Life, 1917-06-28 · page 5 of 39
Life — June 28, 1917 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Waltham Watch Company advertisement** disguised as editorial content, a common early 20th-century advertising practice. The headline "RUSSIA Comes to WALTHAM for TIME" references Russia's post-Czarist transition to democracy (the text mentions "the Czar is deposed"). The ad claims Russian railroad officials needed ultra-precise watches and selected Waltham's "Vanguard" model after testing European competitors' offerings. The illustration shows a Russian official (identifiable by his military uniform and cap) holding the advertised pocket watch. The accompanying text emphasizes the Vanguard's reliability for railroad scheduling across Russia's vast distances. **This is straightforward product advertising**, leveraging Russia's political upheaval and modernization needs to promote American watchmaking superiority.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THe Czar is deposed, but under the rule of the new democracy Waltham Watches still main- tain the accuracy of Russian train schedules. Russian officials recognized the need of a railroad watch of super-excellence. For Russia's trains travel vast distances and her time tables are extremely complicated. Russia required the most accurate and dependable watch that could be found. So she sent her horological experts to search for a timepiece that would meet the standard she had set. London, Geneva and Paris exhibited their finest offerings. But these picked watches of Euro- pean make failed to survive the exacting tests to which they were subjected. Next those critical experts crossed the sea to inspect the Wal- tham Vanguard, which watch was finally chosen in compe- tition with the best that Europe or America has produced. The Vanguard has long been recognized as the “world’s master railroad watch.” And there are more Waltham watches in use on the railroads of the world than all other makes com- bined. Especially is this true in the United States and Canada. With the dethronement of the Czar, autocracy passed away and a new Russia was born. And one of the few welcome heritages from the old regime was the Waltham Vanguard, which watch continues to guide the running time of trains in “ Allthe Russias.” The Vanguard The World's Finest Railroad Watch Ask your jeweler to point out the advantagce of the Waltham jeceled main wheel which makeo a Waltham eo casy to wind and eet; cadstones and the Breguel heinoring which make it iraposaible for the heicepring to catch in, the regulator: the lick which prevents, injury to the. timerkeeping Qualities f the watch fo round too tpht: and the exclusive Siading tndiceloron the dial which tela ct glance whether Gr not out Weblham needs wading. 23 ond 19 jewels WALTHAM WATCH COMPANY WALTHAM, MASS. CANADA: 189 St. James Street, Montreal Manufacturers of the Waltham Speedometer and Automobile Clocks Icom