THE NEW WATERBURYS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXVIII, Issue 224, 21 September 1892, Page 4

THE NEW WATERBURYS.

A WONDERFUL BBGORD. | Tha average newspaper reader who has DOtioed oar advertisements from time to time, often remarks, " what a pile o! money those Waterbury fellows waste m adveitis ing " and no doubt this is ths view held by ninety-Dine people ont of every hundred, The initiate , however, know what woDderfa! result these advertisements have brought about. When >he writer came to New Zealand with tbe Waterbury Watch m 1887, and made the usual trade calls in* wholesale dealers would have none of tb m one Dunedin firm having about a hundred stowed away m a Dowling street cellar, quite, as they stated, nnsslpab c, beoausp everyone considered it a infra dig to oarry a nickel wa'ch Retail jewellers were ap- . sealed to, but with no better result. The iub 10 will never take to a nickel w-i'fh said they, and if they did we could not sell them- without lowering htstfttUß of our cratt. Tbie position was lliwioai. They handled nickel ol -okf, bnt oonld not be persuadeo to handel nickel , watches. This result was tienersi m New Zealand, and not until the adverri»ememe began to appear, and the pubic BhowecJ; their eagerness to obtain these watohes could any dealer be induced to purohase them. When a start wbb made tfte sa'f grew by leaps and bounds. Thousands were cold m eaoh city m" the (> ol<vy ?"'< the country, stimulated by the " weeklies, began to pour m their order. Shipment after shipment arrived, andjwere at once absorbed orders orignally modest were dOUbleo and trebled by eabls, and vet for more than half tbe year we were withont stock Gradually our circles of distributors ! sxtended, and many firma finding that a regular " nickel age ' had tet m, hunted the markets of Europe and America for sabstiiulea. Each mail brought email parcels of metHl watohes equally handsome m appearance, which were offered to the trade ss fully equal to the Waterbury, and on which double the profit could be made. They eqaalled the m outward S.'ish only, notastimekeepeis ; they, like the ' man who fell oat of the baloon, were not m it. Still the inducement of excessive profits was potent, aad many firms who ought to have known bbtter became parties to the deception, and backed up with their influence the representations of the makers abroad who bad nothing to lose, and who were not worth powder and shot, did they imitate the: Waterbury never co closely. In thia manner, sad aided by our shortness of supply, many spurious imitations were foisted upen the public and gained a temporary footing. Our boxes were at first mitsted, and Continental w&tchea were cased, so that the outward resemblance was great. Many purchasers were no deceived, and have urged us several times lo take proceedings against the parties to the fraud. Sufficient legal evidence of sale and identity have never been forthcoming, and all we ooald do was to watoh ••suspects, and wait our opportunity. We place our monogram WWO on the face of every watch, and buyers should see tLat it is there, otherwise they, are being " rooked." Gradually the publio became more wideawake Our advertisments were too farreaohing, and having initially created tbe demand, ws were also able to minimise the Phanee of deception, storekeepers, m the first place not m the trade, gradually began to consider the -.Waterbury a first staple. Jewellers" saw that their original dea of the views of tbe mblio had been refated by rasnltß, and the larger and more respectable who were most m touch with the people overcame their early prejudice and resolved to supply what theii customers required. Judges, Bankers, Merchants, Clergy, and the other components of our population called for the Wa'erbary with no uncertain : sound. History repeats itself In America, where the Watetbury ealea were originally confined to Clothiers and Booksellers, nearly 40,000 Jewellers are now purchasing direct from the <-ompany and are Belling no other •cheap watches." Their Swiss and Borne floanterfeits • have been sent to iJovenwty. This is the Waterimry age In Great Britain the legitimate traders* equally apathetic and not umil close oo ONE MILs 10 WATEKBUBYB had been sold by the great railway booksellers. W. H. Smith and and othnt> did they ohip m Ho*ev<-r to return <o New Zealabd. th* reaction m favou' of he Waterburye wh* as decide as its for er opposition was spirited and determined. H e have sold during the lasi eipht months of the current year more Waterbnrys than m any previoue year of our- trade. Orders flow«(i -m by telegraph and telephone, by mail and b> messenger, and many of the pubho who have be9n waiting months for their watohes as well as the trade are m a position to verify thiß statement. So far as actua. figures go the total sales to date are | 84,790 WATCHES, *nd the population of the colony at the last census was 626,359. Tnie gives more than one Waterbury to every eight natives and eettlere, young and old, males and females, m the colony, and is a result totally unpreoedented. "Ah, but how do we know it is true? 1 ' Bays a reader, and for purpose* of corraboration «c annex testimonials from f-iur only of the thirty-two firms who are at present acting as our distributing agents, who certify personally to the sals of over 34,500 watches. 11,952 WATCHES. Wkllikgton, 24th Ootober, 1891, I have examined the books, anri find that EIGHTY THBEE GROSS (equal to 11,952) Waterbury Watches have been sent ont to Messrs Kemptho; ae, Proaser and Oo.'s Wellington warehouse. AH the last parcel of Gold Watobea have been sold, and there is quite a number. of orders on hand for them m the next shipment to arrive. There have been very few complaints, and every Batiefaotion is expressed that nab. reliable timekeepers can foe procured at so small a oost. (Signed) OanNDO Khhethgbns, Manager. 9360 WATCHES AuoKL&KD, 25th Beptenber, 2891. We have examined oar booka and find that we have sold SIXTY-FIVE GROSS {at 360) Waterbury Watohea. We have had no complaints of any importance, and our customers generally, hava expressed themselves ia terma of unqualified approval.—Yotura faithfully, E. POBTSB&CO. 4320 WATCHES. Ohbistohubce, 29th September, 1891. We have muoh pleasure m stating that oar experieaoe with the Waterbury Watoh has been toost satisfactory. We anticipated all sorts of troable- from purchasers treating a watch as a ordinary article of trade, bat our fears o d groundless Oat of 360 DOZEN (or 4320) sold by us very trifling complaint has been received. The almost, unanimous opinion is, that for strength and correct timekeeping the Waterbury is unsurpassed.— Yours faithfully, Edwabd Bheob & Soks. 9000 WAIOHEB. Dunedin, 10th November, 1891. We have examined our books, and find ;we have sold oloee on 9000 Waterbarys, aad 'the demand for them still keeps up. We have much pleasure m t> etifying to the excellent character which these watohes have earned fur themselves as timekeepers, and considering the Urge number sold we have remarkably few brought m for repairs —Years truly, New Zba&ant> Has- wabb Co., Ltd (Per T. Black. Maniger.) The remaining twenty- eight firms make up tha balance of sales. We attribute tms l<irge turnover to the undeniable exoellpnoe of tbe Waierbury as a timekeeper, and its intelligent appreciation by the public who would never have known of its existence* bu for the value of the press as an advertising medium. The new short- wind solid silver, and goldfilled Waterbury s have arrived, and any person requiring the correct time, m an intrinsio setting can obt-un the keyless Waterbnry, jewelled movements, m either ladies'" or gentleman's size, for from 22s 6d to 635. The niokel favorites, with improved movements, remain at 22s 6d and 30s, and the long-wind pioneer series is unaltered at 13s 6d. Call and see the new watoheß before purchasing other presents Wholesale Agents— . FELL BROS. AND CO., Blenheim.