New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-06-01
GOLD FILLED WATCHCASE,S.
AMERICAN MANUFACTURERS CAN BARE
LY SUPPLY THE DEMAND
FOR EXPORT

The gold filled watchcase industry is a pow
erfui factor in American commercial life. "All
that gsters is not gold" may be honestly ap-
piled to thousands of timekeepers in pockets
and in hook" though their desrability by the
keeper of the latter is measured by the anxiety
of the pedger for the almighty" In the for
mer. however, they may he said to do double
duty-f1rst, of cheapness, and second, of light
weight OF woe if they be lost The seller of the
gold filled watch may tell you that it cannot be
distinguished from the watch of sterling stuff
but he is likely also to tell you that it is as
good as one made of sterner stuff if you don't
examine both too closely. Whatever he may
say there is always doubt in your mind as TO
the proper time to flash" the spurious for the
real and a fear that you may court the eX-
preston that comparisons are odious
The manufacture of these cases engages the
services of over five thousand skilled artisans
in factories adjacent to NewYork, with an out
put yearly of four or five millions. The history
of their invention is interesting. over forty
wears ago watchcase maker named Peters
was annoyed to find the low carat gold in MS
cheap cases tarnish quickly with wear. He
could not furnish a better quality for the SELL
ing price, however. though experiments cost
ing many thousand dollars were made by him to
obtain some composition of base metal to use
as an alloy that would not give evidence OF
tarnsh His Investigations were carried on Sc
cretly at first but with much persistence and
so little result that nervous prostration en-
sued. One day, finding himself no longer able
to proceed with his experiments, he told one or
his employees named Boss, who was continually
experimenting with acids and metals. how anx-
ious he was to procure better watchcase, one
with a good quality gold wearing surface. with
a base centre and low carat inside Boss
started his experiments, and month later fin
ished a model of a machine that is the ground
work for all filed case manufacturing. At first
Boss made two plates of gold which were laid
after being rolled out to the desired thick
ness by heavy mills placed under the ma
chine and struck off by a die. This required the
finest calculation and dwelling process. so that
the surfaces would cling TO each other without
the aid of solder, and consumed more time than
could be given with profit to the making of the
cases Another method was tried by which the
three surfaces were made smooth that they
became adhesive, and the suction thus estab-
ushed allowed one plate to bear the others
weight without artificial aid. Patents were
granted on the latter invention. and the first
cases made were known as the James Boss filled
watchcases which for several years had mo-
nopoly of the business. The idea of making
gold case out of anything but gold had never
been entertained by manufacturers, and the pat
emf secured for their making protected Boss so
that his goods eagerly purchased. Indeed,
so confident was he of the superior quality of his
cases that he shrewdly guaranteed them to wear