The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-10-20
FIRST CHEAP WATCH
The Story Of the Famous Old
Long Winding Waterbury.
SCHEME OF AN OLD coBBLER

In a small country town in Con
nectIcut lived q cobbler. He was
poor man and a peculiar one. The
boys called him n gene" and some
thought him crazy. But he kept or
In the even tenor OF his way. Twins
his own life and thinking his own
thoughts. One OF these thoughts was
that he could make a 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 manufae-
tured. II is now thing OF the past.
But its cheap price and its remarka-
bly, long "wlnd" Qt was a stem winder)
were known around the world.
The Waterbury was named for the
town where II was made. II 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. H looked about for a man
with money enough, nerve enough and
Imagination enough 10 lead him to rem
der tho financial aid without Which
no FIRST step could be taken. He was
found, because It was a Yankee with
On indomitable will that was looking
for him.
slow much money will It take and
how long a 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. ut VIII require $4,000,
and shall need eight months for
preparation"
oGo ahead" said the daring capital
ist.
He went ahead. He met unexpected
difficulties and had spent S250000 and
used up twenty-elght months before be
turned out single watch. But the
capitalist never faltered. Then the
factory, for which every piece Of ma
ehinery had to be invented and spe.
cially made, turned out its first thou.
sand watches.
Not one of them would gol Among
other things, It was found that the
sheets OF brass out Of which were
the wheels Of the watch had
q grain somewhat like wood. The
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
Of shoppers watches that
refused to gol was still too large.
New study, new experiments, how
ever, finally perfected the cheap little
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 back and in four positions on the |
edge The maker of each part stamped /
bis mark on the part he made, 50 that
II fault was found In that part he
must make II right.
Then came the question Of selling the I
and over $4,000 was spent (
IN the years Of its vogue in advertising (
the Waterbury watch. Some Of the /
used were interesting.
A negro minstrel troupe were paid to
open their show by saying, 1--WE have
come from Waterbury, the land Of
eternal spring" referring to the long
line required to wind the Waterbury
watch.
One day the owner Of one Of these
was winding 1t on the train.
Across the aisle n traveller noted that
lis neighbor was winding his watch,
/ caused no thought until a second
ook and then third showed the wind
ng still under way. Then the astonish.
d man spoke Excuse me, sir. but
sA6 NDu M1INluS u WdAAilf
Eyes" said the winding owner, "and
IN tired Of It. You wind awhile, win
'ou?" This led to explanations and re-
ulted in the ordering by the stranger,
Who had never before seen a Water
Jury. of $4,000 watches for the use of
lis business house In it's China trade
The great business went on, and
arge sums of money were made in 1t.
III over the world people were buying
hese watches, so cheap were they.
III over the world people laughed at
be 'long wind" The old hacker of
he enterprise had died. and one of his
felt indignant because his
on in travelling in some remote part
{ Hungary was asked If the Water
ury he came from was the place
there the watch with a long wind
'as made.
"And" said the man, 81 don't want {
he product Of my factory laughed
bout all over the EARTH But his am.
itidn led him to try to make good
'atch The new field he soon found
as by this time occupied by most I
iccessful competitors, and after get
ng into hopeless Indebtedness the old
Watch company died in
lie house Of those who should have 3
zen its friends.-John f. Simmons In z
ew York Tribune. :