Food for Thought for All Watchmakers and Watch Manufacturers

From The American Horologist magazine, January 1942

Food for Thought for All Watchmakers and Watch Manufacturers
By J. H. HUFF

I would like to say a word or two, or rather comment a little regarding some of the articles published in The American Horologist magazine.


First, in regards to state legislation governing the license of watchmakers, I would enjoy very much doing everything I can to push this idea through.


It is a disgrace the kind of work we see being done by these so-called cheap jewelers or watchmakers. I am sending you an imitation jewel which I found placed in a 16 S-21 J South Bend adjusted to 5 position. This piece of metal. was used as a balance foot hole jewel. Also the staff had one pivot badly bent (naturally) and one mean timing screw was gone. The watch had been returned to the owner and a charge was made for the repair work.


How can we get rid of such fakes? 

Second, regarding your Resolution No. 5 in the July issue. This is my Idea exactly, but how can it be done?  I might suggest that a request form be signed by all members of the U. H. A. A. and sent to the manufacturers, or some such thing be done as a united group and explaining our pomt of view on the subject. We do not handle drugs; we do not sell drygoods; or run a hardware store. Our business is the sales of jewelry and the sales and maintenance of time measuring instruments. Then why not let us have that business and cut the drug stores and son from butting into our line; we let theirs alone!


Third, in regard to training the public in regard to the proper care of the timepieces, can you suggest any method by which we can get the . manufacturers to include, or rather supply the jewelers who sell watches and clocks, with small pamphlets of a few pages, brief but to the point, eXplaining the proper care of the wa tch. I believe the cost would be small in regard to the good it would do. I believe such pamphlets printed and sent out by the manufacturers, signed by them, would go a long way toward getting watches out of the hands of the watch bungler. Yours for success.