THE NEW WATERBURYS

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1904, 15 June 1892, Page 3

THE NEW WATERBURYS

A WONDERFUL EBCOED.

The avemgu newspaper reader who las noticed our advertisements from time to time often remarks, " What a pile of money those Watertwry fellows waste in advertising," and no doubt this is the view held by ninet/-ni»e persons out of every hundred. The initiated, however know what a wonderful result, these advercidenents have brought about. When tlie writer came to New Zealand with the Wuterbury wtacli in 1837, and iua<lc tho usual trade c-tlls, the wholesale dealers would have noue of them •, one Dunedin firm having about a hundred stowed away in a Dowling street cellar, quite, as they stated unsaleable, because everybody considered it infra dig to carry a nickel watch. Retail jewellers were appealed to, but wifcli no butter result. The public will never take to a nickel watch, said they, and if they did we could not sell them without lowering the status of our craft.. This positiim was illogical. They handled nickel clocks but could not be persuaded to handle n icicle watches. This result was general in Nuw Zetiand, and not until the advertisements be#au to uppeur, and the public showed their ci gem ess to obtain these watches could any dealer be induced to purchase them. When a start was made, the sale grew by leaps and bounds. Thousands were sold in each city in the Colony, and the country stimulated by the "weeklies," begau to Jpour in their orders. Shipment after shipment arrived, and were at once absorbed, orders originally modest were doubled and trebled by cable, and yet for more than h-ilf tho year we were without stock. Gradually our circle of distributors extended, and many firms tiuding that a regular " nickel age " h id set in, bunted the markets of America and Europe for substitutes. Each mail brought small parcels of metal watches equally handsome in appearance, which were offered to the trade as fully equal to the Waterbury, and on which double the profit could be made. They equalled the Waterbury in outward finish only, not as timekeepers ; they, like the man who fell out of the balloon, were not in it. i Still the inducements of excessive profits were potent, and many firms who ought to have known better became parties to the deception, and backed up with their influence the representations of the makers abroad who had nothing to lose, and were not worth powder and shot, did they imitate the Waterbury ever so closely, In this manner, and aided by our shortness of supply, many spurious imitations were foisted upon the public and gained a temporary footing. Our boxes were at first imitated, and Continental watches were cased, so that the outward resemblance was great! Many purchasers were so deceived, and have urged us several times to take proceedings against the parties to the fraud. Sufficient legal evidence of sale and identity have never been forthcoming, and all we could do was to watch "suspects," and wait our opportunity. We place our monogram WWC on the face of every watch, and buyers should see that it is there, otherwise they are being "rooked." Gradually the public became more wideawake. Our advertisements were too far-reaching, and have initially created the demand, we were also able to minimise the chance of deception. Storekeepers, in the first place, not in the trade, gradually began to consider the Waterbury a first-class staple. Jewellers saw their original idea of the views of the public had been refuted by results, and the larger and more respectable who were most in touch with the people overcame their early prejudice and resolved to supply what their customers required. Judges, Bankers, Merchants, Clergy, and the other components of our population called for the Waterbury with no uncertain sound. History repeats itself. In America, where the Waterbury sales were originally confined to Clothiers and Booksellers, nearly 40,000 Jewellers are now purchasing direct from the Company, and are selling no other "cheap watches." Their Swiss and Home counterfeits have been sent to.Coventry. This is the Waterbury age. In Great Britain the legitimate trade was equally apathetic and not until close on ONE MILLION WATERBURYS bad been sold by the great railway booksellers, W. H. Smith and Sons, and others did they chip in. However, to return to New Zealand, the reaction in favour of the Waterburys was as decided as its farmer opposition was spirited and determined. We havo sold during the last eight months of the current year more Walerburys than in any previous year of our trade. Orders flowed iv by telegraph and telephone, by mail and by messenger, and many of the public who have been waiting for inonUis for their watches as well as the trade are iv a position to verify this statement. So far as ac ual figures go the total sales to date are 84.790 WATCHES, and the population of the colony at the last census was 623,359. This gives more than one Waterbury to every eight natives and settlers, young and old, mules and females, iv the colony, and is, a result totally unprecedented. "Ah, but bow do we know it is true?"' says a reader, and for purposes of corroooration we annex testimonials from four only of tho thirty-two firms who are at present acting as our distributing agents, who certify personally to the sale of over 34,500 watches 11,952 WATCHES. Wellington, 24th October, 1891. I have examined the books, and find that EIGHTY-THREE GEOSS (equal to 11,952; Waterbury Watches have been sent out of Messrs Kempthorne, Prosser, and Co.'s Wellington warehouse. There have been very few complaints and every satisfaction i 3 expressed that such reliable timekeepers can be procured ot so small a cost. All the lost parcel of Gold Watches have been sold, and there is quite a number of orders on hand for them in the shipment to arrive. (feigned; Orlando Kbmpthobne, 9360 watches. Manager> Auckland, 25th September, 1891. We have examined our books and find that we have sold SIXTY-FIVE GKOSS (or 9360) Waterbury Watches. We have had no complaint of any importance, and our customers generally have expressed themselves in terms of unqualified approval.— Yours faithfully, E. Porter & Go. 4320 WATCHES. Christcurch, 29th September, 1891. We have much pleasure in stating that our experience with the Waterbury Watch has been most satisfactory. We anticipated all sorts of trouble from purchasers treating a watch as an. ordinary arcticle of trade, but our fears proved groundless Out 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, Edward Beece & Sons. 9000 WATCHES. Dunedin, 10th November 1891. We have examined our books, and find we have sold clo3e on 9000 Waterburys, and the demand for them still keeps up. Wp have much pleasure in testifying to the excellent character which these watches have earned for themselves as timekeepers, and considering the large number sold we have remarkably few brought i in for repairs.— Yours truly, New Zealand Hardware Co., Ltd. (Per T. Black, Manager.) The remaining twenty-eight firms make up the balance of the sales. We attribute this large turnover to the undeniable excellence of the Waterbury as a timekeeper, and its intelligent appreciation by the public, who would never have known of its existence but for the value of the Press as an advertising medium. The new short-wind solid silver, and gold filled Waterburys have arrived, and any person requiring the correct time in an intrinsic setting can obtain the keyless Waterbury, jewelled movements, in either ladies or in gentleman's size, for from 22s 6d to 635. The nickel favourites, with improved movements, remain at 22s s<l and 60*, and the long-wind pioneer series is unaltered at 13s 6d. Call and see the new watches before purchasing other Christmas and New Year's present.