Shadowland (Jan-May 1922)

. -V » GL W 'kML.. /» Wum 'v wA ^ QMt4 ■ ■ 1 i < ■ d If M Hi imn | jf i XWji ■st, ^ x „ plf , * f ’ ; One of the Corsican Series of Elgin H atches — ■‘‘■with the bow shaped like Napoleon's campaign hat ” * * * Material , construction, adjustments and service fully covered by the Elgin Guarantee ***** CJhe cjirst J/atch factory Through the / Ages with / Father Time— ft* But up in the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland a modern manufacturing idea was stirring — the principle of specialized labor. By 1840 this idea had assumed factory proportions. The first factory building was a mere assembling plant — the real factory was the mountaineer’s home. Here all hands specialized in shaping or finishing some one watch part, under the guidance of the manufacturer. As everything was hand work, aided only by the fiddle-bow lathe, no two parts were precisely alike. A broken watch went back to the maker of the broken part for repair. Not an ideal manufacturing situation — yet a long upward step toward the organized production of our day which has made possible those marvels of standardized, interchangeable construction — MARK OR three centuries after the first “pocket clock,” watchmaking remained a one-man industry. This made the cost prohibitive, except for the wealthy few. TRADE Page Three