THE ONE ARMED REPAIRMAN
In the very
early 1980’s, I received my first outside sales job and was in need of some new
suits. I was recommended to Gwynn’s in Birmingham, MI; for some nice coats and
slacks. One day I was waiting for some tailoring to be done and ventured onto
Old S. Woodward Ave., were I noticed above Gwynn’s there were some small shops
selling their goods, however, the most interesting was a Pocket Watch repairmen
stuffed into a 15’x15’ space.
It became
even more interesting watching the repairmen was missing his right arm and was
required to use a variety of grips and vices to repair these small pieces. I was
invited in to look at some of the pieces for sale by the repairman’s wife; at
was amazed at the quality of these Pocket Watches (let alone the price) to
purchase one.
The repairman was a quite sort, but his wife spoke with the most
wonderful Austrian accent and was a pleasure to listen to. This was my interdiction
to the world of Pocket Watches, un-renounced to me did I know I met one of the
World’s sought after repairmen. I stayed for about an hour that first day, and
left amazed at the little time pieces.
THE REPAIRMAN’S HISTORY
After several
more visits, I finally had to ask the question of the arm! The repairman put
down his tool, lift his magnifying glasses and looked at me. It seems that he
lived in Krakow, Poland in 1939 when the Nazi’s invaded; were he owned a sewing
machine factory.
In December of 1939, the Nazi’s burst into his factory and
demanded to see the owner; and he stepped forward were the Nazi’s announced today
was his last day as they were taking the factory for parts manufacture (ammunition)
for the war. To guarantee the message was received, after finding the repairman
was a Jew, they cut off his arm, so he would not return.
In April of
1940, he escaped into Austria for a short period of time; there he met “the
farmer’s daughter,” and together after a short romance, they were married.
Together the two trying to escape the war that was growing traveled Europe,
Asia and finally found work on a ship heading to America. Arriving in New York
in 1943; he found work in a Jewish neighborhood watch repair store; his career
began.
After the
war, he and his wife wanted to move from New York to somewhere they could
establish their own shop and raise a family. In 1950, they moved to Birmingham,
Michigan and rent a small space that they never left. The repairman’s
reputation grew as the area grew with wealthy auto related families. Many of
these executives were immigrants from all over the world and were owners of
Pocket Watches passed on from generations.
These watches were a challenge, as
the repair parts were unavailable, the parts needed to be custom made. As his
business grew, his reputation grew soon he was receiving watches shipped from
around the globe. So, this brief history was my interdiction to the world of
Pocket Watches; as well as, history, life lessons and humility.
MY FIRST POCKET WATCH
I started my
collection off with a 1916 Elgin, Size 16s, 7 Jewel open Faced piece that the
repairman sold me in full working condition for $40.00. Now, the premier watch
makers from the United States are Elgin, Hamilton, Hampden, Illinois, South Bend
and Waltham; do not get me wrong there are other quality watchmakers in the
U.S. and abroad, put my favorites are above.
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| My first Pocket Watch |
Let’s say
you read this Blog and think about that your grandfather left that’s been
shoved in a drawer years ago; How do you find information about it? Here is a
link for you called Pocket Watch Database were you log into, remove or open the
back cover of the watch to retrieve the serial number. Type the number and
brand into and hit enter, chances are you’ll get your watch on screen with all
the facts. Still have that nagging question of value? Simple, go to eBay, type
your watch name, size, jewels and year; here you’ll get a pretty good view of
the selling range.
Now, here is
some free advice, you should be able to tell if it’s a “gold” pocket watch from
your research, not sure still; take it to a known jewelry store in your area.
Have it tested (should be free), then take it home. I know your saying that
grandpa’s dead and you could use the money from a sale, resist the urge. Even
grandpa left the watch to you, your justice safe guarding it for the next
generation to inherit and protect it, seriously, it’s your family history and
that’s worth more than a couple of bucks…
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| Elgin Interior |
HOW TO START COLLECTING
Here in
Detroit, you can start at local flea markets (Royal Oak), garage sales, estate
sales and even some “fair” jewelry stores. More free advice, stay away from the
“Gold” dealers and coin shop establishments; unless you have the good fortune
of being near Mack Ave.’ in Grosse Pointe where “Coins and Stamps” is located
since 1957. Mike and Jamie are fair and honest and I have purchased over 300
watches from them over the years.
Also, it
hurts me to say this; but on eBay, you can really find some great deals, even on
Craigslist you’ll run across some sales over time. Like coin collecting, the
hunt for Pocket Watches can be fun if you make it.
THE BIG QUESTION?
I know you’re
asking yourself why I never mentioned the name of the one armed repairman;
because for the last several years I have slowly been writing about him and his
wife, both now are gone. So, hopefully I'll get published; as they touched my life, they'll touch others.
Have fun
collecting !!!!!!
Chris
