Life, 1917-12-06 · page 11 of 92
Life — December 6, 1917 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **an advertisement for Waltham watches**, not satire or political commentary. The image depicts an Asian man (likely Korean, given the headline "Korea Goes to Waltham for Time") in traditional dress, presenting a watch as a symbol of modernization. The narrative claims Korea sought the world's most accurate railroad watches and discovered Waltham's superior quality. The advertisement uses **orientalist imagery**—the exotic figure in traditional clothing represents a "civilized" nation adopting Western technology. The subtext appeals to American readers' sense of technological superiority and commercial dominance. The "Colonial A" watch is highlighted as proof of Waltham's engineering excellence. The bottom line—"There is Nothing in the World So Watchful Over Time as the Waltham Watch"—is a straightforward commercial slogan, not satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Awakening to the call of civiliza- tion, Korea declared : “We will have the most accurate, the most reliable and dependable watch to keep time upon our new railroads. We will send out men wise in these matters to find that watch for us.” And they came to Waltham. What they found was superior to the offerings of England, Swit- zerland or France — the railroad watch which human genius has not yet surpassed. There are more Waltham watches in use on the world’s railroads than all other makes combined. Especially is this true in the United States and Canada. The Colonial A Extremely thin at no sacrifice of accuracy Maximus movement 21 jewels Riverside movement 19 sercels ‘Waltham Watch h Sepremacy i is smonstreted by the universal use Vanguard Railroad Watch and the Colonial A. Allow your jeweler to place the Colonial A in your hand. Here is a work of watchmaking art that is beectifal to behold. eo refinement. the perfect size, the richness of the ensemble, denote the masterpiece. WALTHAM WATCH COMPANY WALTHAM, MASS. CANADA: 189 St. James Street, Mostreal Manufacturers of the Welthom Speedometer ond Automobile comicbooks.com