THE NEW WATERBURYS .

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11498, 1 April 1892, Page 1

THE NEW WATERBURYS .

leaps and bounds. Thousands were sold in each city in the colony.andthe country stimulated by the " weeklies/' began to pour in their order. Shipment after shipment arrived, and were at once abfc>rbed, orders originally modest were doubled and trebled by cable, and yet for more than half the year we were without Hock.'. Gradually our circle of disttibutors extended, and many firms finding that a regular "nickel age" had set in* hunted'* the markets' of Europe and America 'toy: substitutes. ; Each mail bronj;ht' atii-ill parcels of metal watches edually hah'deomenn' appearance, which were offewd'to the tfade'as fully equal to' the 'Waterbury, and on which double the profit could bo made., They equalled the Waterbury in outward finish only, not as timekeepers ; they, like the man \,ho fell out of the baloon, were not in it. Still the inducement of oxjjessiye. profits was potent, and many firms who ought to have known hotter became parties to the deception, and backed up with their influonco the representations of the makers abroad who had nothing to loße, and were not worth powder and shot, did they imitate tho Waterbury never so closely. In tliis manner, and aided by our shortness of supply, many spurious imitations wore foistnd 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 tmes 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 onr monogram WWC on the face of every watch, and buyers should see that it is there, other wise they are being "rooked." Gradu ally the public became more wideawakeOur advertisements were too far-reaching and having initially created the demand we were aiso able to minimise the chance of deception. Storekeepers, in the first place, not in the trade, gradually began to consider the Waterbury a first staple. Jewellers'f sanktha't thpir originaKicfes of', the yiewrof'thV~'p°ub]ic had been ; refuted ' by results, aud the larger and more re spoctable who wero most in touch with the people ovovoamo their early prejudice and • rosolvod to supply what their customers required, Judgers, Bankers, Merchants, Clorgy, and the other components of our population called for the Waterbury with no uncertain sound. History repeats itslf. In America, where the Wftterßurjr sales' were originally con; fined lo Clothiers and^Bboksellers, 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 au&not until close on OSTE MILLION WATERBURYS had been sold by the great railway book sellers, W. H. Smith and Sons,and others did they chip in. : However, to return to New Zealand,the reaation in favour of the Waterburys was as decided as its former opposition was Bpiritedand determined/ Iwehave sold during the last eight montts of the currec y{ia'r ; more Waterburys than in any previous year of our trade. Orders flowed in by telegraph and telephone, by mail and by messenger, and many of th* public who have been ftaitiiig montlisSor -tfceir watches as woll as the trade are in a posi tion to verify this statement. So far as actual figures go the total sales to date are' ' \ 9000 WATCHES. ; DtrNEDiN, lOfh , November, 1891, .■ We have examined lour|bo6ks, #n& finds we have sold close on 9,000 Waterburys, ■and the demand for them still keep up. "We have much pleasure in testifying to the excellent character in which theße watches have earned for themselves as timekeepers, and considering the large number sold we have . remarkably few brought # for. rppairs'A Yours truly. • ' New Zealand Hardware Co., Ltd. (Per T. Black, Manager.) ■ The remaining twenty-eight firms make up the balance of sales. We attribut this |arge turnover to the undeniable ex cellenco 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 persons requiring the correct time in an 'intrinsic setting can obtain the keyless Waterlrary, jewelled movements, in either ladie's or gentleinens' size, for from 22s 6(1.1^,638, The nickel fayourities, ■ with improved faoyements, remain a£" 22a 6i and 30s,and ttie long-wind pioneer series is unaltered at 13a 6d. Call and 809 the new watches pefore purchasing other Christmas and New Tear's presents. 4,320 WATCHES. ChrißTchubch, 29th September) iB9l. We have much pleasure in stating that our experience with the Waterbnry Watch has been most satisfactory. We anticipated all sorts of trouble from purchasers treating a watch as an ordinary article of trade, but our fears proved groundless. Out of 360 DOZEN (or 4,320) sold by us, v.ery trifling complaint has been received The', almost unanimous opinion is, that for strength and correct timekeeping the ■ ,Waterbury is unsurpassed. — . <'' i Yours faithfully, ,'* -i Edward Reece & Sons. "\ 81,790 WATCHES, and the population of the colony at the last census was 626,359.. This gives more than one Waterbury # 'ifo |eyery ; ejMit natives and settlers, young and old,~male and female, in the colony, and is a result totally unprecedented. " Ah, but how do we know it is true?" says, a reader, and for purposes of corroboration we annex testimonials from four only of the thirtyswo firms who are at present acting as our distributing agents, who certify persouallv to the sale of over 35. 500 watches. 11,952 WATCHES. Wellington, 24th October, 1891. I have examined the books, and find that EIGHTY-THREE GROSS (equal to 11,952) Waterbury Watches have been sent out of Messrs Kempthorne, P l 'osser and Co's Wellington warehouse. There have beer very few complaints and every satisfaction is expressed that such reliable timekeepers can bs procured at so small a cost AH the last parcel of Gold Watches hnvo been sold, aud there is quite a number of orders on hand for them in tho next shipment to arrive. (Signed) Orlando Kemfthorne. 9,360 WATCHES. Auckland. 25th September, 1891. We havo examined our books and find that we have sold SIXTY-FIVE GROSS for 9,360) Waterbury Watohos. Wo have had no complaint of any importance, nni our customers gonerally have expressed themselves in terms of unqualified approval. — Yours faithfully, E Porter & Co.

A "WONDERFUL EECOBD.

The average newspaper reader, who has noticed our advertisements from time to tiino, often remarks, "What a pile or money those Wateibury fellowß waste in advertising," and no doubt this is the view held by ninety-nine people out of every hundred. The initiated, however, know what a wonderful result these advertisements have brought about. When the writer came to New Zealand with the Watorbury Watch in 18S7, and made the usual trade calls, the wholesale dealers would have none of them j one Dunedin firm having about a hundred stowed away in a Dowling-stroet cellar, quite, as they stated, unsaleable, because everyon considered it infra dig to carry a nickel watch. Retail jewellers were appealed to but with no better result. The public will never take to a nickel watch, aaid they, and if they did we could not sell them without lowering the status of out craft. This position was illogical. They handled nickel clocks, but could not be persuaded to handle nickel watches, This rosult was general in New Zealand, and not until the advertisements began o appear, and the public showed tJioir eagerness to obtain these watches could any dealer be induced to purchase them I When a start was made the sale grew by