A POPULAR GOVERNOR AND A WONDERFUL WATCH.

Otago Witness, Issue 1856, 17 June 1887, Page 11

A POPULAR GOVERNOR AND A WONDERFUL WATCH.

IT may not be generally known — it may not even be a fact that His Excellency carries a " Waterbury," but if he does not now, he probably will do so before long, and will then be able to corroborate the verdict of thousands of other eminent personages, all of whom agree that for unswerving accuracy this wonderful little watch has no equal. Hundreds of thousands have, been sold. Hundreds of thousands are produced every year, and after the most crucial test public opinion has accepted the "Waterbury," and from the editorial columns of the "Times," the "Daily Telegraph," the " Yorkshire Post," and " New York Herald ; " the pulpit of the Rev. Dr Talmage, Brooklyn; and the Professorial Chairs of Harvard, Yale, and Edinburgh ; its merits have been unhesitatingly proclaimed. Whilst the " Watebbury " at Thirteen Shillings and Sixpence is admittedly the cheapest watch in the world, there are many watches sold at lower prices which have little or no value of their own, as many of our readers unfortunately know. As with everything else, so with the " Watebbury," the imitator has been at work, and it is necessary to warn the public against buying any continental counterfeit, or watches "guaranteed " equal to the " Waterbury," whether offered at five shillings or as many pounds. There is only one " Waterbury " — price thirteen and sixpence— a substantial, reliable watch, simple in construction, inexpensive to repair, and that with ordinary care will last a lifetime.

The era of expensive gold and silver watches is rapidly passing away, and the diffusion of education, and the development of science is surely revolutionising the manners and customs of our race. This is an age of utility, and the pretentious gold lever will soon be relegated to the limbo of the sun-dial, and the hour-glass of our forefathers, knocked out, so to speak, by the unerring accuracy of the nickel-cased unassuming " Waterbuby." An expensive watch is neither a necessity nor a badge of respectability,

" The Time's the Thing," and whether indicated by a hundred guinea rubied " chronic-graph," which requires adjustment with every fluctuation of the thermometer; the city clock with its costly officialdom; the mercury weighed regulator, or the faithful " Waterbury." matters not to the modern ultilitarian. The " Waterbury" keeps correct time, and its most costly rival can do no more, though we frequently hear of some of them not even coming up to expectation ;in essential particular.

The secret of the "Wateebtoy's" strength and accuracy lies in its simplicity, and its internal mechanism masks a new and radical departure in the art of watch making. The long thin mainspring, so frequently ridiculed, is the real source of its superiority, and enables its designer to do away with the intricate duplication of parts by tho direct application of power. So well has this principle been .appreciated that the Factory established nearly 10 years ago with an output of

1000 WATCHES PER DAY has l>een taxed to its utmost to meet the requirements of the trade ; and though arrangements were completed for the supply of thf> Province of Auckland more than a year ago, no watches could be spared for this market until within the last two or three weeks. During the year 1886

100,000 "WATERBURYS" were sold in London ; and the Jwell-known firn. of W. H. Smith and Sons, railway bookstall men, offer them at all the railway stations and on all the trains in the United Kingdom. We believe- Mr Smith himself, whe is First Lord of the Treasury, regularly carries one for his own personal use. In Sydney, during the same period,

45,000 "WATERBURYS" changed hands; and the question naturally arises, what becomes of them ? who can ii & them? and the answer is, the people. Every Bank, and every Factory, every Countinghou&e, and every Store, boasts its "Waterbuby." Amongst our merchants, our lawyers or doctors, our artisans or labourers, it is no stranger ; and whether exposed to the vicissitudes of the miner, the rough usage of the bushman, or the eccentricities of commercial or professional life, its record is the same — trustworthy, strong, and durable.

Thousands of testimonials have been received in its favour, and hundreds of editorials have been written in its praise. A watch that everybody can afford to own merits universal recognition, but as everybody could not attord to keep some of the so-called cheap watches in repair, the first cost is not the only thing to be considered before purchasing. The parts of the " Waterbury " being interchangeable, the cost of repairs are minimised. Undisturbed the " Watebbuby," like Tennyson's " Brook," " Goes on for ever." But should accident, or an invincible curiosity to " see the inside of it " lead you to tamper with it, or throw it out of gear, it can be at once repaired and returned to you in -going order for a sum not exceeding, in any case, half-a-crown ; whilst broken hands or glasses are renewed for 6d by Mr A. W. Macarthub, watchmaker and jeweller, Princes street, Dunedin, who has now

a stock of duplicate parts. Thus it is not only the cheapest to buy bnt the cheapest to repair ; and the sum usually paid for " overhauling " a continental or " cheap" English watch is nearly sufficient to purchase a " Watmbuby," which will always give you the correct^time, and save you the discomfort and annoyance inseparable from a tricky, faithless time mutilator. In order to prevent deception and consequent disappointment, orders from the trade should be forwarded. to the New* Zealand Hardware Company. Do not be deceived by imitations, however clever, offered at a few shillings less. The "Watebbury" is worth" thirteeen ' and sixpence, and the fact that over two millions have been sent out from the factory is sufficient "'guarantee of its fidelity. Large shipments have been sent to Europe to compete with Continental productions in their own strongholds, and its superior time-keeping record ensures it a certain victory. We wonder what other watch manufacturer can claim such an output,?