
except possibly monogram on the
back. Womcns watches are to he
equally simple. With the exception Of
their size. they are not to differ at all
from those carried by the men.
or course. this does not take into ac-
count the chatelaine watch. which con-
tinues to hold its popularity among
women. The plain watches mentioned
sell from $3.50 down. good mans
watch with a Swiss movement being
obtainable at about SIS. womans at
$40. With the chatelaine watches
prices run rampant.
Though the favorte watch for
women today" say Tiffany e. Co, 'is
undoubtedly the plain gold one an i'm
mcnse Number of these chatelaine
watches is being sold. Here is one, it's
face hardly larger than your finger
nail. powdered with diamonds. Its
a ring. sprinkled, too, with diamonds.
Already one of these has been sold for
5000 These jewelled watches range In
price from $50 up. Some are even
lower than $3.50 and every sort of jewel
and variety OF enamel Is used.
Watches such as these of course,
invariably have the Swiss movement.
All we make here are the cases."
The chatelaine watch for women is
still much In vogue" says Theodore r.
Starr. ''The newest have now a little
pivot on which the watch can be
turned that its face may readily be
seen. The favorites among these seem
to he curious designs in enamel and
jewels. Some are even barbaric. A
costly fashion of the present day is 20
swing these little watches from
chain of diamonds. Such chains are
sold as high as $6500. The watches
themselves frequently cost $500 to $780,
On the other side of the scale, 4 very
excellent silver watch can be bought
for SIS.
There is one bit of watch lore that
people ought to know. A watch accom-
modates itself 10 the motion of the
body, and to keep good time should
be carried constantly. If it is first
worn and then laid down for several
days it is almost certain to keep poor
time~to lose several minutes n day"
The timing watch, as at present per
fected,, is the latest addition to watch
dom. These cost mp to 5000, and are
marvellously fine pieces Of mechanism.
The second hand running around the
dial, encircling it in a minute. is split
that is. double. BY the pressure of
spring one of its hands stops, the
other continues. The dial is marked
off in fifths of a second. The pressure
of another spring shoots forward this
now stationary hand to rejOin precise
ly the true second hand. all this time
travelling
Thus fractions of second can be
computed with great accuracy. These
chronographs are the finest pieces of
work that come from the Swiss work
shops. 1t is said now that these tim
ing watches are being used by sur
geons and hospital nurses. and for
calculations as 10 the speed of projec-
tiles, etc. They We're originally de-
vised for use on the turf alone. Their
value from medical point of view, for
pulse-taking. it would seem. is yet 10
be proved. especially their adaptability
for the risors. dangers and quick sur
gical work of a campaign.