Christmas Prize, quess the date of this 15 page watch repair booklet from Rogers,Thurman & Co. the first person to get the correct copyright date that’s been deleted from the front page image will win the booklet pp paid.
I think all the guesses so far are way too early. There are two potentially significant clues in the document, that 11.5 million watches are sold annually in the US and that you could make $25 -$65 a week servicing watches. According to Mike Harrald's "American Watchmaking," total US production per year did not exceed 1 million units until near the end of the 19th century. By 1900, annual production was 4 milion units, half jeweled and half dollar watches. By 1930, total annual production had risen to 8 million, 7 million of which were dollar watches.
Harrald does not give production numbers beyond 1930, but I would guess that production did not increase during the 30's. Therefore, to reach 11.5 million in sales (especially of watches that would deserve servicing), Swiss imports had to be at least 4-5 million watches a year. I am guessing that those numbers only were achieved after WWII.
$25-$65 a week is $1300 - $3380 per year, which probably was a decent annual income immediately after WWII.
Therefore, my guess, which is almost certainly as wrong as everyone else's, is 1946.
Posts: 1414 | Location: Pasadena, California USA | Registered: November 11, 2005
I’m glad to say we have a winner, although we fooled a few good one’s for a while. Congratulations David yes the year was 1907. David e-mail me your postal address and I’ll mail the booklet out to you, thanks all who had a go.
