Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-05
FIRST CHEAP WATCH
The Story of the Famous Old
Long Winding Waterbury.
SCHEME OF AN OLD C0BBLER
How the Connecticut Shoemaker's Idea
Was Taken Up and Worked Out-A
Timepiece That Came to Be Known
All Over the World.


TimePiece That Came to Be Known
All Over the World.
In a small country town in Con-
necticut lived a cobbler. He was a
poor man and peculiar one. The
boys called him a 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 n watch that would
have only three wheels.
A matchmaker out OF 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. 1t is now thing of the past
But its cheap price and its remarka-
bly, long wind" Gt was Il stem winder
were known around the world.
The Waterbury was named for the
town where it was made. 1t had more
than the three wheels that the cob
bier had planned, but the little old
.shoemaker's idea was the original
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 man
with money enough, nerve enough and
imagination enough TO lead him to rem
der the financial aid without which
no first step could be taken. He was
found, because 1t was Yankee with
an indomitable will that was looking
for him.
How much money will it take and
how long time do you want before
YOU can begin to make your watches
in sufficient quantities to make the
thing a success" he inquired
II will be frank with you," replied
the inventor. TT will require $4,000,
and 1 shall need eight months for
preparation"
go ahead" said the daring capital
fSt
He went ahead. lie met unexpected
difficulties and had spent S25000O and
used up twenty-eight months before he
turned out a 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
H..
wheels cut out round would not stay
round.
This difficulty being remedied. a Sec
ond thousand watches were made. A
large number of these went, but the
percentage Of shoppers" Cwatches 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
in six positions-lying on the face. on
the hack 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 it right
Then came the question of selling The
watches, and over 100000 was spent
in the years of its vogue in advertising
the Waterbury watch. Some of the
methods used were interesting.
negro minstrel troupe were paid to
open their show by saying. I'VE 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
timeDieces was winding 1t on the train.
Across the aisle n traveller noted that
his neighbor was winding his watch.
1t caused no thought until a second
look and then a third showed the wind
ing still under way. Then the astonish-
ed man spoke. Excuse me. sir. but
are you winding a 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 Water
bury, of $4,000 watches for the use Of
his business house in its China trade.
The great business went on, and
large sums of money were made in it.
All over the world people were buying
these watches, so cheap were they
All over the world people laughed at
the "long wind" The old backer of
the enterprise had died, and one OF his
successors felt iHdi"uHnt rernrrp his
son In travelling IN some ryrlp'a pat
of llIrvul'N v.ns .s'.pJ II +t,., t-..ft,.