Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-09-30
FIRST CHEAP WATCH.
Tho Story of the Famous Old Long Winding Waterbury.
SCHEME OF AN OLD coBBLER

How the Connecticut Shesnraksr's idsa
 Was Taken Up. and Worked out--A Tlmepleos That Came to Hs Known
 All Over the World.
 It is long time since there has appeared in print a Waterbury watch story. The writers of fact and fiction have no doubt found other things to talk and write about. John F. Sim mons. a writer in the New York l Tribune, has revived the Waterbury watch stories. Here is what he says about 1t.
 In small country town in Con-
 necticut lived cobbler. He was a
 poor man and a peculiar one. The
 boys called him 'gene," and some thought him crazy. But he kept on
 in the even tenor of his way, living
 his own life and thinking his own
 thoughts. One of these thoughts was that he could make watch that would
 have only three wheels.
 A watchmaker out of a job heard | of the cobbler and called at his little
 shop. This was the beginning of the famous Waterbury watch, which was the first cheap watch to be manufac- tured. It is now thing of the past
 But its cheap price and Its remarka- ply long wind" it was stem winder)
 were known around the world. The Waterbury was named for the town where 1t was made. It had more than the three wheels that the cob
 bier had planned, but the little old shoemaker's idea was the original germ from which was evolved the successful cheap watch.
 Having got the idea, the purchaser of the cobbler's rights found that the first difficulty In his path was lack of money. He looked about for a man with money enough, nerve enough and imagination enough to lead him to ren- der the financial aid without which no first step could be taken. He was found, because 1t was a Yankee with an indomitable will that was looking for him.
 How much money will 1t take and how long a time do you want before you can begin to make your watches in sufficient quantities to make the thing success" he inquired.
 T will be frank with you," replied the inventor. Tt will require $25,00O, and I shall need eight months for preparation"
 GO ahead" said the daring capital ist.
 He went ahead. He met unexpected difficulties and had spent $250,00O and used up twenty eight months before he turned out single watch. But the capitalist never faltered. Then the factory, for which every piece of ma chinery had to be invented and spe- ,cially made, turned out its first thou. sand watches.
 Not one of them would go! Among other things. it was found that the sheets of brass out of which were stamped the wheels of the watch had a grain somewhat like wood. The wheels cut out round would not stay round.
 <, This, difficulty being remedied, sec- ond thousand watches were made. A large number of these went, but the percentage of "stoppers" (watches that refused to go) was still too large.
 New study, new experiments. how ever. finally perfected the cheap little timekeepers to the point of perfection that only about 10 per cent were stop pers. The good watches were tested fin six positions-lying on the face.. on the back and in four positions on the edge The maker of each part stamped his mark on the part he made, so that if fault was found in that part he must make 1t right.
 Then came the question of selling the watches. and over $sOO,000 was spent in the years of its vogue in advertising the Waterbury watch Some of the | methods used were interesting.
 A negro minstrel troupe were paid to open their show by saying, "We have come from Waterbury, the land of | eternal spring." referring to the long time required to wind the Waterbury | watch.
 One day the owner of one of these | timepieces was winding it on the train. l Across the aisle traveller noted that | his neighbor was winding his watch. | It caused no thought until a second | look and then third showed the wind ing still under way. Then the astonish- ed man spoke. Excuse me, sir, but are you winding watch?"
 "Yes," said the winding owner, "and I'm tired of it. You wind awhile, will | you?" This led to explanations and re- suited in the ordering by the stranger, who had never before seen a Water bury, of 10000 watches for the use of his business house in It's China trade.
 The great business went on. and | large sums of money were made in 1t. All over the world people were buying these watches, So cheap were they. All over the world people laughed at the Hong wind" The old packer of the enterprise had died, and one of his successors felt indignant because his son in travelling in some remote part of Hungary was asked If the Water