MAKING THE WORLD'S WATCH GLASSES.

Northland Age, Volume IV, Issue 48, 20 July 1908, Page 2

MAKING THE WORLD'S WATCH GLASSES.

(By L. G. Chiozza Money, M.P., in “Morning Leader.”)

The United Watch Glass Factories is composed of several of the oldest and largest coirApaaies in Lorraine, a locality where this industry has had a home during several generations, and has matured under favourable local conditions amongst a population providing a corps of trained workmen such as could not perhaps be found elsewhere. Tho Trust has also bought factories at Luneville, France, and Geneva, Switzerland. These works provide the watchglasses for the whole world. The companies fought each other to the final finish, combination in place of competition. By the union they got rid of disastrous competitors, and consequently rule the market absolutely. Outside competition is practically non-existent. An opposition factory has been started in Switzerland, the home of the watch industry where many glasses are used, but it is more than doubtful if the enterprise will succeed. The difficulties are many. A watch-glass may seem to be a simple thing, but the contrary is the fact. The glass must be exactly circular in order to fit the glass rim of a watch within a hair’s breadth. To accomplish this with a disc having |no visible centre is difficult. MoreI over, the shape ef the glass paust be , adjusted to the manifold forms .of I watches, varying materially among ! themselves. A closed watch or “hun- | ter” requires a glass of about the | thickness of paper. An open watch, jon the other hand, needs a much I stronger glass. In the former case,. ! the glass only seryes to protect the I works from dust, and the thinness I makes it extremely difficult to manui facture. Tha open-faced watch has jto stand hard wear, and its glass must therefore have great resisting I power. Besides, the open-faced watches are made in many kinds, which call for various forms of glasses. There are many among them which are even more difficult to make than the thin glasses for the “hunters.” Plvery kind of watch is manufactured in hundreds of sizes and thicknesses, and glasses of the very smallest sizes must be made accurately to within one-tenth millimetre (one millimetre equal to 0.0394 of an inch). It means fine operations to grind a glass as exactly as that, and to combine accuracy with a price low enough not to be a great factor in the cost of a popular watch is a problem which has only been solved by special applicaj tion.

Indeed, it is only possible for a highly developed industry to take up this branch .of manufacturing. Carefully educated workmen are indispensible, as well a a the most perfect technical requirements and raw material. Tho process adopted is more or leas a secret, as is also the construction of the ovens, but it is known that the glass is blown into large spheres or balloons, after which it is fired and annealed. Skilled workmen then cut out the glasses with a diamond, after which the glasses are ground to the proper sizes. The ovens are very expensive to build, costing not less than £4,000 each,

Although watch-glasses are cheap, the business Is a lucrative one. The prices are now controlled most strictly, and uniform rates have been established in several countries. It is really extraordinary that the wholly world should be thus dependent upon a single district for an article of common consumption. Watches- are now used by tens of millions, and the industry is of considerable dimensions. The success of the Lorraine makers is a tribute to their ability. Before them tariffs avail not for their wares are unequalled and indispensable. It is iu such industries above all, that we should ourselves seek to engage, and we may hope increasingly to do so when technical training is more widespread amongst our managers and our men.