October • N Ove111ber 1963

One of the last strongholds of tl1e shovel went by the board on June 14 when ground was broken for the new Hamilton building. Insisting that he wanted to "do things right or not at all," President Arthur B. Sinkler climbed onto a nearby bull dozer and expertly removed the first, giant-sized "shovelfull." 2 timely TOPICS timely TOPICS October • N ove111ber 1963 in this issue "Competition Makes Its Pitch" was cer This Crucial Year . 4 tainly among the most fascinating report ing jobs we've done for timely TOPICS 1963 Jewelry Show . 7 readers in several years. Not only was there great interest in meeting the people Competition Makes Its Pitch . 10 behind such names as Benrus, Gruen, Gorham and International, but we also Wallace News ....... ... ...... .. .... 12 had the pleasure of working with Ben Martin, who fit the TOPICS job in between Honor Roll Anniversaries . 15 assignments as Time magazine's New York photographer. As we visited other watch and silver ex hibitors, Mr. Martin and your editor were most cordially received-with two notable exceptions. One overly-suspicious Cover: By far the largest, most publicized civil rights watch sales manager wasn't about to let demonstration was tl1e August 28 March on Washing ton. Our cover shows some of ilie 200,000 crowd be anyone from Hamilton (it seemed to fore the Lincoln Memorial. How the movement for taste bad as he said it) into his suite Negro equality affects Hamilton is told in "This without an O.K. from top authority. We Crucial Year" beginning page 4. (UPI photo) finally got the picture, but only after many phone calls to the company's home office. Editor ..... .. ....... ... .. Richard F. Charles Associate Editor ....... .... ..... Eva Q. Lipka Outstanding in their friendliness were Photographers: Harold W. Richter-Wallingford, Rob ert Taylor-Lancaster officials of Gorham, International and Regional Correspondents: L. J. Lane-Canada, Mary Oneida silver companies, but we did run Burgess-Milford, Conn., Joe Koniencki-East Peters afoul of one nondescript flatware manu burg, Trudy Bom-Bienne, Switzerland Reporters: Lancaster-Wally Bork, Sally Bushong, facturer when Mr. Martin tried to photo Max Caldwell, Ray Ellis, Ron Fenstermaker, Sam graph an almost exact duplicate of Gast, Marilyn Kuntz, Charles McCamey, Thomas Tuttle's "Onslow" pattern in stainless Reese, Frank Remley, Ronald Roschel, Carl Yecker, Wallingford-Alfred Draghi, Fred Long, Robert Mc steel, of all things. Ben talked his way Guire, Jean Case. out of that one, but alas, sans photo. The res ults of a full and at times frenzied timely TOPICS is published bimonilily for employees of the Hamilton Watch Company, its divisions and day of photo-reporting are presented in subsidiaries by ilie Public Relations Department. articles beginning on page 7. OCopyright 1963 by Hamilton Watch Company, Lan caster, Penna. Contents may be reproduced wiili credit. 3 THIS CRUCIAL YEAR From the tiniest cross-roads community to the largest metropolis, the struggle for equality is scraping America's backbone as no other issue in a century. The newsmen of the nation have given it a name: the Negro Revolution. And much of American business-ordinarily the mother-lode of energy, ingenuity and effi ciency-stands hesitant, frequently wavering from indecision to apprehension while the fires of a new Negro militancy spread unquenched. Over the last fifteen years, the business world has slowly awakened to the tremendous potential of the Negro Market. That Negroes have, col lectively, an annual income of some twenty billion dollars had not escaped industrial notice. Now-in 1963-the Negro knows it tool Often denied the voting booth, the Negro National Community is also awakening-to find that purchasing dollars make effective ballots. Ordinarily, the knowledge that money is available is all the great salesmen of the United States need to know. Usually, they "take the ball and run with it." But the Negro Market is different. One busi ness leader perceptively calls it an "invitational market." While spendable dollars are easily identified in the Negro Community, sales are made by threading one's way through-not around-that community. And that is not al ways an easy assignment- At this moment, for instance, the most treach erous cross winds ever encountered in the social structure of this nation are blowing in that community. The leaders of the Negro Revolution are sworn to bring that people above the timber line of "second-class citizenship" to the higher ground of full participation in the productive life of the free enterprise system; full participa tion not only as purchasers of goods but also as employees of those who manufacture them. The striving for Negro employment above the refuse timely TOPICS disposal level is without a doubt a maincurrent ton Watch Company as a place where anyone in the Revolution. can apply for and fill any job on the basis of And, as always in war, those who fight in the ability alone!" ranks and those who offer opportunities for this Mr. Sinkler opened the Public Relations pro upward trek are friends-all others are enemies! gram by establishing at the North Carolina Hamilton has been keenly aware of both the College at Durham (an all-Negro institution) a struggle and the opportunities for years before perpetual watch award as a memorial to Dr. the 1963 racial storm broke in such precipitate Jam es E. Shepherd, the distinguished founder actions as picketing, boycotting and freedom of the college. The first awards-to the faculty marches. As early as 1956 Hamilton's Public Re member and student who best exemplify Dr. lations Department began consulting with Joseph Shepherd's character-were presented by Mr. V. Baker* on definite steps to thread its way Sinkler. Since that time a Hamilton representa through the Negro National Community. tive has traveled annually to Durham to make The first of these steps was to secure the the presentations. backing of top management for Hamilton's Noting the favorable reception of the North overtures to this "invitational market." In Presi Carolina College award, Hamilton then invited dent Arthur B. Sinkler, the program found not several major Negro insurance companies to only enthl!lsiastic support but an active partici honor employees who had made outstanding pant. contributions in voluntary community service. Concerning employment, Mr. Sinkler was These were cooperative awards for which Hamil both brief and emphatic: "I think of the Hamil- ton provided engraved watches and executive personnel to present them. •Joseph V. Baker is Chairman of Joseph Baker Asso· ciates, Inc., an all-Negro public relations consulting firm . This program of awards, largely in recognition Mr. Baker looks back on nearly 29 years as a consultant of community service or outstanding achieve in this special field. He has been affiliated with Hamilton for eight years. ment in a professional field, was expanded to I. D. Reddick (left), outstand ing member of the Phi Beto Sigma fraternal order, re ceives a Hamilton watch in recognition of his achieve ments. Maki_ng the presenta tion far Hamiltan was David Chapman (center), manager al the northeast district. October-November 1963 5 include scores of organizations across the coun assignment of reaching into the Negro Market try from Greek letter sororities and fraternities through the Negro Community. A silver awards to professional associations, and from fraternal program, primarily among key women's organi orders to civic and social units. In most instances zations, was launched in much the same manner the presentations are made when the groups are as the cooperative awards for watches. Engraved assembled at their national conventions. silver pieces have been presented to outstanding An important point is that in all cases the Negro women in cities across the nation. Here members of the organization-not Hamilton again, a Wallace representative made the award select the recipient of the award. during annual conventions. Particularly significant among these awards Perhaps the most significant Wallace awards have been those made to members of the Fron are scheduled for this year, the centennial of tiers International (an influential men's service the Emancipation Proclamation. Five Wallace organization), a 15-year volunteer for the Na waiters-engraved with a replica of the Emanci tional Polio Foundation, a rural physician who pation Proclamation - have been designated single handedly provided recreation facilities "Wallace Silver Heritage Awards" especially for for youngsters in his South Carolina community, the celebration. Two awards are already in the and a Federal Court judge honored by his hands of outstanding Negroes in the Los Angeles fraternity. and Pittsburgh areas. Through public recognition of Negro achieve Beyond this crucial year, Hamilton will con ments, Hamilton not only receives "exposure" in tinue the proffers of friendship and employment the Negro community, the company is further to the Negro National Community, creating the identified as adding its support and prestige to kind of impact which adds that something to a the human rights struggle. In short, Hamilton product which has a deeper appeal in the Negro is among friends. Market than solid gold or sterling. More than 50 watches have been presented in this awards program alone since its inception in 1957. Additional awards have been made to Negro engineering students as the Hamilton Watch Award program for colleges has been expanded to include institutions such as Howard University at Washington, D. C. and Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. With a successful awards program under way, Hamilton in 1958 turned its hand to a direct approach to Negro consumers at home. A consumer booklet "The Gift of Time" was adapted for this group. Using Negro subjects for its point of reference, thousands of copies of the publication were directed to able-to-buy and influential individuals in the Negro National Community.

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