Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-01-30
FIRST ||I CHEAP WATCH /
The Story Of The Famous Old
Long Winding Waterbury.
SCHEME OF AN OLD coBBLER
Now the Connecticut Shosmaker's Ides
+ Was Taken Up and Worked out-A
i, Timepiece That Came to Be Known
All Over the World.

In small country town In Con-
necticut lived a cobbler. He was d
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 cou1l 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 manufac-
| tured. 1t is now a thing of the past.
But it's cheap price and it's remarka-
bly, long wind" lit was stem winder)
were known ABOUND 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
shoemakers 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 rem
der the financial aid without which
no first step could be taken. He was
found, because it 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 success" he inquired.
II will be frank with you," replied
the inventor. 1T will require $25, 900,
and I shall need eight months for
preparation"
"Go ahead" said the daring capital
list.
He went ahead. He met unexpected
difficulties and had spent $25O,O00 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 it's first thou.
sand watches.
j. Not one of them would 60! 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, a sec-
ond thousand watches were made. A
large number of these went, but the
percentage Of shoppers" (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
in Six positions 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 it right.
Then came the question Of selling the
watches, and over 100000 was spent
in the years of it's 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, Eve 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 1t on the train.
Across. the aisle a traveller noted that
his neighbor was winding his watch.
Il caused no thought untQ 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?"
EYES," said the winding owner, "and
I'm tired of it. You wind awhile, will
your This led to explanations and re-
suited In the ordering by the stranger,
who had never before seen a Water
bury, Of $1,000 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 hacker 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 II the Water
bury he came from was the place
where the watch with long wind
was made. ,2i s-azg +. <3ss.: y
"And," said the man, Il don't want
the; product Of my factory laughed
about all over the earth" But his am
bition led him to try to make q good
watch, The new field he soon found
was by this time occupied by most
successful competitors, and after get
ling into hopeless indebtedness the old
Waterbury Watch company died In
the house Of those who should have,
been Its friends. John f. Simmons In
~ b. = So