Show PRIVATE MARKS I WATCHES How 19p3lerS Can Tel When and Where Work Was Done Chicago Inter Ocean I There was a crowd around the coon ter pr Q jeielt lta 1r watch are rObeivedforrepairs woman who mreidetlin hurrrmade her way to lIfe place where the man with the magnifying glass stood and handed a little watch to him wm you please ten me what ails this watch she asked The watch doctor opened the case deliberately peered into the works and sad lt needs cleaning l1y that seems strange said the woman you cleaned It only n few months ago Is that so asked the man and he opened the case once more and mae another examination with the aid of a miniature microscope Then he handed the watch back and saId We cleaned this watch in December 196 and it has not been In our hands since that time Is that so I must be mistaken but last bow do you know when It was cleaned lastne Tne man explained that It was no trick oC memory but simply the result of a system Whenever a Watch Is brought to qs he saldto be cleaned regulated repaired or fixed up we put a tag on it which Is numbered to correspond cor-respond with a number In our work 10k In the book we record the styles and maim of the watch the owner mae what repair are to be made and the amount charged for the work and when the workman finishes the job he puts the same number In microscopic figurer on the edge of the Inner case A letter or sIgn also shows what has been done to the watch So you see when a watch comes here we look for a mark of that kind and when we find It we refer to the book and there you areThe The woman left the watch with the man of system and when she had gone he sad That happens may times a day We have the mcst trouble with the people who say You guaranteed this watch for a year when you repaired re-paired I and here it Js out of ordEr again The glass usually reveals the fact that the watch was due to breakS months and sometimes years ag l watchmaker keep records and mark the wjttches which are placed with theta for repairs but nO two have the same system Some makers mark the watch wih the Dame of the workman work-man and a record number after i some mark the date and the workman s initial on the case and other have signs in conjunction with these designations desig-nations to show just what work has been done on the timepiece ThIs system of marking and recording watches Is of much service to the police po-lice also and lost and stolen watches I are identified daily by means of the watchmakers private marks |