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This is not a conventional blog, I am using it as a platform to express my interest in the wonderful story and legacies wrapped around the companies who got involved with Hampden watches.
In a nutshell this story is aimed at people interested in, or trying to find out more about, Hampden watches, the Dueber Watch Case Co., The Mozart Watch Co., The New York Watch Co., The Manheimer Watch Co., The Clinton Watch Co. (Hampden Watch Corporation). Additionally, Type-1 watches made during the Soviet era in the two Moscow factories and at Zlatoust & Chistopol.
Geographically the story has it's origins in Italy, it's birth and re-birth in the USA and it's genetics finally ending-up in the USSR. Sociologically the story throughout involves a succession of migrants from the old world making their mark in the new world and ranges in ideology from capitalism to communism in the space of a year.
Much of my content covers the important Dueber period. This was comparatively easy to research as it had been well documented earlier - both by Cantonians and Horologists.
In particular I wanted to include more about the contribution Hampden patterns, tools and staff made to the Soviet Watch Industry and, in turn, it's role in perpetuating Hampden technology for a further four decades. The USSR's ability to produce fine horological devices was somewhat unfairly dismissed by Gibbs in his definitive publication "From Springfield to Moscow". (This chapter is now hosted independently, just follow the links.)
Just prior to the Hampden movement being transported to the Soviet Union a 'White Émigré who had escaped the purges following the communist revolution, was building up the Clinton Watch Co. in the US. There is little documentation in the public domain about the important and extended period when the Hampden heritage was rescued by the Manheimer Watch Co., and later the Clinton Watch Company., today's Hampden Corporation and I hope to engage others to contribute to that important chapter in the brands survival.
This is not a work of great academia - I'm a storyteller not an expert. I have no wish to hide the fact that I have transposed other peoples work. I have sought continuity, rather than simply changing the source material for the sake of disguising it. My purpose it simply to link strands, part stories, articles and snippets together to take the story forward as a whole. Nevertheless, I hope you will find much, previously un-published, new information.
If you have more information about anything to do with this story, or you own the copyright over which I have imposed inappropriately, please let me know. Contact details are shown in the Appendix.
Whilst I'm always pleased to answer questions regarding this subject, I do not offer watch sales, repairs, or appraisals.
The Chapters
Chapter 1. Origins (Mozart Watch Co., New York Watch Co., Hampden Springfield)
Chapter 2. Dueber (The move to Canton - Vretman - Liquidation - AMTORG)
Chapter 4. Manheimer Watch Co. (resurrecting the Hampden Watch Co. name)
Chapter 5. Clinton & Hampden (the Wein family take the reins)
Authors Watch Archive - Appendix
It is necessary to start in 1864 to discover the origin of the Hampden Watch Co. The seed was sown by a man who, in the end, would not have any actual association with Hampden he was Donald Joaquin Mozart. He was born in 1818 in Italy and emigrated to the US with his parents aged three.
According to Mozart specialist Jon Hanson, his father was a watchmaker in Italy before emigrating to the US where he carried on his trade in Boston Mass. At the age of nine Donald was enticed on board a vessel, lying at Boston harbor, by the promises of some bright shells. For seven long years he sailed around the world until he eventually managed to escape and return home. When he did get back no trace of his family could be found and despite his many efforts to find them all proved futile.
|Boston Harbor around 1827
Don spent much of his time experimenting, developing and inventing watches. Sometime between the birth of Florence and Anna he abandoned his jewellery business and moved to New York City and then to Bristol, Connecticut. Here he planned to manufacture a clock of his own invention, a complicated clock on which he held several patents. It ended in failure due to manufacturing difficulties and the family moved back to New York. He had however attracted the attention of some backers and in the spring of 1864 the Mozart Watch Co. was organised in Providence, Rhode Island, the incorporators being mostly wholesale and manufacturing jewellers. The company was founded on the basis of a Mozart designed, 18 size, three wheel watch which would become known as the "Three-Wheeled Mozart".
| Stiles & Co., of West Meriden, Conn., wrote to Cushing on the 20th August 1866.
© 2012 Richard D. Dickerson.
From the outset progress was slow and there appeared little prospect of Mozart being capable of turning his design into a viable product. The stockholders finally decided that Mozart's watch would never be a success and that the sooner they abandoned it, the better off they would be. In the summer of 1866 L. W. Cushing, of The Waltham Watch Co., was placed in Mozart's position, with instructions to construct the necessary machinery to build a regular 18 size three quarter plate lever movement.
And so Don Mozart was dismissed from the company that bore his name.
In 1867 the company changed its name to the New York Watch Company and moved to Springfield Massachusetts where it purchased two buildings into which it moved the machinery. The site was between modern-day Van Horn Park and Wait Street on the north side of Armory Road. The buildings consisted of a large boarding house and a large building which had previously been occupied as a machine shop. The company was reorganised and the capital increased to $300,000. The former president and secretary retained their offices; George Walker was elected as Treasurer and O. P. Rice became business manager. The General Manager was John C. Perry and Henry J. Cain was Manufacturing Superintendent. The ability of last two men to work well together had much to do with the initial success.
| Left & Center: 1880 Springfield map by permission of www.historicmapworks.com. s
see "Hampden Co◼" below the Reservoir. Right: Current Google™ map. The Reservoir is in Van Horn Park
|1868 New York Watch Company "Homer Foot" movement - Internet sourced picture.
The factory did well until the year of the economic panic of 1873 when they began to fall behind. They finally pulled through 1873-74 by reducing the number of employees but in 1875 they decided to close the factory.
The stockholders reorganized under the name of the New York Watch Manufacturing Company but this did not last long, for within eight months the factory was again closed.
In the Spring of 1877 the stock and bond holders once again reorganized, this time under a new name the Hampden Watch Company. Using fresh capital, they purchased the machinery from the old New York Watch Manufacturing Company. In effect the Hampden Watch Co., virtually succeeded the New York Watch Manufacturing Company.
Homer Foote remained from the New York Watch Manufacturing Company and became the first Hampden President. Charles D. Rood became the Treasurer and Business Manager. Rood was born in Ludlow Massachusetts on December 31st 1840. After school went to work for the New York jewelry firm of Warren & Spadone, eventually becoming a managing partner. The firms name was changed to Spadone, Rood & Company and became very successful in the manufacture and importing of diamonds and some of the finest watches available from Europe. He sold his interest in Spadone & Rood and re-invested in the Hampden Watch Company, in which he became the driving force.
Henry J. Cain was made superintendent, having previously held that position in the New York Watch Company. The old movement of the New York Company was re-modelled by Cain and the factory opened in the summer of 1877. In 1881 a new brick building was erected, 40 x 100 feet, with three stories a basement and a central tower. The factory's power was generated by a ninety-horse power steam engine, situated in a building at the rear of the main structure. The company turned out fourteen grades of movements, all full-plate with the exception of the " State Street" which was a size-16 three-quarter plate with gilded steel. The capacity of the factory was 400 movements per day and 400 people were employed.
For the first time since 1872 Charles Rood and this new management team allowed the company to prosper and by 1885 it was paying a 10% dividend and had accumulated a cash reserve of some $100,000. That year one of it's case supplier, Mr John C. Dueber, of the "Dueber Watch Case Company" of Newport Kentucky, bought a controlling share. Cain and Rood remained in place and continued to manage the watch works for a further six years, first in Springfield and then later in Canton.
Henry J. Cain was made superintendent, having previously held that position in the New York Watch Company. The old movement of the New York Company was re-modelled by Cain and the factory opened in the summer of 1877. In 1881 a new brick building was erected, 40 x 100 feet, with three stories a basement and a central tower. The factory's power was generated by a ninety-horse power steam engine, situated in a building at the rear of the main structure. The company turned out fourteen grades of movements, all full-plate with the exception of the " State Street" which was a size-16 three-quarter plate with gilded steel. The capacity of the factory was 400 movements per day and 400 people were employed.
For the first time since 1872 Charles Rood and this new management team allowed the company to prosper and by 1885 it was paying a 10% dividend and had accumulated a cash reserve of some $100,000. That year one of it's case supplier, Mr John C. Dueber, of the "Dueber Watch Case Company" of Newport Kentucky, bought a controlling share. Cain and Rood remained in place and continued to manage the watch works for a further six years, first in Springfield and then later in Canton.
Following his dismissal and after moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan, he became the catalyst around which a new Mozart Watch Company was formed. Some of the 30 or so watches made at Ann Arbor have survived, as per Jon Hanson's example below.It's not clear if the Ann Arbor company used the name with or without the consent of the successors to the original Providence company (by now called the New York Watch Company). Whatever the case was, in business terms the Mozart name would have had little value, perhaps would even be seen as a liability - which indeed it turned out to be.
Don Mozart is now Superintendent of the Ann Arbor concern. The capital stock was two hundred thousand dollars and the incorporators who joined Mozart were local businessmen. W. A. Benedict, C. T. Wilmot, W. W. Wheedon, A. J. Southerland and Charles Tripp. A factory was rented and machinists hired to build the necessary machinery. The movement was the same "three-wheeled" one which he tried to have the Mozart Company, of Providence, introduce. Obstacles of various kinds began to present themselves and the progress of the work did not please the stockholders. Nearly three years had elapsed since the organisation of the company and again there was no fruits to show for the labour and money expended. Funds began to run short and in the winter of 1870 the stockholders decided to sell out if a buyer could be found. Some thirty odd movements were finished at this time, all of them given to stockholders and friends; none were placed on the market.
At this time the "Rock Island Watch Company" was organised in Rock Island, Illinois and after an inspection of the Mozart Watch Co. machinery they decided to purchase it. The price paid for the plant was $40,000 plus $25,000 in stock of the new company and a note for the balance. No available site could be found for the factory at Rock Island and accordingly the town of Milan, some seven miles below the city, was selected as a fitting place for the factory. The watch movement chosen for the Company was somewhat like the Mozart movement. After the machinery was moved to Milan and placed on the floor of the new building, the stockholders came to the conclusion that it was not just what they wanted. Accordingly they refused to pay the notes for $15,000. The Mozart Company sent a representative to Milan to sort things out, which resulted in the return of the machinery to the Mozart Company and the payment of $5,000.
In 1874 the "Freeport Watch Company" was formed in Freeport, Illinois, with capital of $250,000 by some 'businessmen' (draw your own conclusions) from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Freeport, Illinois. Part of the old Mozart plant was purchased for $51,000; $1,000 cash and $50,000 in stock in the new company. A brick building was erected in Freeport, 40 x 100 feet and the machinery moved into it. This company never manufactured many movements as the factory was burned down on the night of October 21, 1875 and the building and contents were a total loss. The company were insured for $30,000.By 1870 Mozart was again unemployed and had trouble managing his affairs and had ceased his connection to this business by this time. He returned to the jewellry trade where he tinkered with a new watch design. This watch movement wound itself for a days operation by being opened and closed five times. But he was said to have lost his mind completely when he took the watch to pieces and later couldn't fit all the parts back together again. He was taken to Kalamazoo Hospital but despite treatment he was deemed incurable and was moved back to Ann Arbor. Prof. O. W. Stephenson, in his "History of Ann Arbor the First Hundred Years", wrote that Mozart died at the Washtenaw County Poorhouse and Insane Asylum, on Thursday March 15th 1877, of what was called at the time "congestion of the brain".Don Mozart was buried with Masonic honor's after a service at the Episcopal Church.
|Legendary Ann Arbor Three-Wheeled Mozart Watch. Courtesy of Jon Hanson
Newspaper clipping of Charles D. Rood. Six years after the Dueber take over, and the factory's move to Canton, Cain and Rood would move-on and contribute towards founding the Hamilton Watch Company. Rood made a fortune as it's President from 1891 to 1896 and from 1900 to 1910 but lost it trying to manufacture recording equipment.
John Carl Dueber was born in Netphen (Öbernetphen) Germany in 1841 and emigrated to the United States at the age of 12. The Great Grandson of Philipp Klaus, who worked for Dueber at both Newport and Canton, researched into the Dueber family and unearthed documents showing Dueber arrived aboard the steamer Herder from Bremen, Germany, with his parents Johannes & Katharina (Schmitt) and his sister Pauline on October 20th 1853. He was listed on the ships records as Johannes Dueber, the same name as his father.
John Carl Dueber was born in Netphen (Öbernetphen) Germany in 1841 and emigrated to the United States at the age of 12. The Great Grandson of Philipp Klaus, who worked for Dueber at both Newport and Canton, researched into the Dueber family and unearthed documents showing Dueber arrived aboard the steamer Herder from Bremen, Germany, with his parents Johannes & Katharina (Schmitt) and his sister Pauline on October 20th 1853. He was listed on the ships records as Johannes Dueber, the same name as his father.
John Dueber became a naturalized US citizen on the 21st of July 1871.
The Dueber family eventually settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. After leaving school John Dueber became apprenticed to a watch case makers in the area. His training lasted for a period of five years. According to various reports he eventually raised enough capital from his father-in-law and from making wedding rings in his spare time to enabled him to start a watch case workshop, across the Ohio river in Newport, Kentucky. The Dueber Watch Case Company was incorporated in 1876, the same year the Gruen Watch Company was founded back across the river in Cincinnati.
John C. Dueber described himself as 5' 10½" tall, with a high and round forehead, greenish brown eyes
slightly aquiline nose, round face, medium sized mouth. Photo similitude © Author
He married a local Cincinnati girl, Mary Daller. The Dueber's would have four children, Joseph, Albert, Estella and Pauline.
In the early years of American watch making the then small number of companies made both cases and movements. As the industry developed separate companies were formed to make either cases or movements exclusively. The case factories used mass production techniques and multiplied faster than the movements manufacturers and soon there was overproduction of cases. The watch case manufacturers banded together and formed the infamous 'Watch Case Trust'. Trusts were agreements between business competitors, selling the same product or service, regarding pricing, market allocation and agreement not to compete within each others geographic territories etc. John Dueber was opposed to trusts and refused to join. As a consequence he was subjected to a boycott which made trading very difficult. Dueber was faced with two alternatives (1) Buy a watch company, to enable him to sell his cases as finished watches (2) Submit to the trust. In 1885 he bought a controlling share in the Hampden Watch Co.
|Newport Kentucky.
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately 60 miles south of Cleveland and 24 miles south of Akron. It was founded in 1805 on the West and Middle Branches of the Nimishillen Creek. Incorporated as a village in 1815, as a town in 1834 and as a city in 1854.
The Canton Board of Trade had recently been organized by Louis Shaefer and Charles Dougherty and they now set out to raise the $100,000 needed to secure the factory. In just three months the full amount was in place. Twenty prominent leaders had guaranteed $5,000 each and the banks advanced the cash against their guarantees.
John C. Dueber was invited together with his eldest son, Joseph C. Dueber and a party of 40 associates and assistants, to a large meeting in Canton. The meeting was held at the Opera House in June 1886, with 1,500 attending. The Dueber's were told that in addition to the gift of $100,000 by the citizens of Canton, 20 acres of farm land would be donated on which to site the factory buildings (later a further five acres would be donated for additional parkland to surround the factory). A congratulatory telegram was received from local Congressman William McKinley, later to become a personal friend of John Dueber and more importantly the 25th US President. The city council also agreed to a railroad spur running into the factory grounds from the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Work started on the new factories on October 14th, 1886. The plans called for two buildings for the two separate companies - the Hampden Watch Works to the south - the Dueber Watch Case Works to the north. The buildings had a combined frontage of 1,140 feet, almost twice as long as the large factory of their great rivals Waltham. The buildings were the last word in watch making architecture and were drawn up by Akron architects George W. Kramer and F. O. Weary. The park grounds surrounding the buildings brought a new note of impressive distinction and beauty to Canton's buildings, skyline and landscape. The central parts of each building served as offices and rose to 142 feet in height, the equivalent of 12 story skyscrapers. The turrets on the wings were 100 feet high and the steam-engine stack rose 150 feet. The most majestic landmark was the tower with the great clock, with its four faces, which kept time for the next 60 plus years.
Between 1886 and 1888, whilst John Dueber erected his factory, Canton busily built houses to provide homes for the hundreds of workers and their families, who were to come from Springfield and Newport.
The factory building operation got a set-back on the May 27th, 1888, when a terrific rainstorm and cyclone hit the south wing of the Hampden building (see photo below) and levelled it into a mass of ruins. The just completed wing, was 230 feet long, 30 feet wide and 3 stories high. Nobody was killed, or injured, but there was no cyclone insurance in place and the company had to absorb the $15,000 loss and several weeks of time. While John Dueber was looking over the ruins with his architects, 18 year old Ira Augnst approached him and asked for a job. Dueber engaged him on the spot. He was the first Canton citizen to be employed by the company and he continued working there for 41 years advancing to become head of the Model Making department. He was also one of the 23 members of staff who would later go Russia.
|Factory shots (note staff photo on chest, bottom left)
Two special trains brought the first contingent of 250 Hampden workers from Springfield, early in August 1888. A big banquet was organised for the workers and members of their families. On the program, addressing the 560 guests, was Dueber's friend Congressman McKinley.
The Hampden Watch factory began operations in August 1888, a year earlier than the Dueber Watch Case Works. By the end of the first year the Hampden factory was employing 1,000 persons, and turning out 600 watches a day.
The Hampden building to the left, the Dueber building on the right nearest Tuscarawas Street. Circa 1902.
The company declared an 8 per cent dividend in February 1890. Net assets of the two companies were reported as $609,000 in January 1891, with liabilities of $612,000. John C. Dueber and his family were the majority shareholders of the Hampden company and the sole owners of the Dueber Watch Case company. Hampden watches enjoyed a trade reputation of being the highest grade on the market. Hampden watches were popular with railroad men, an important benchmark of the era. John Dueber had chosen wisely when he bought the Hampden company, where the skill of the watch workers was amongst the highest in America.
Watch-case engravers at Dueber-Hampden worked 10 hours a day, 59 hours a week and considered $15 good pay for a week according to a Canton Rep article.
Watch-case engravers at Dueber-Hampden worked 10 hours a day, 59 hours a week and considered $15 good pay for a week according to a Canton Rep article.
A blip in the seemingly endless progression of the companies took place in 1891 when Charles Rood & Henry Cain decided to sell their shares and leave Hampden. Raising the capital to buy them out extended John Dueber financially and put such a strain on company cash-flow that it caused him to suspend operations for a week or two. Nevertheless, within 8 months he had achieved sole ownership of both companies.
Rood & Cain's departure may have also interfered with Dueber's business dealings with the Webb C. Ball Co. of Cleveland OH, Ball placed large orders for "Ball's Standard Railway Watches' with Dueber and this period coincided with Dueber making it clear he manufactured the watches and that he sold the same watch under his own name. Rood & Cain most likely had a personal relationship with Ball as he participated in their new Hamilton Watch Company. Indeed, Ball was a Vice President early in Hamilton's formation and had an exclusive agency for the western part of the US.
In August 1892 the beautiful landscaping about the buildings had been completed and the business was running at the rate of $3,000,000 a year. Hampden watches with 14 karat special filled cases and 17 jewel movements, said to have been the first on the market, commanded a high price because of their intrinsic value. Hampden brought out the first 23-jewelled watch movements in the US. Altogether the company brought out seven different sizes of watches, only one of which was discontinued. Karl Krumm (one of the 23 who later went to Russia) jewelled them all.
Despite the watch business flourishing John Dueber still had to operate in the face of the watch case trust, but after the passage of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act in 1890 John Dueber brought an anti-monopoly suit for $950,000 damages against The American Watch Trust for its alleged conspiracy to boycott his products. The combined capital against Dueber was about $10M. At that time the capital of the Dueber Watch Case Co. was $2M and of the Hampden Co. $0.2M. The courts decided against the Watch Trust in 1893 and the boycott was called off in 1895.
In 1896 a suit was brought against John Dueber by the Waltham and Elgin companies for infringing on the Colby Patent for pendant (stem) set watches. When the lower courts ruled against Dueber he carried the case to the District Court of Appeals before Judge Howard Taft (another future US President) and there won a reversal of the decision of the lower court.
|The examples are diverse in content and reflect a bold, confident company at its zenith. One notable man
who worked in the Art Department at Hampden was Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Charles Macauley.
Retailers Trade Card - Morgan & Ruger, Elmira NY. (From my collection)
By 1896 cycling became the rage, people took bike excursions around the city and surrounding countryside. Members of the "Century Club" were admitted when they had completed 100 miles within 24 hours. Bike racks were provided for workers at the factory, at stores and schools. The two Dueber brother became devotees, riding around town impressing the local girls. It's not clear if they persuaded John Dueber to get into bicycle production, or if he saw it as a way to curb their lifestyles. Either way he did add bicycles to his production, in a special adjoining building next to The Watch Case Works. Manufacture continuing about five years until the space was needed. His bicycles were reported as 'the best in town' with the Dueber Special costing $85.
There were of course some other prominent Ohio citizens capitalising on the national bicycle craze, the Wright brothers opened a repair and sales shop in Dayton in 1892 (the Wright Cycle Exchange, later the Wright Cycle Company) and began manufacturing their own brand in 1896. Wilbur kept time with his Hampden Railroad pocket watch, whilst Orville carried a Rockford Railroad pocket watch. They also used a Sun stopwatch.
|Wilbur checks his watch at Le Mans
Local history recalls that neither of John's sons were exactly cast in his mould and that they had a reputation for being something akin to playboys. Nevertheless, both followed him into the company. The younger son Albert M. Dueber would eventually be the last Dueber to run the company. The eldest son Joseph had been groomed to take over the business but sadly he fell ill and died suddenly on December 31st 1899, aged 28, a blow both to his father and to the future prospects of the company.
On September 6th 1901, John Dueber's friend President William McKinley was assassinated by Leon Czolgosz. Dueber was chosen by the McKinley family to act as an honorary pall bearer at his state funeral. The photo below shows him (seated far right) with the other bearers.
|Image courtesy of the Peninsula Valley Historic & Education Foundation
That same year* John Dueber travelled to Europe with his younger daughter Estella, where together they visited his native Prussia. When he and his daughter returned to Canton, they were met at the station by a crowd of 3,000 people and a band. Following his return he sent a clock to be put in the church tower at Netphen. During World War II the church was bombed, but the tower and clock were unharmed.
*There is evidence this was possibly in 1903: Greg Farino's research found a copy of Dueber's 1903 passport application.
*There is evidence this was possibly in 1903: Greg Farino's research found a copy of Dueber's 1903 passport application.
Albert Dueber (born July 31st 1874 - died April 20th 1945), who since the death of his elder brother in 1899, had been Vice-President (he also operated part of the time as a travelling salesman) became President of both the Hampden & Dueber companies; he was 33 years old and would head the company for another 18 years.
John Dueber had achieved much during his 66 years, but he had also been fortunate as the majority of the time he built up his company coincided with a buoyant and expanding period in the watch industry in North America.
By 1905 capital in the Dueber & Hampden companies had been reduced from $2,000,000 to $500,000. Great changes for the watch industry were on the horizon, many companies would consolidate, many would fail. By the start of the 1920s only 17 of the 44 companies, listed in Robert H. Ingersoll & Brothers 1919 'History of American Watch Making', were still operating. This was the environment Albert Dueber inherited. And from 1907 to 1925, some 18 years, he set a conservative course for the Dueber & Hampden companies, capitalising on many of the principles laid down by his father and to his credit he managed to kept the organisations afloat. Perhaps what we would today call downsizing, although judging from the staff photo (see factory collage above), taken in 1913, the organisation was still a significant employer at that time.
Another major shift in the industry was the transition from pocket watches to wristwatches. Not easy for concerns that had built their reputations on the former. Looking at the wristwatches produced at Canton, it's apparent they are small pocket watch movements, re-cased with a wrist band. It is most likely that Hampden suffered from an inherent conservatism that believed wristwatches would be a passing fad. And by the time they realised they would replace the pocket watch in popularity, it was already too late. The opportunity to develop a modern wristwatch movement to compete with the rejuvenated Swiss, had gone. In all truth both the capital to finance such a project and the expertise to accomplish it, were probably both beyond the company's resources. Perhaps, the drive needed to bring it off was also missing - maybe that would have been the destiny of the dynamic Joseph Dueber, had he lived. What we do know is that by the early 20's companies like the Clinton Watch Co. of Chicago were springing up and capitalising on the trend of importing advanced, modern, low cost and reliable Swiss wristwatch movements. Ironically it was the Swiss who were almost put out of business by the emerging US watch industry only 50 years earlier.
When Jacques David, of the Swiss Company Longines, attended the 1876 American Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia (the same year the Dueber Watch Case Co., was incorporated) he reported his astonishment at the disparity of watch manufacturing technology then existing between US and Swiss companies. The American mechanised system was far in advance of Swiss ad-hoc methods, in that it brought together the entire production of watches under one roof, employing standardized machine-made parts made from improved machines and tools. In his opinion American chronometers of that time were better than the best the Swiss were able to construct.
I have a Dueber Hampden movement (see below) that was made in Switzerland. Henrick & Arnold (Hampden Watch Co. NAWCC 1997) catalog the ladies 21/0 size model ES358 with an imported movement made by the Venus Watch Co. of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland and sold as the "Lady Grace" and I believe mine matches their description. There is no reference to the date of production and I would be very interested to hear from anyone who can say if these date from the Albert Dueber or the later Walter Vretman era. My guess is it was from the Vretman era as the name Grace coincides with that of Vretman's wife.
|My Dueber-Hampden "Lady Grace" with a Swiss movement
In 1923 Albert Dueber merged the case making and watch companies as The Dueber-Hampden Watch Co., with a capital of $1,000,000. He continued as President and Treasurer of the merged organization. Despite this the company's fortunes continued to decline and eventually it was sold, in September 1925, to a group of Cleveland businessmen, fronted by Walter Vretman.
|A post 1923 photo as the name on the building also says Dueber Hampden Watch Company.
Photo source http://dueber-hampden.blogspot.com
|A copy of Grace Vretman's share certificate - for sale at the last time of checking.
The end of a 40 year era but I'm not going to make a separate chapter for the Vretman period; in effect the company only changed it's officers. Vretman became President; Fred G. standardised, Vice-President; L. W. Wickham, Secretary; R. E. Rhyan Treasurer. The purchase price was $1,551,000.00. A price equal to the debts less $65,000 which was set as the commission for the sale. The assets were written up on the company's books at $2,338,298 and offset by 8,000 new shares of non-par stock issued to the promoters in addition to 2,000 shares issued to the selling company. No new capital was invested. Such methods of financing inevitably led to receivership and two years later, in 1927, that is precisely what happened, as evidenced by the receiver in his bankruptcy statement (below).
Raymond W. Loichot was appointed Receiver by the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division. After working out the inventory and selling the assets, all operations ceased in 1930, 53 years after Hampden was first incorporated in Springfield and 42 years since the Canton factories got going.
The machinery and tools were sold to the Amtorg Trading Corporation (see footnote), one of Soviet Russia's buying agencies in the US, for $329.000. This amount was within $65,000 of the appraised value of the equipment, which would eventually fill 28 rail cars. For the record the 1st Moscow Watch Factory (Poljot) history has it that two contract were signed on the 26th April 1929. The first was for factory equipment at $325,000 and the second for spares parts and part-finished timepieces at $125,000.
The land assets were appraised at $528,886.00 and buildings at $483,388.00. At a public sale the mortgagee, Albert Dueber, was the sole bidder.
The factory building were owned by the Dueber-Hampden Watch Company. But exactly who owned the freehold of the land is not so clear. The Meyers' heirs had donated the initial 20 acres and a further 5 acres had been bought by the Canton Chamber of Commerce. I have not seen any evidence that the land was given to Dueber along with the $100,000 "Gift money". Albert Dueber, in purchasing "Land & Buildings", may have been purchasing the freehold of the 5 additional acres, if they had indeed been gifted to the Company(s).
That paragraph dovetails with a report written in 1949 (see below) that the site was divided between the Dueber heirs & the Cally-Wyl Co., (A. B. Cable, E. C. Smally and H. Wyles) so I presume the Cally-Wyl Co., were the successor to the the Meyers' heirs and as such the freeholders of the initial 20 acres.
Today (1949) the great former watch factory plant is divided between the Dueber heirs and the Cally-Wyl Co., which latter is a word coined from the recent owners, Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Cable and E. C. Smalley of Canton, and Howard Wyles of Berea, Ohio. Mr. Wyles withdrew from the company about a year ago. Extension of Garfield Avenue is the dividing line north and south; west of that line the Dueber heirs retain 9.22 acres, and east of it the Cally-Wyl owners for the past three years have owned 15 acres, which include the main buildings. In the buildings and along W. Tuscarawas St. the Laundromat, Boardman's Floral office, Motor Mart for used cars, and Studebaker's Service Station are on the Cally-Wyl property, while Kroger's, Kestel's Canfield Service and the Dueber Movie Theatre are on the property of the Dueber heirs. The latter include Mrs. A. L. Joliet, Mrs. John Ferrall and Mrs. Robert Vail. The latter two were Mary and Josephine Dueber, daughters of A. M. Dueber.
Eventually the construction of Interstate 77 led to the demolition of the Hampden building and later developments would swallow-up the Dueber building and complete the eradication of what John C. Dueber billed as the largest watch factory in the world.
As the twentieth century got under way and wristwatches became more prominent, owners of ladies pocket watches, like the Hampden size 3/0 models, were offered conversion kits by enterprising companies (The advert below is for the Keystone Co.). These kits had many benefits like; the practical conversion to a wristwatch, re-cycling a family heirloom; the chance to sell the original gold, or silver, case for cash; when combined with the re-dial option it made them suitable for a man.
These were not factory options and were made for other manufacturers as well as Hampden. The criteria is that the winding stem is at the 3 O'clock position.
These were not factory options and were made for other manufacturers as well as Hampden. The criteria is that the winding stem is at the 3 O'clock position.
AMTORGAmtorg Trading Corporation was based at 165 Broadway, New York City, and after 1929 at 261 Fifth Avenue. Amtorg is an acronym of Американская торговая - American Trading. It was formed by the amalgamation of the Products Exchange Corp. (1919), Armand Hammer's Alamerico and Arcos-America Inc. (1923). The latter was the US office of the UK based All Russian Co-operative Society (ACROS).
It became the first Soviet trade delegation in the US when in May 1924 it was established to assist the USSR's import and export companies seeking to conduct legitimate trade. It would continue in this role throughout the Soviet era.
Saul G. (Grigorievich) Bron, during his tenure as chairman of Amtorg Trading Corporation in 1927–1930, contracted with many leading American companies, to help build-up the Soviet's industrial infrastructure. On May 31, 1929, after complicated negotiations and despite the absence of official relations between the two countries, the largest Soviet contract with an American firm was signed by Henry Ford, Ford Motor Company Vice-President Peter E. Martin, Saul G. Bron for Amtorg, and Valery I. Mezhlauk on behalf of VSNKh for assistance in building near Nizhny Novgorod a colossal automobile plant with a projected annual capacity of 70,000 trucks and 30,000 cars.
Bron became a victim of Stalin's Great Purge and was executed on 21 April 1938. He was posthumously rehabilitated in 1956.
Bron became a victim of Stalin's Great Purge and was executed on 21 April 1938. He was posthumously rehabilitated in 1956.
Amtorgs chief commissioner for the purchase of the Dueber-Hampden factory was Mr A. Vladiminsky. Although based in New York, he would spend much time in Canton negotiating with the Receiver Raymond Loichot.
The FBI tracked Amtorg's operations throughout the Soviet period. According to Rachel Verdon's book "Murder by Madness". In 1985 Robert Hannson was given the job of overseeing "Project Pocketwatch" the FBI's monitoring program for Amtorg. There is no reason given for the choice of "pocketwatch". Hannson was later convicted for being a Soviet spy.
Dr. Armand Hammer was not an active participant in Amtorg and certainly not in the negotiations for Dueber-Hampden. Any references to either an Amtorg Watch Company or Hammer Watch Company have no foundation, in the US or the USSR. His initial connection was through Lenin who his father had met many years before 1917. Hammer went to Moscow in 1921 to meet Lenin and negotiate for money his company, Allied Drug, was owed for drugs they had smuggled to the Soviet Union during the US blockade. Lenin saw Hammer as a useful, sympathetic, friend of the Bolsheviks.
|Left Hammer, centre Lenin who has written "To Comrade Armand Hammer from V. I. Ulyanov 10th Nov 1921
Right Saul G. Bron's photo from NKVD file after his arrest. Lubyanka prison, Moscow, 25 October 1937.
- The sale of Dueber-Hampden ended 53 years of Hampden as a "Manufacture d'horlogerie". From now on the name would be used on assembled watches and movements mainly from Switzerland.
- Canton is in Stark County, Ohio, which was so named after the American revolutionary hero General John Stark: John Stark's wife was Elizabeth "Molly" Stark. Hence Molly Stark movements.
- William McKinley was the Canton Congressman, later to be the Governor of Ohio and eventually the 25th US President. McKinley's signature was engraved on the plating of movements bearing his name.
- Use Of The Word "Railway" On A Watch. Since its existence as the the New York Watch Co., Dueber-Hampden had long used the grade name "Railway" on its watches. With Ball promoting its Railway Queen grade, Dueber-Hampden brought suit against both Ball and Waltham (who had begun to mark its movements with the word "Railroad") for interference in December 1899. The suit was decided in Dueber-Hampden's favor seven months later. Extract from NAWCC showwiki. Also see a definition of a "Railroad Watch" in the appendix.
CHAPTER 4. The MANHEIMER Watch Co.
In 1930 with Amtorg's agreement, use of the Dueber-Hampden name was assigned to the Receiver. He transferred it to some former employees who set up The Dueber-Hampden Service Department in Canton. Part of the agreement with Amtorg had been for the Soviets to export parts back to Canton, but this did not become a reality. The Service Department was owned by the Anderson Bros., two former Dueber-Hampden employees and was operating out of the Zinninger Building until the early 1940's.
Registration of the Hampden name was abandoned, in effect it ceased to be used in 1923 when the Hampden and Dueber companies were amalgamated. The best explanation of how the name came back into use is found in James W. Gibbs book. When Gibbs compiled the original Hampden Story in the very early 1950's, he wrote to the Hampden Watch Company of Chicago IL,.
"We were put in touch with the Hampden Watch Company of Chicago, Illinois. Mr Arthur E. Manheimer, the President, wrote to me that when the machinery, equipment, inventory and materials were sold to Russia in 1930, good-will and trade marks were not sold. The trade name Hampden having been abandoned by the Dueber-Hampden Company, three companies, including his own, applied for registration of the name or a similar sounding name for jewellery items. His company subsequently made contact with the other two companies and acquired all of their right, title and interest in the name Hampden, which his company has been using since 1939. Their application for registration of the name in connection with watches was perfected in 1940".
What Manheimer's letter did not explain was the reasons why he had become the President of the Hampden Watch Co., when he had previously been involved with the Manheimer Watch Co., a successful business operating out of 31 North State Street, Chicago, with a similar inventory. It took the discovery of an obscure court transcript to unravel the mystery. The case in question is 'Lowenthal v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue' and the transcript provides a definitive account of the circumstance behind the resurrection of the Hampden name.
|Early1941 advertisement from a Soden's publication
Arthur Manheimer Patent 1932
Arthur E. Manheimer was born in Kansas City on the 14th of April 1888; he graduated from Harvard College in 1909 and gained a Law Degree from the Harvard Law School in 1912, after which he practiced in Chicago. In 1917 he was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Signals Reserve Corps and served in France, during WWI, as Supply Officer for the 415th Railway Telegraph Battalion. After the war he returned to Chicago and practice law for a few years before purchasing part of the family business, the Manheimer Watch Co. As previously stated he formed the Hampden Watch Company in 1940 and ran it for some 17 years. He died in December 1957 after a short illness.
Arthur Manheimer was past President of the National Wholesale Jewellers Association. On Dec. 18th 1934 there is a newspaper report about trade tariffs on imports from Switzerland. These were said by American chemists, watch, clock and lace makers to be "ruinous" to business in those fields in this country. The watch makers' attitude was expressed by Arthur E. Manheimer. president of the Manheimer Watch Company of Chicago and President of the National Wholesale Jewelers Association in testimony before the committee on reciprocity trade agreements he said. "The Swiss have 50 per cent of the American watch industry" he said. "They also have Canada, Mexico, South America and practically every other country in the world. "We can't compete with them in other markets. Our manufacturers do all their business right here in America. Why don't the Swiss leave us alone?".
He was also an active member of the Alliance Française and a supporter of the World Federation for World Government.
He was also an active member of the Alliance Française and a supporter of the World Federation for World Government.
The Manheimer era watches are difficult to distinguish from later Clinton era watches, as in effect the method of manufacture changed very little.
|Continuity - The top set are 1952 (Manheimer era) the lower set are 1957 after the Clinton purchase.
Either through Manheimer or later Clinton, Hampden watches have been produced from the 1940s up to the present day and distributed via their companies Chicago offices. Hampden branded watches, from both the Manheimer & Clinton era's, have been fitted with Swiss, German and French movements. Some of the Clinton era movements are stamped Clinton Watch Company some Hampden Watch Company. Clinton, Douglas and Wolbrook watches, also from the Clinton stable, are fitted with a mixture of these movements, the majority being 17 jewel Swiss ones.
In my opinion many Hampden wristwatches from the Manheimer and Clinton period between 1940 and 1980 are classically stylish, utilise quality components and as such were accurate and reliable. They were amongst the ones I first purchased to start my small collection; which coincidentally, includes one circa 1960s model with a Soviet First Moscow Watch Factory 2414 movement.
Anecdote.Either just before, or just after, the time of Manheimer's death the business was sold to a Mr. John Alder. However, his tenure ended abruptly, according to the Chicago Tribune report below... On March 25th 1958 he jumped to his death from the 18th floor of his office block. One of his employees, Melvin Dicker, the company's assistant treasurer, said Alder had been depressed about the business and had contemplated selling it.That same year Hampden would be purchased by Hyman Wein owner & founder of the Clinton Watch Company, also of Chicago. Mel Dicker carried on working for the Wein family for many years.I'm grateful to Joseph Wein for drawing my attention to this article.
Hyman Wein.
The Wein family, formally Weinzieher, originally emigrated to the US from Russia but it's a little unclear how many of the family travelled with the head of the family, Hersh Wein, and how many arrived later. Hersh Wein had a large family that would diverge and go on to form important branches of the North American watch industry. Nevertheless, the foundations were established in 1904 with the incorporation of Weinstrum Watches, who became the authorised dealership of "Abra Swiss Watches" and were situated at 93 Nassau Street, New York City. Later the concern would be known as Wein Brothers. Hersh (or Hirsch) left a number of his sons and sons-in-law in the business. Family lore had it that the larger family enterprise broke up due to fighting among the wives.
|Hersh Wein and family
Monya Wein moved to Switzerland and during WWII helped to keep the family businesses alive by scrounging enough movements and parts to send back to the families in the US and Canada. Monya's son is Boris Vansier the artist.
Rose Wenger, nee Weinzieher, and her husband went to Montreal and in 1923 started Wenger Ltd. owners of the Cardinal Watch brand. The current President is Myer Wenger the great-grandson of Hersh.
The Canadian Wenger Watch Company (Wenger Ltd.) are not affiliated with Wenger Switzerland or their sister company Victorinox. Wenger Switzerland did not start producing watches until the late 1980s.
Morris Wein (seen above sitting on his father's knee) would become the founder of Marathon Watch in Montreal Canada in 1939, which is run today by his grandson Mitchell Wein (family pronunciation 'ween').
One brother moved in New York and another went to live in Los Angeles.
|Hyman Wein
Photo by permission of Joseph Wein
Last but by no means least there was Hyman Wein, pictured right, (family pronunciation 'wine'), born in 1888 in the city of Kiev, then a part of the Imperial Russia Empire, today the capital of the Ukraine. He was 34 years old when he emigrated to the US with his wife Susan, also known as Sasha. He had formerly been an officer in the Russian Army and had witnessed the horrors of the pogroms following the revolution.
Between 1920 and 1922 as many as 30,000 Russian soldiers, aristocrats, professionals and intellectuals left the Soviet Union and settled in New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago. These immigrants were known as "white émigré", so named for their opposition to the Bolsheviks (Marxist, Leninist faction of Communism).
They settled in Chicago Illinois where he founded the Clinton Watch Company in 1922 at 29 East Madison Avenue. Clinton is the name of both an Illinois county and an area in Chicago. The company were like many others of that time 'watch designers and compilers' bringing-in movements, dials and cases and assembling them in their workshops.
Involvement in community projects runs through the three generations of the Wein family who figure in the chapter. The Wein Family Foundation, set up by Hyman in memory of his wife Susan in 1946, remains in place today and makes charitable donations to a wide variety of good causes (approx. $250,000 in 2009).
Hyman Wein began a watch repair school for immigrants. Alfred Blum, who worked at Clinton and was well known in Chicago as "The German Watchmaker" taught there on a voluntary basis for two years in the late 1930's. After finishing his regular job with Clinton at 5 p.m., he would teach from 6 to 9 at night. The school catered for the disabled and for war veterans.
Irving L. Wein.
Hyman's son Irving L. Wein, born 1925, grew up in Hyde Park on Chicago's South Side and at age 16 enrolled in the University of Chicago. He spent two years in the U.S. Army in Europe, as a member of the 8th Armoured Division. He also studied at the Sorbonne in France and the University of Geneva in Switzerland; afterwards he returned to Chicago to finish his degree and join the family business.
Hyman's son Irving L. Wein, born 1925, grew up in Hyde Park on Chicago's South Side and at age 16 enrolled in the University of Chicago. He spent two years in the U.S. Army in Europe, as a member of the 8th Armoured Division. He also studied at the Sorbonne in France and the University of Geneva in Switzerland; afterwards he returned to Chicago to finish his degree and join the family business.
|Irving Wein
Photo by permission of Joseph Wein
One of his earliest ventures was to set up the Josan SA company in Neuchatel, Switzerland in the 1960s (about the time the company moved it's Chicago offices to 1104 South Wabash Avenue). He assembled watches there for the next 20 years. Following on from this in the 80s he opened a watch factory in St. Croix, in the US Virgin Isles (the name St. Croix became a Hampden Corp., brand). Irving Wein was a leading lobbyist to the US Federal Trade Commission in connection with watch movement assembly in the US Virgin Isles. He sought markings clarification, arguing that it would improve the domestic industry.
A loophole in US tariff law, in the late 1950's, ment many American firms turned to watch assembling in the Virgin Islands. The loophole had stipulations. Watches could be imported duty free into the United States from there provided they did not contained foreign materials valued at more than 50% of the total value. Labour being a high proportion of manufacturing costs meant it was not difficult to meet this stipulation.
Watches assembled in the Virgin Islands started to flow into the United States in 1959. Within a decade 15 different companies had assembly plants there. Approx. half the parts, by value, used in the Virgin Islands operations came from Japan. With a further quarter came Germany. The Swiss were restricted by law from exporting parts until 1971.
By 1968 almost 15% of total American watch imports came into this country via the Virgin Islands. But then watches also started to come in from Guam and in order to limit this blossoming circumvention of tariff duties, the U.S. Government put a quota on imports limiting them to one-ninth of US consumption from the previous year. Several firms, citing the quota as one reason for their decision, shut down their Virgin Islands Plants. Hampden closed their factory there in 2008, leaving just one other company still operating.
The introduction of LED/LCD Quartz Watches.
There is another phase of the Virgin Islands story which was recently relayed to me by Neal Tenhulzen. Neal had read this blog and contacted me, we exchanged emails and this is what he was able to tell me.
A loophole in US tariff law, in the late 1950's, ment many American firms turned to watch assembling in the Virgin Islands. The loophole had stipulations. Watches could be imported duty free into the United States from there provided they did not contained foreign materials valued at more than 50% of the total value. Labour being a high proportion of manufacturing costs meant it was not difficult to meet this stipulation.
Watches assembled in the Virgin Islands started to flow into the United States in 1959. Within a decade 15 different companies had assembly plants there. Approx. half the parts, by value, used in the Virgin Islands operations came from Japan. With a further quarter came Germany. The Swiss were restricted by law from exporting parts until 1971.
By 1968 almost 15% of total American watch imports came into this country via the Virgin Islands. But then watches also started to come in from Guam and in order to limit this blossoming circumvention of tariff duties, the U.S. Government put a quota on imports limiting them to one-ninth of US consumption from the previous year. Several firms, citing the quota as one reason for their decision, shut down their Virgin Islands Plants. Hampden closed their factory there in 2008, leaving just one other company still operating.
The introduction of LED/LCD Quartz Watches.
There is another phase of the Virgin Islands story which was recently relayed to me by Neal Tenhulzen. Neal had read this blog and contacted me, we exchanged emails and this is what he was able to tell me.
"Irving hired me in late 1974 after hearing about me from one of his vendors. I had just finished setting up a digital watch manufacturing plant in Korea (Handok) and was back in California working for a semiconductor company making CMOS watch chips. Irving made me an offer and I moved to Chicago to become a key member of staff alongside Len Carson, Mel Dicker, Morrie Draft and Stan Kriz, all under Irving's leadership.
Digital products were taking off and Irving wanted Hampden to get involved. We purchased the equipment and set up manufacturing at the Hampden factory in St. Croix. Gerard Karsenti was the manager there and along with about 50 girls was already assembling mechanical movements. Things went well and by 1975 we were in production making LED digital modules from kits supplied by Nortec in California. In mid 1975 we received a huge order for our LED tank watches and had to buy assembled modules from Nortec to meet the demand. We also bought Suncrux LCD modules to add a LCD watch series to our line. In my opinion the Suncrux LCD module was one of the best. By late 1976 to mid 1977 the price of digital modules had dropped dramatically. We ceased production of digital modules in St. Croix and purchased assembled modules from various suppliers.
I left Hampden in late 1978 for work back in the semiconductor biz but continued as a consultant to Irving for a few more years. I really enjoyed my days there and considered Irving a good friend. "
In 1981 Irving acquired Benrus after that venerable old American brand had gone through some troubles. The company had been sold in 1967 to Victor Kiam, of Remington Razors fame. His attempt to consolidate various manufacturing enterprises under one roof proved to be a much more expensive move than anyone calculated and was the final blow to the company which subsequently filed as bankrupt in 1977. The company passed through several hands before it came under the ownership of the Wells Benrus Corporation; it to ultimately ended in bankruptcy (Victor Kiam being the largest shareholder and creditor)and was purchased by Clinton in 1981.
In 1981 Irving acquired Benrus after that venerable old American brand had gone through some troubles. The company had been sold in 1967 to Victor Kiam, of Remington Razors fame. His attempt to consolidate various manufacturing enterprises under one roof proved to be a much more expensive move than anyone calculated and was the final blow to the company which subsequently filed as bankrupt in 1977. The company passed through several hands before it came under the ownership of the Wells Benrus Corporation; it to ultimately ended in bankruptcy (Victor Kiam being the largest shareholder and creditor)and was purchased by Clinton in 1981.
The Benrus watch brand was sold to catalogue showrooms and mass merchants until the sale of the business in 1995 to Bernie Mermelstein of M.Z. Berger & Company, with headquarters in Long Island City, NY,. M.Z. Berger also, separately, acquired the Trade Marks of three other old American watch companies, Elgin, Waltham and Gruen.
Clinton had changed its name to Benrus in 1981 but following the sale in 1995, the name was changed again, this time to it's current one, Hampden Corporation. In light of the subsequent Monica Lewinsky scandal, this choice proved to have been an astute one; for a long time the name Clinton may not have immediately evoked thoughts of fine timekeeping. Pity in a way because a President William Clinton model would have been in keeping with the Dueber-Hampden President William McKinley model.
It was during the Benrus era, 1989, that the company move to their current location in West Carroll Avenue.
I was interested to know what wristwatch Irving wore. His son Joe said that his father wore a variety of watches, "Oddly, (or perhaps not) he never fell in love with any particular watch. He'd wear one of our newer models, or whatever was lying around". I asked Joe what watch he wore "Haha – right now I'm wearing one of Mitchell's watches... a Marathon" he told me.
|Electric watches
My collecting interest finishes with the demise of the mechanical watch and what more apt way to finishing than to draw your attention to Electric Watches. I am lucky enough to have three, two Hampden & one Clinton in my collection. Electric watches should not be mistaken for Quartz watches, whilst both are battery powered, electric watches have jeweled mechanical movements. These watches only lasted for a short period between the development of the cell battery and the advent of quartz movements which were cheaper to produce. I am grateful to top enthusiast Paul Wirdnam who provides details of the watch movements on his website at Electric Watches. In addition to containing excellent information generally he also catalogues his own Clinton and all but identical Baylor (the latter has no connection to Clinton or Hampden) models.
Joseph H. Wein & Hampden today.
The third generation, Joseph H. Wein, took over the business when his father died in 2002, continuing his family's ownership of the Hampden name. An association that has lasted for nearly 60 years, greatly exceeding the 40 years it was owned by the Dueber family.
Joe Wein was born on January 5, 1961 in Chicago, he grew up in the family business and learned all the traditions that had guided it throughout its long history. When it was his turn to take the reins, he is said to have questioned everything. He applied modern economic principles and forward-thinking process innovation, an approach that has ensured Hampden continues to be successful.
Joe & his wife Dr. Michele Sackheim Wein (right), also carry on the family tradition of supporting community organisations and have won awards for their work.
And so my story ends.
From the start in 1877 to my electric watch circa 1977. But that of Hampden continues and their current watches can be seen on the company's web site. My story is non-commercial and not sponsored in any way, but I have included their banner for the following reason. My URL "hampdenwatches.com" could easily deflect searchers seeking their information and yet they have not objected. On the contrary they have been most helpful in making archive information available to me.
Watch Archive (my collection)
My watches are neither pristine nor rare, some have been repaired, some altered. Apologies to my watch collecting friends who will be appalled by my lack of photographic skills.
Thank you; To all those who gave permission for me to use their material including Lee Horrisberger, Dave Miller, Dimitry Pruss and Greg Farino. (As a policy I always persue copyright owners to seek permission to republish material. Where contact could not be made I welcome such release.) To the collectors of Dueber-Hampden and Hampden watches who inspired and encourage me. Finally, a special thanks to Joe Wein for his material help and patience.
These links are either the sources of material or just great horology (alphabetically)...
- Abbott. Henry G. The Watch Factories of America.
- Arnold. Robert F. & Hernick. James L. Hampden Watch Co.
- Canton history site http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Welcome_To_Ohio_History_Central
- Dueber Hampden in Canton http://www.zion-canton.org/centennial-history.pdf
- Dueber-Hampden Watches 1889, by Unknown. Broadcast April 3, 1949. Horological Library
- Engel. Joseph, Ex. Director. Canton Preservation Society.
- Gibbs. James W. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Springfield-Moscow-complete-Dueber-Hampden-story/dp/B00070ZNRS
- Hanson. Jon. http://www.americanhorologe.com/Mozart/Mozart.aspx
- Horrisberger. Lee. http://dueber-hampden.blogspot.com/
- James. Kevin. The Watch Guy. http://thewatchguy.homestead.com/pages/BENRUS.html
- Jansson. Maija. Shared Memory: John Hampden, New World and Old
- Kenney. Kimberly A. Canton: A Journey Through Time.
- McKinley Presidential Library & Museum. Canton, OH. USA.
- Wein. Joe. Hampden Corporation
- Wilkie and Tager Hampden County
- Wirdnam. Paul. http://www.electric-watches.co.uk
Books in my collection (alphabetically)...
- Arnold, Robert F. & Hernick, James L. Hampden Watch Co.
- Blair, Harry. Mr Horology - The Life & Times of Henry B. Fried.
- Gibbs, James W. From Springfield to Moscow.
- Harrold, Michael C. American Watchmaking.
- Sterling, Ronald E. Canton, Ohio (Images of America).
- Watkins Richard & Jacques, David American and Swiss Watchmaking in 1876.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission in writing from email@example.com or other copyright owners noted.
© Alan F. Garratt 2008 - 2017 all rights reserved


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Prince Covers June 2014 Issue of Essence
Posted on May 15, 2014
Prince covers the June 2014 issue of Essence magazine. Prince has an afro and is wearing shades with a black and gray ensemble that includes scarves and long fingerless gloves. Prince is holding a colorful guitar.
People reports that Prince reveales in the interview why he no longer uses curse words. Prince says, "Did you ever hear Muhammad Ali curse? Would you curse in front of your kids? To your mother? Marsha [Ambrosius], Lianne [La Havas], Janelle [Monae] ... They're all my sisters. We shouldn't curse at them. We need to treat all of them, and all people, like royalty."
Prince is also the headliner for the upcoming 2014 Essence Festival, which will be held in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
Photo: Essence
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Thank you.
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- Maeve the Little Monster, 27 August 2013
Now that your hip is on the mend - Try making your Tits bigger!
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Kara is a name of at least four artists.Read More...
1) KARA (카라) is a popular South Korean girl group formed by DSP Entertainment, debuting in 2007 with the single "Break It" and the album "The First Blooming". The group consists of Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon, Goo Hara and Heo Youngji. Former members include Kim Sunghee, Nicole Jung, and Kang Jiyoung. They were originally a four member group where they were marketed as the second Fin.K.L, however Kim Sung Hee withdrew from the group and was replaced with Jiyoung and Hara. They became well known for the "butt dance", which was a part of their "Mister" choreography, and their hit songs "하니 (Honey)" and "Pretty Girl". In 2010 they changed to a darker concept with their hit song "Lupin". In Japan, they are signed under Universal Music. On January 2011, it was stated that four KARA members (all minus Gyuri) filled a lawsuit to terminate their exclusive contracts with DSP Entertainment. However, it was later revealed that Hara decided not to join Seungyeon, Nicole and Jiyoung in terminating her contract. Due the conflict DSP Entertainment suspended any Korean group activities as they declared they will no longer be managing the three members. On the following days reports about the five members and DSP Entertainment meetings surfaced, however the company has not yet released an official statement about a possible agreement. In October of 2013, it was reported that Nicole will depart from the group effective January 2014. Ji Young also stated she will not renew her contract, which ended in April 5, 2014. Following the departure from the group, she went to London to take language and acting classes.
2) A mononym of Kara Williamson, whose releases under this name include the album Kara.
3) Rock band from UK with female vocalist Kara and musical backing by Graham and Andy of Avalon.
4) Metal band from Finland. This band was used to be called Ankara until early 2006. They had to change their name by demand of Finnish band Ancara. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Top SongsTotal plays on Last.fm over the last 6 months
- LyricsStep it up , oh oh
Lalalalalala lalalalalalalala
Lalalalalala lalalalalalalala
Neomeo jijin anheul geoya, seulpeum a annyeong
Chinhae jiji anheul geoya, nunmura annyeong
- Pretty Girl - 125,634 plays
- Lyrics[All] Just wanna think about
I wanna think about
Just wanna think about
I wanna think about
Just wanna think about
- LyricsSing It with me now
We bringing new love to the floor
Rocking whats real la couture
We opening new doors new show new world new control
Can you keep up Oh!
- LyricsRomanized:
Up and up ah ah~
Up and up ah ah~
[Jiyoung] Kamchul su eom-neun geoya
- Mister - 136,767 plays
- Mr. - 78,427 plays
- Honey - 140,707 plays
- ミスター - 121,546 plays
- Jumping - 100,261 plays


text: I purchased a set of ground control coil-over sleeves to make a set of coil-overs that will last for more than a year for the caddy. These are the rear coils that i did not need for the truck and have not used. This set is for use with Koni shocks. The springs are made by Eibach and are rated at 200lbs/in. The sleeves and collars are made of aluminum and wont ever rust together. I have a nearly identical set on my Mk4 GTI for ~4 yrs and have never needed to do anything but loosen the locking screw and turn the collars by hand to adjust. These would be great for leveling out the ride height of a car with lowering springs. I'm asking $150 and am willing to ship.


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Apostleship of Prayer Ministry Staff
Rev. James Kubicki, SJ, National Director. In addition to being a frequent guest on radio and television, Fr. Kubicki is also a popular conference speaker, retreat director, and parish mission speaker. His areas of expertise include the Eucharist, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Spiritual Exercises, and the practical spirituality of the Apostleship of Prayer.
Fr. Kubicki's involvement with the Apostleship of Prayer goes back to his high school days when he first encountered the monthly leaflets with the Holy Father's intentions. In 1995 he became the Wisconsin Province Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, and in 1997 he became a member of the Apostleship's national board of directors. He became National Director on July 31, 2003.
Fr. Kubicki was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He entered the Jesuits in 1971 and was ordained in 1983. From 1984-88 he served as the Vocation Director and from 1995-99 as the Director of Formation for the Jesuits of the Wisconsin Province, a seven-state region in the upper Midwest. From 1989-95 he worked at the Sioux Spiritual Center, a retreat house for Native Americans in western South Dakota. During that time he was also the Assistant Director of the Diocese of Rapid City's deacon and lay ministry formation program. From 2000-03 he was the Assistant Director of Demontreville, the Jesuit Retreat House in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.
If you are interested in contacting Fr. Kubicki, e-mail him at email@example.com
Thomas J. Galvin, National Stewardship Director. Tom has twelve years' experience as a nonprofit stewardship leader for Catholic schools in the Chicago Archdiocese. He directed a successful $6 million capital campaign and initiated an annual fund that now exceeds a quarter of a million dollars. Through personal solicitations, Tom has secured numerous six-figure gifts to advance the philanthropic mission of Catholic organizations.
Tom brings extraordinary passion and expertise to his work. With a keen understanding of financial fundamentals and mission, Tom has shown an uncanny ability to connect with diverse individuals and groups. He fosters strong collaboration between donors and the organization to achieve mutual goals.
Tom has an undergraduate degree in marketing and an MBA from Dominican University, River Forest, IL. In his free time, Tom likes to run and bike. He is a HUGE Cubs fan and enjoys many games at Wrigley with his three grown children. His favorite Bible verse is this: "Let the man among you who has no sin cast the first stone" (John 8:7). Call him at 630-290-3857 or email him at email@example.com.
Jacob Brandt, Director of Operations. Jacob has an extreme passion for the Catholic faith. In addition to managing day to day operations at The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, he is a catechist at his local Parish for middle schoolers, and is on the board of directors of Musica Oramus, a local Catholic sacred music organization and choir in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
His passion fits well here at the Apostleship of Prayer, in making sure the organization carries out its mission in helping others through prayer and service, and carrying out God's will every day. Jacob can be reached by email at email@example.com.


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The Spaced Out Value Line Play Area Rug displays all of the planets of our Solar System in sequential order starting from Mercury and ending with Neptune. The Sun shines bright being the focal point for kids to gather around while appreciating story time or play time.
Complete with an artistic child friendly representation of an astronaut, space ship, rockets and more. This rug can be used as an educational tool to brighten up any room.
Size: 4' x 6'
SensoryEdge specializes in waiting room toys, classroom rugs, children's furniture, and sensory based products. In addition to a great selection, we have many great reasons to buy from us. We have been the leader in this industry for more than a decade. A customer-centered shopping experience has always been our goal and we pride ourselves in giving you a great experience from start to finish. Shop with us today and see the SensoryEdge difference.
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Went to the range today to function test and fire the M39-2, as I am wanting to have this pistol as my CCW.
Went through about 100 rounds of WW box in a pretty rapid pace with no issues, pretty happy at this point.
Finished up with what is going to be my carry ammo...
I have only 2 boxes of this of the same lot#
I had one that misfired (primer strike, but no detonation).
Tried a total of 5 times, no go.
Fired some others and no problem(so it is not a gun malfunction).
This has to be my first experience with a failure of factory defense ammo.
Now I am rethinking my carry ammo options.
I have to totally trust my pistol and ammo before I CCW with the combination.
Below are some pic's and Lot# if anyone else has had a problem.
Do you think Hornady would want this information, or it is just what it is ?
Attachment 61229Attachment 61230Attachment 61231Attachment 61232


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German Shepherd Dog Forums (http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/)
- Health Issues (http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/health-issues/)
- - Need help please. Video included to view sleep breathing (http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/health-issues/432057-need-help-please-video-included-view-sleep-breathing.html)
Need help please. Video included to view sleep breathing
Mods, my apology if I a posting in the wrong section. I am a new member. I purchased a 3 yr old trained GSD (German import) from a breeder with a very good reputation. The dog is fabulous, wonderful temperament and amazing obedience. I noticed however he was low on energy. I have only owned him for 3 days. He had been in the US only 2 months, breeder had done some additional socialization work. The dog is sleeping in our room on carpet floor or the kuranda bed. He is having sleep apnea, stops breathing for a few seconds at a time. He also has labored breathing. This does not happen during the day when he takes naps. The breeder has the dog now so his vet can look at him. I am concerned because the vet said he had never heard of that. One google search and it is clear there are dogs with this issue. They tend to be overweight or flat faced dogs. Kobe is very fit and lean so weight is not an issue. Please if anyone knows of another owner who had this issue and corrected please let me know.
The videos are on You tube. Title is case sensitive. Search on. Kobe GSD breathing issues 1. There are two other videos numbered 2 and 3
Please post a response if you can help.
I'll move this to the health section.
Hope the vet can figure out what's going on!
I don't have advice for you but these appear to be your videos
I only watched a little of the videos, but what you describe can actually be a normal thing with dogs.
Some dogs once they fully mature tend to be low key. Just because the dog was imported does not mean that it is going to necessarily be high energy. You also have to add in the fact that the dog has had a lot of changes in the last few months also. A vet visit is definitely a good plan to be certain there isn't something going on.
However, using my golden as an example, there are times when he's really deeply asleep where he has long pauses between breaths and I have actually counted his heart rate down around 48 when he gets that deeply asleep. When he breathes normally in a lighter version of sleep he may pause periodically for a few seconds before taking another breath. If he takes a deep breath, there is often a period of time before he starts up again. Myles is a very fit and athletic dog. His resting heart rate is usually around 60, which is not typical of most dogs, especially ones that aren't as active as he is.
And as far as labored breathing goes, my question is does there seem to be an increased inspiratory or expiratory effort? Is he breathing rapidly but the breaths are even, much like if he was panting? Does his tongue or gums appear to become purple with this kind of breathing? Generally speaking, very wide mouth, elbows pointed out, stretching the neck out. These are things a dog who is having labored breathing for whatever reason it could be (honestly the list is long) will generally look like.
I am curious why the breeder has the dog and his vet is looking at it. Is it because yours hadn't heard of this? Did your vet actually look at the dog or did you just describe things for them? If they did a physical exam on the dog and couldn't find anything amiss, it could simply be something normal for your dog. Hard to say, but it is something to think about.
I could go into more depth on why breathing slows when you are sleeping, lol. Though it will show my inner A&P nerd more than anything else. >>
Hopefully they can figure out something for you.
Thank you for the response.
By labored breathing I mean he is taking in very deep and long breaths as if he is not getting enough air. I know some of the videos are long, but on several you will see those deep breaths. The breath is like what you would see after a dog stretches and takes one big gasp, but he continues on like that for 15 mins.
His mouth is generally closed all the time when sleeping. I have not noticed purple gums or tongue but I have been videoing for 3 day at night and not really sleeping so I am not sure how aware of his color I was.
I only have had the dog for 2 days and 3 nights. While I plan to use a local vet the breeder is only 35 minutes away and has a relationship with his vet. The breeder agreed to have the dog sleep at his home with him for observation followed by a vet visit. He is a very reputable guy, and just looking to take care of me and the dog.
My concern is the breathing stop bouts and sudden gasping for air are waking the dog up several times a night. When that happens he bolts to his feet very confused and it takes him awhile to settle back down.
I was hoping the kuranda bed would help as it suppose to distribute the dogs weight better, but soft bed, floor or the new dog bed does not seem to make a difference.
He is trained to crate sleep, but i had the crate in my daughters room. She is a pretty heavy sleeper but he was waking her up so I had him sleep in my room. So I know the crate will not help his sleep either.
go to YOUR vet .
I did look at 3 videos -- the first one to the 10 minute mark.
I don't see that the breath is deep and long . I see short , shallow and rapid.
Not to alarm you , but for something to have your vet check , is heart function . That dog is in deep sleep , at rest for a long period before being taped . To my eye that heart is bouncing around as if the dog had just been in a heavy exercise mode.
this , heart? "My concern is the breathing stop bouts and sudden gasping for air are waking the dog up several times a night. When that happens he bolts to his feet very confused and it takes him awhile to settle back down."
give the dog a thorough physical -- heart rate at rest and after exertion.
I would send your broker the youtubes , not the dog .
Carmen, thank you. The "broker" / breeder is a highly respected trainer who provides many of the local police depts here with dogs as well as selected companion dog for families. His policy is 100 percent refund (all your money back or another dog, Your choice) if for any reason you are not satisfied. After only 3 days I love this dog. I do not have a vet I personally trust yet. I was planning on having him checked next week before the two week trial was to establish that relationship and prepare for long term ownership. This issue just came up before that and I trust the breeder/trainer. He only manages a few dogs at a time for sale and keeps them in his home. Kobe was very well bonded to him and having him observered in a place he is familiar might help rule out anxiety related to my new home. He is being seen by two vets, one the breeders normal vet and one more in a surgical practice.
If he is physically cleared it may be stress or environmental and this was the best way to accomplish figuring all that out in the shortest time frame.
I also noticed his heart jumping all around at a high rate when he had been at rest for hours. I have not owned a GSD in 20 years, I forgot what was normal or not. That is why it is good to hear experienced owner feedback here
deep sleep is when stress is obliterated -- no awareness . He just does not look like a dog that is stressed.
the heart seems erratic , too active for "down time".
that , unfortunately is where I would pay attention to at the moment.
can a heart be helped -- yes , stabilized Co Enzyme Q10 , taurine .
you said he was low on energy --- and that he wakes with a startle and is confused (spasm?) --- so the information I am giving is not to alarm or worry but to give you something to target your vet and / or your breeder broker in getting a solution --- I do hope it works out for all , including this good looking dog ! Nature's Corner: On the Topic of Dilated Cardiomyopathy in German Shepherds
I spoke with the breeders vet. He told me the dog is fine. When I asked what diagnostic test were done to come to that conclusion he said all they did was listen to his heart. He said the high heart rate at rest in the video may be due to the dog dreaming. When I asked if there were other test that could have been done to test his heart and breathing function he said, sure but those cost thousands of dollars and I see no reason for that. I said really, you watched the video and think there is no reason to test. He said no that is just the way he breaths.
I have asked every GSD owner I know and all said their dogs does not exhibit that sleep behavior. Heart rate with their dogs at sleep is slower and breathing is not as rapid.
I was hoping for some explanation, at this point I do not feel comfortable with the purchase. He was a very, very expensive dog and while I planned for care in my post purchase budget spending thousands more for an issue I think the breeder should have pursued is not what I am inclined to do.
the heart looks "large and flabby" . Last night I was packaging raw meat to put in the freezer . The dogs were asleep while I did so and not a one , not even the 12 year old Simon had anything similar .
Your worry goes past the dog sleeping , as you said he is also low on energy.
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Music review: Lewis' Sun sessions shine on essential CD release
'The Essential Jerry Lee Lewis: The Sun Sessions'
Jerry Lee Lewis (Legacy)
Even though his well-deserved reputation as a loose cannon (they don't call him the Killer for nothing, folks) often threatened to overshadow his music, there's no disputing the impact Jerry Lee Lewis had on the early days of rock 'n' roll. Armed with his trusty piano and devil-may-care attitude, Lewis, now 77, is a living legend. "The Essential Jerry Lee Lewis: The Sun Sessions" is a two-disc, 40-track collection of his best moments for Sun, the quintessential record label of the 1950s and early '60s. All of the signature tunes are here — "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," "Great Balls of Fire," "Breathless," "Good Golly Miss Molly," "Wild One (Real Wild Child)" — plus dozens more. This is a must for fans of rock's formative years.
'The Essential Andy Williams'
Andy Williams (Columbia Legacy)
One of the preeminent vocalists of all time, Andy Williams left behind quite a legacy when he died last September at the age of 83. His career peaked in the 1960s and early '70s, but he continued to perform at his own theater in Branson, Mo., well into his 80s. "The Essential Andy Williams" compiles 36 of his best songs over two discs. Hits like "Butterfly," "Are You Sincere" and "Lonely Street" launched his career in the late 1950s and he became a bona fide star on the strength of movie themes like "Moon River" from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story" from the all-time tearjerker "Love Story." All those songs are here, as are velvety renditions of classics like "Born Free," "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Days of Wine and Roses."
'The Essential Nilsson'
Harry Nilsson (RCA Legacy)
Despite a career that earned him great acclaim and a boatload of hit singles in the 1960s and '70s, I still view Harry Nilsson as one of the tragic figures of popular music. He could have — and arguably should have — been a much bigger star, but alcohol abuse and ultimately an ill-fated friendship with the great John Lennon helped derail his career. Nilsson was 53 when he died of a heart attack in 1994. "The Essential Nilsson" is a nice showcase of the music that still resonates today. The two-CD, 40-track set spans his entire career and includes signature songs like "1941," his jaw-dropping Beatles medley "You Can't Do That," "Everybody's Talkin'," "One," "Coconut," "Without You" and "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City." We'll never know what might have been for Harry Nilsson, but "Essential" is a great chronicle of what was.
'The Essential Johnny Winter'
Johnny Winter (Columbia Legacy)
Texas native Johnny Winter has been a fixture on the blues-rock scene since the late 1960s and showed in 2011's fantastic "Roots" that he remains a relevant performer even as his 70th birthday rapidly approaches. "The Essential Johnny Winter" puts together 34 of his best songs on two discs and is a must for fans of modern electric blues. Whether stomping through original compositions "I'm Yours and I'm Hers," "Dallas," "Hustled Down in Texas" and "Mean Town Blues," or delivering stellar covers of "Highway 61 Revisited," "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," "Mama, Talk to Your Daughter" and "Bony Maronie," Winter is one of the greats.
'Side Effects of You'
Fantasia (19/RCA)
Season 3 "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino hasn't had the same success as that season's seventh-place finisher, Jennifer Hudson, but the 28-year-old North Carolina native has carved out an impressive career with a string of steadily-improving albums. Fourth full-length "Side Effects of You" is her best effort to date, with Fantasia having co-written seven of the 12 songs. Her voice remains her best asset and she puts it to use on a series of keepers that include "Ain't All Bad," the title track, "Change Your Mind," the Commodores sampling "Lose to Win" and "End of Me." Good stuff.
'More Than Just a Dream'
Fitz & the Tantrums (Elektra)
Fitz & the Tantrums exploded onto the scene in 2010 with "Pickin' Up the Pieces," a flawless gathering of vintage soul tunes that remains in heavy rotation on my iPod. They shift gears a bit on third full-length "More Than Just a Dream" and it took me a while to warm to the new dance-pop approach. Vocalists Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs still dominate the proceedings and though I prefer the old-school approach of their last album, this 12-track release is a grower. While there's nothing as memorable as "MoneyGrabber" here, the band scores with "Break the Walls," "6am," "House on Fire" and "The End." And give them credit for trying something new.
'System and Station'
System and Station (self-released)
Thirteen years and 10 albums into its career, Oregon-based indie rock band System and Station is still trying to capture the nation's fancy. It flirted with breakthrough success on 2004's "If You Find Me Let Me Know" and 2006's "Here Is Now," but hasn't been able to take the next step. This rock-solid self-titled release should please its fans, though I don't know if it's going to kick the door open for wider acclaim. Standouts include "Turned Guns," "Fools," "Saturday Night Friends," "I Met the Devil and the Devil Was You" and "Fly Us to the Moon." Rock on.
Jeffrey Sisk is an editor for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-664-9161 ext. 1952, or firstname.lastname@example.com.
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They meet again. After facing off twice in the 2012 NBA China Games during the preseason, the Clippers and defending-champion Miami Heat are familiar with one another.
On Wednesday night they play for the first time in the regular season at Staples Center, a place Miami has failed to win in its two years since LeBron James and Chris Bosh came to town.
"It will be fun," Jamal Crawford said. "We saw them a couple times. It was weird over there (in China), it did not feel like a preseason game with all the hype and outside of the country. We both played it like a real game."
Wednesday will certainly be the real thing. The Clippers (5-2) and Heat (6-2) come into the game atop their respective divisions and while Miami is entering the early stages of its title defense, the Clippers have already shown an ability to win games against the league's elite.
Two of the Clippers' three home victories have come against the Spurs and Grizzlies, both one-loss teams. For Head Coach Vinny Del Negro, it is just a matter of staying the course.
"We just need to handle the Heat well," he said. "There are a lot of big games and we just need to handle them one at a time and stay focused on the game plan."
That plan starts on the defensive end, where the Clippers have held their last three opponents to 42.7% shooting or worse.
The keys for Del Negro are "Get after it early defensively and play hard, set the tone early. They are going to make some shots. They are going to make some plays. Just work through it and stay consistent on our part."
Forward Blake Griffin said preparing for the Heat is the same as anyone else.
"We prepare for teams the same way, really," Griffin said. "[We make sure] we know their sets and what we're doing defensively."
Heat guard Dwyane Wade is listed as a game-time decision with a left foot sprain. He did not participate in the team's Wednesday morning shoot-around.
Clippers 89, Hawks 76: After matching a franchise record with 100 points or more in their first six games, the Clippers pulled out a defensive struggle with the Hawks Sunday at Staples Center. With the Hawks ahead by one late in the third quarter, Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford scored the final six points of the period, and the Clippers bench overwhelmed Atlanta in the fourth. In the span of about seven minutes the Clippers put together a 20-3 run, including six steals and nine fast-break points.
"Our bench really came in and turned the corner for us with their steals and transition plays," Del Negro said.
Crawford, Eric Bledsoe and Matt Barnes combined for seven of the team's 12 steals and Griffin finished with a game-high 16 points. Josh Smith scored a team-high 13 points for the Hawks, but Atlanta shot just 41.7% from the field.
Heat 113, Rockets 110: LeBron James scored 32 of his 38 points after halftime, including making five of his seven 3-pointers and helping the Heat come back Monday to beat the host Rockets. After James went on a personal 8-3 run to give the Heat a one-point lead, Dwyane Wade missed two free throws with eight seconds left but Chris Bosh secured an offensive rebound and was fouled. Bosh made both shots from the line and James Harden missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer on the other end. Wade had 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Bosh added 24 points and 10 rebounds. Chandler Parsons led the Rockets with 25 points, including 5-of-10 from behind the arc.
Caron Butler vs. LeBron James. James has historically had trouble scoring against the Clippers. He's averaging 23.1 points per game in 17 meetings with L.A., the lowest scoring average against any NBA opponent, and shooting 41.3%, also his low against an opponent. In last season's meeting James had a chance to put Miami ahead by two in the final seconds but missed two of his four free throws. Of course, he still finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, but shot just 7-of-19 from the field.
James' production last year was offset by Butler, who aided the Clippers with 20 points on an ultra-efficient 6-for-11 shooting. In Wednesday's meeting, Butler will be important in making James take contested shots and again chipping in some scoring of his own.
Del Negro said defending James is not necessarily all up to Butler, but will be a team effort. "[You have to] take the easy ones away," he continued. "You know what to do, but he is so athletic and gifted it's hard at times. I have a lot of confidence in our guys and I know they will be ready to play."
Clippers in the paint. The Heat has allowed 40.5 points in the paint per game, while the Clippers score 47.7 points per game in the paint (second in the league). With an undersized frontcourt of Chris Bosh and Shane Battier, the Heat could be at a disadvantage against Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. On the other end, Griffin has the athleticism to stay with Battier on the perimeter, and Jordan must be wary of getting pulled out of the paint by Bosh.
DeAndre Jordan. Preseason or not, Jordan had his way with the Heat in Shanghai, scoring over four different defenders in the first half and finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. In a way, the Clippers, 99-89, win foreshadowed Jordan's recent play. In the last three games, he's had 49 points and 24 rebounds. Jordan also leads the Clippers in blocked shots with 15 and his 2.14 blocks per game is 11th in the NBA.
The Clippers have a four-game home winning streak against the Heat and have won both games at Staples Center since James joined the team in the summer of 2010… James and Paul were two of five members on both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic teams. Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams and Kobe Bryant were the other three… The Clippers have held opponents to less than 43% shooting and 83.3 points per game during their three-game winning streak… James has scored in double-figures a Heat franchise-record-tying 148 consecutive games… Butler, Lamar Odom and Ronny Turiaf have all played for the Heat. Turiaf was a member of last season's championship team… Allen has made at least one 3-point basket in 32 of 33 career games against the Clippers… The Clippers have the No. 2 scoring bench in the league, averaging 40.9 points per game. The Bucks are first (41.5).
Asked if playing the Heat is a good "measuring stick" for the Clippers, Chris Paul said: "They are the defending champs, so I don't see why not. At the same time, we are in a pretty good position right now and it is more about us than other teams. We are good enough to play our game and beat whomever."