Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-09-19
WATCH INDUSTRY
IN FINE CONDITION
More People Own Two Time
Pieces Than Ever-Fads
Boom to Sales.
BY j. e.. ROYIE.

Special Dispatch to The star.
NEW YORK, September 1S.-If time
Is money, the american people know
better today where they stand finan-
cially than ever before. More people
own watches than ever and more
Americans own more than one watch
than at any time in history. Conse
quently the number of watches man
ufactured in the United States has
increased tremendously in late years.
One manufacturer reports that his
business has grown thousand per
cent in the last decade. War, sport
and fashion are factors which have
helped to make that possible.
Formerly there was d stigma of
effeminacy attached to the wrist watch,
but this was effectively and forever
removed when the strap watch was
adopted by sportsmen and soldiers
about whose cold FLOODED daring
there could be no question and when
they We're issued to the Amer lean
Army to fill an acute need for time
pieces Of precision imposed by mod
ern war conditions.
Fashion Factor in Buying.
The old custom of purchasing d
gold watch for boy on his twenty
first birthday and expecting that he
would carry the same timepiece all
the remainder of his life also has
fallen into disuse. Watches today
are as long lived as ever, but Amer
leans now are buying their watches
on combined basis of beauty, style
and adaptability for various uses.
The fashion element has entered
into watch wearing" said Fred q.
Grucn, head of the watch factory
which bears his name and president
of the Gruen Watchmakers' Guild.
The attitude of the public toward
atches has entirely changed in the
last decade. America today buys it's
watches for beauty as well as utility.
Before. that time watch was ex-
pected To be carried lifetime. no
matter what its appearance. Now
beauty and utility play equally i'm
portant parts in it's sale.
Two Watches Popular.
Many men have got into the habit
OF possessing more than one watch.
buying them according to their pc
culiar applicability from the aesthetic
standpoint to the particular need.
Men now own and use "A wrist watch
as we'll as Il pocket watch. and this
habit is growing steadily. SO far AS
the women are concerned the effect
OF the fashion element is even more
pronounced
There are watches today for after
noon wear, diamond studded watches
for evening wear and sport watches
OF various beautiful designs The
watch now is regarded by the well
dressed woman in the same light as
any other essential part of her at
tire. whereas formerly it had merely
utilitarian function.
Partly as result of this. the re-
tail Jewelry business in the United
states has changed it's character in
late years. There are now few com
munlties which have not at least one
hiEh-class establishment which sells
reliable goods at fair profit. The
JeWelry business throughout the
country has high ethical standard
High Prices No Barrier.
American watch manufacturers are
stiil taking advantage of the knowl-
edge and SIKH Of the Swiss artisans
hut through the operation of branch
factories of their own abroad. In this
way they standardiZe products and
assure replacement of parts. Inabil-
ity to secure spare parts for Swiss
watches in this country mitigated
greatly against the sale of the latter
AS indicating the demand for ex-
pensive timepieces today, Mr.. Gruen
said that there is a constant call for
solid gold watches. These watches
are jeweled with dia monds and rubies
and range in price from $500 to 500
each.