Helbros Watches

Helbros

Helbros watches are a fantastic American story. William Helbein, one of the founders and later long-time company president,  arrived in the US in 1911, coming through Ellis Island. He became a naturalised US citizen in 1916, and embarked on a career as, at first, a diamond importer (his father was a diamond merchant) and later a watch assembler.

Helbein and his family escaped tragedy by coming to the US. In the town in Russia from which they came, Jewish people were persecuted. Most of the people Helbein’s parents knew would have died in a pogrom in 1919, or in a Nazi massacre in WWII.

In the US, Helbein used all the mediums available to him to sell watches. He used print advertising, radio advertising and later TV advertising. He distributed watches through catalogues, shops, dealers, approval and any other way he and his company could find. Helbros made watches for any taste, and pretty much any pocket.

At its height, Helbros was a major US watch company, and Helbein was an important figure. Helbein was the first chair of the American Watch Assemblers Association, and was a Director of the American Watch Association. When he died at the age of 70 in his home in Park Lane, he left a successful company. Perhaps in recognition of the challenges of his early life, a memorial scholarship was established in his name at Brandeis University.

The watch company seems to have flagged after his death, and was effectively closed by the early 1970s. Despite some revivals of the name, no one has made it flourish as it did during Helbein’s lifetime. Woild it have survived the quartz revolution with Helbein at the helm? I wouldn’t have bet against him.

Note: References

To avoid disrupting the flow of the article, I have put the links to source material at the end of the article. I have not posted links to more ephemeral sources such as eBay sales, but I have tried to attribute all information from Forums. If I quote you, and you don’t want to be quoted, please do let me know.

If you know something I haven’t found, or you find something that is wrong, please tell me. If at all possible, please give me a link to something that supports the information so that I can verify it. Please also let me know if I can name you when I update the page to thank you for providing the new information.

Summary

Helbros watches was founded by the Helbein brothers in 1913. The company registered a trademark registered in New York in 1916 and in Geneva in 1918 (please see the Watch Markings and Trademarks section below). The 1918 Swiss registration probably explains why the company is sometimes said to have been founded in 1918.

The brothers’ nationality is usually given as Swiss-German. This is contradicted by contemporaneous reports,  William Helbein, who managed the company and is named on an early trademark registration, was born in Russia, now Ukraine in 1889, and later became an American citizen in 1916. According to his obituary. William was educated in Russia, the Netherlands and Belgium and his father was a diamond dealer. For more details of William Helbein, please see the ‘General Information‘ section below.

Helbros were advertising watches in the US by the 1920’s. See the ‘Print advertising‘ section below for examples of advertising. They sold watches at a range of price points. A common feature of their approach was to make watches available as competition prizes.. For many years they also sold watches as ‘premiums’ for reward campaigns for sales. They were prominent in both radio and TV advertising as well as print advertising, and sponsored radio and later TV shows from the 1940’s onwards.

There are several examples on-line of Helbros watched branded with logos, for company promotions or other groups, such as Lodges.

In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, according to legal documents, Helbros made two distinct lines of watches. One was aimed at door to door canvassers, and long-term credit jewellers. It was, presumably, better quality. A second line was made and sold to discount stores and catalog houses, and was expected to be sold at a discount. This probably helps to explain the widespread belief among collectors that Helbros watches range from the good to the ordinary. artb, an experienced Helbros collector who posts on watchuseek, suggests that the ‘Regency‘ and ‘Invincible‘ lines tend to be good quality.

An emormous range of other watches were made, including pocket watches, fob watches for nurses, tie-in watches with cartoon characters, chronographs, a range of electric watches, and later LCD watches and quarts watches. None of the mechanisms seem to have been made in house, and were sourced from many maufacturers in several countries. Examples of movement manufacturers identified in Forum posts are given in the Watch Movements section below.

The company seem to have either bought, or been bought by, Elgin Industries in the late 1960’s, then become a stand along company again in the early 1970’s. At some stage, probably in the early 1970s, they went in to abeyance, and the trademark was later acquired by Jules Jurgensen.

Later watches have appeared with the brand name, presumaably manufactured by Jurgensen. One watch being sold on-line, a quartz pendant watch,  was described as ‘Helbros by Jules Juergensen‘. As of January 2016, the Jules Jurgensen website says that Jules-Jurgensen Rhapsody Inc is no longer open for business, although warranties are  being honoured.

Watch Markings and Trademarks

The trademark listings for Helbros on mikrolisk.de are very useful. The earliest recorded relevant trade mark on the list is a Helbros logo, registered on 1/7/1916 in New York to the Helbein-Stone Co. Inc. The same logo was then registered in Geneva by Helbein Freres / Manufacture d’Horlogerie Helbros on 21/5/1918.

In 1920 they registed Beaux-Arts, Elbro, Fontain and Helstone in Geneva. As noted in the Print Advertising section below, the watches were called Helbros-Fontain in part of the 1920’s. There is an interesting post by Ltri on watchuseek.com showing photographs of a watch movement marked ‘Fontain W.Co‘ in a case marked ‘Helbein Bros Co, Swiss‘ and also containing the word ‘White‘ accompanied by an engraving of a rose.

microlisk.de shows the ‘Fontain‘ trademark as having been registered by three companies, including the Helbros Watch Co. Inc. New York and Helbein Freres / Manufacture d’Horlogerie Helbros (this one on 18/10/1920 in Geneva, Switzerland) so it seems likely that Helbros owned Fontain.

In 1922, Fisher Importing Co. / William Helbein registered a Saranac Watches logo in New York, and the Helbein-Stone Co. Inc  registered Cornavin Watches in New York in 1923.  .

Test-Rite was registered in New York in 1925 by the Helbein-Stone Co. Inc, and in the same year Helbein Freres / Manufacture d’Horlogerie Helbros et Beaux-Arts registered Templer in Geneva. (Three years later, the Helbein-Stone Co. Inc registered Templar in New York.)

Other early registrations included Epbros in Geneva in 1925, and Nelton in Geneva in 1926 by Helbein Freres et Cie. / Manufacture d’Horlogerie Helbros. Brook, Brooks and Croydon were registered in New York in 1928. 

Other, presumably related companies registering Helbros related names were SA des montres Unic who registered Montres Helbros in Paris on 11/6/1930; Froidevaux SA, who registered Helbros in Switzerland in 1939;  Mayclode SA who also registered Helbros in Switzerland on an unknown date, and Elgin National Ind Inc, who registered Helbros in New York in 1972.

Other dated registrations, that may be useful for putting an earliest possible date on a watch, case or advertsing material include:

1933 – Helbros / When Time Counts, with a shield logo

1939 – Coq D’Or. A Leora Original

1939 – Knifedge

1946 – an ‘h‘ in a circle, with a curled tail to the letter ‘h’

1947 – The Helbros Regency

1948 – Helbros Fashion Award

1949 – Helbros Invincible (with logo)

1949 – Helbros Command Performance

Watch Movements

There are many movements within Helbros watches, and little can be told from the outside. This will reflect the different ranges sold, and the long time period during which watches were produced.

There are examples of pocket watches made by Helbros. One recent eBay example said ‘HELBROS Geneve‘ on the dial and ‘Helbros W. Co. Geneva Swiss‘ on the movement.

Some interesting issues arise from particular watches. One poster, RonD on watchuseek, noted a Helvetia 820b movement and a German PUW movement in two different Helbros watches.

The 820b, from about 1948, is noted to have ‘General Watch Company, Switzerland‘, and ‘Helbros Watch Co. Switzerland‘ inside the case, with ‘Helbros‘ on the dial. The movement is inscribed ‘Helbros Watch Co. Swiss‘ and is reported to have the import code ‘HXW‘.

This is often read as ‘MXH‘. According to ranfft.de, the MXH movement code was used by Morris Hoffman Inc, and included Invicta and Seeland. Another forum post also mentions this import code on a Helbros watch.

This is cleared up by the mikrolisk.de site, which lists HXW as an import code registered by Helbros Freres / Helbros Watch Co in Geneva and Neuchatel, Switzerland and New York and Los Angeles.  It seems likely, therefore, that watches noted to have ‘MXH‘ codes actually have HXW import codes. Without knowing which way up they have been written, it is very difficult to distinguish them.

Other watches are marked ‘Helbros Watch Co Germany‘ (see, for example, the post by artb on watchuseek).  The same discussion noted that Helbros also inported Rado watches at times, including the ‘Satellite’ model.

Other movements reported in posts include a variation of the FHF Cal 25; the AS 984 by Adolf Schild; the AS 1914; AS 1255; the AS 1475; AS 1568; PUW 260; Otero 48; PUW 561; a PUW 1360 (in a case made by Conde of Hong Kong); the ETA 1100; Felsa 690; Felsa Bidynator; ESA 9158; FHF 28; Mastertime M112; Lorsa P62; Lorsa P76; Landeron 4750; Arogno 128 and an Enicar 980. Movements in electric watches are German PUW movements.

Various movements are used in Helbros chronographs including Landeron 48, Venus Cal. 150, 170, 175, Venus Cal. 188 ( identical to the Valjoux 7730), Valjoux 7733, Valjoux 72C.

The Elgin link noted in the Trademarks section may have lead to other overlap – there is  forum post of a watch with an Elgin case back, but a Helbros branded mechanism and face, although it could have been a previous mechanism swap out.

There is a forum posted photograph of a Hong Kong quartz mechanism in a later Helbros watch. There are also sales examples of LCD watches branded Helbros.

General Information

Helbros watches were well known US watch sellers until the 1970’s.

The brand was established by the Helbein Brothers in 1913 according to later publicity.The president of the company was William Helbein. The information in this section is taken from passport applications, US census records, an obituary, and other records.

William Helbein was born in Berdichev in 1889, as Wladmir Helbein. The location was described as Russia in subsequent documents, but it is now in the Ukraine. His father, Shaya Helbein, was a diamond merchant who later moved to Geneva, Switzerland. Jewish people were subject to persecution in Russia, and the city of Berdichev was later the subject of a pogrom, and then a Nazi massacre, so leaving the area was a wise move.

Mysteriously, Berdichev, if that is indeed what his passport application says, is nearly 500kmn way from Odessa, which his newspaper obituary gave as his birth place. Perhaps it was simply seen as the nearest large city.

According to his obituary, William was educated in Russia, the Netherlands and Belgium. He emigrated to the USA in 1910, leaving from Antwerp on the Lapland and arriving on Jan 4th, 1911. The Antwerp Police Immigration Indix lists a ‘Wolf Helbein‘, born Berditscheff in 1888, and it seems likely that this is him. Another Helbein from the same town and born in 1895 is listed in the same emigration list- Baruch Helbein.

Wladimir, later William, travelled to the USA from Antwerp, to Dover, to Ellis Island. His nationality is given as ‘Russia – Hebrew‘.

I cannot trace Baruch Helbein, but a Borough Helbein arrived at Ellis Island on 3 Oct 1914, age 19 years, which ties in with the birth date of 1895 for Baruch.  He travelled Antwerp – Liverpool – Ellis Island on the Saint Louis, and his nationality is given as Russian. I cannot then locate Baruch / Borough in the US, so cannot be certain that this is the brother in Helbros. William’s obituary makes no mention of any brothers, but notes that he was survived by two sisters.

Between 1911 and 1921 William lived in Chicago and New York, and became a naturalised US citizen in Chicago in 1916. In his 1916 naturalization papers, his name is given as William (Wladmir). He was staying at the Hotel Grand at the time. This was the same year that the first Helbros trademark was registered, in Geneva.

HIs draft card from the First World War shows him resident in Chicago, at 2135 Michigan Avenue, and working at 1316 Republic Bld. His occupation is given as  ‘Diamond Importer‘.  He was single at the time, so must have married shortly afterwards. He claimed exemption from the draft, on grounds of ‘2900‘. I have not been able to identify this code.

His wife was Pearl Coleman Helbein, born in Duluth, Minnesota. I have been unable to trace the marriage with certainty, but a Lenora P Coleman married a William Helbein in Chicago in 1919. William’s birth year is given as 1889, so it seems possible that this is the marriage, and that she preferred Pearl to Leonora.

William held a US passport from 1916 onwards, and travelled extensively in the course of his work, later often with Pearl. He and Pearl appear on numerous ship passenger lists. His 1919 passport application describes him as an ‘importer of diamonds and watches’. William’s 1921 passport application notes that he spent 1919 – 1920 in France, Switzerland and Belgium. His occupation was given as importer, and his residence as New York.   The reason for his 1921 passport application was so that he could visit France, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Germany and the British Isles.

William filed a patent application in 1944  (Des. 139,882) for a ‘new, original and ornamental Design for a Display Case for Wrist Watches and the like‘. He was ‘a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York‘.

The United States Census in 1940 shows William Helbein living in Hempstead Town, Woodsburgh Village, Nassau, New York. His place of birth is ‘Russia’. His occupation is given as ‘President of Watch Co.’ and he is married to Pearl (born in Minnesota). Herman Lefferts, born in New York, is staying in the same house, and his occupation is given as ‘ Secretary and Treasurer (Illegible) watch‘. There seems no realistic doubt that this is the relevant William Helbein and his household. They had one servant.

William Helbein was the first president of the American Watch Assemblers Association. He was later a director of the American Watch Association.

William died in 1960. No mention of children was made in his obituary.

In 1967, Brandeis University reported that ‘the William and Pearl C. Helbein Scholarship Fund for needy students was established through a bequest to the University from the late Mrs. Pearl C. Helbein of New York. The scholarship is named also in memory of her late husband, William Helbein, one of the founders and later head of the Helbros Watch Company. Mr. and Mrs. Helbein were active in a number of philanthropic causes, including Montefiore Hospital.’ This confirms William’s role, and also the involvement of others – the ‘brothers’ presumably.

Spy Ring Connection and Trade Model

The company advertised war bonds in WW11 – there are several advertising examples on line. They made watches for the US military and, according to one Forum poster, for the Red Cross.The advertising angle on this is discussed further in the Print Advertisements section.

There was an interesting link up between Helbros and WWII espionage. The hugely successful Soviet Red Orchestra spyring in Germany was linked to other Russian spyrings, including Rota Drei (Red Three), based in Lucerne in Switzerland. Germina Rabinovitz based in Geneva, transferred $10,000 from the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa, to Rachel Duebendorfer, one of the members of Rota Drei, via Helbros watches. Rabinovitch later told Canadian authorities that William Helbein believed that he was helping her to transfer money to a cousin. The matter was mentioned in his obituary, so must have been reasonably well known.

World War 11 also disrupted watch shipments from Switzerland. William Helbeing is quoted in Billboard in September 1944 as speaking to jewelery trade representatives to say that shipments from Switzerland to the US were going to improve and that ‘100 airplanes‘ were ready to ‘speed merchandise’.

A fascinating trade case was brought against Helbros in 1962 by the Federal Trade Commission. The case centred on whether the prices placed on watches were fictitious, in the sense that they were never expected to be paid – surely still relevant to many watch brands today.

The case states that ‘Helbros manufactures two distinct lines of watches which it sells to three classes of buyers. It places a price tag, clearly visible to the ultimate purchaser, on all the watches, and it is apparent that this price tag carries with it the implication that the amount listed thereon is the usual and regular price at which the watch sells at retail. ‘

It explains further that ‘One line of watches is sold exclusively to house-to-house canvassers and long-term credit jewelers. These watches are pre-ticketed at 400 to 500 per cent of cost. This market accounts for about 30 per cent of Helbros’ business. Helbros sells an entirely different line, constituting the other 70 per cent of its business, to two different groups. One group, absorbing 40 per cent of Helbros’ total sales, or 57.1 per cent of this particular line, is made up of discount stores and catalog houses. The balance of this line is sold to jobbers and ordinary retail jewelers. This second line is pre-ticketed for both groups at 250 per cent of cost.’

The case summary continues, ‘The evidence as to the price actually paid by the ultimate consumer shows that the line of watches sold to house-to-house canvassers and long-term credit jewelers usually sells at or near the preticketed price. The watches which are sold to the discount stores and catalog houses, however, constituting 40 per cent of total sales, or 57.1 per cent of sales of that line, are regularly sold at about 50 per cent of the pre-ticketed price. There is some evidence that the jobbers and ordinary retail jewelers sell their watches at the pre-ticketed price.‘

 Helbros’ lawyers made an argument that was ‘ingenious but not persuasive‘.  The case was upheld, and Helbros were required to ‘cease and desist‘.

The references to the case note that, ‘The law is not made for the protection of experts, but for the public– that vast multitude which includes the ignorant, the unthinking and the credulous, who, in making purchases, do not stop to analyze, but are governed by appearances and general impressions‘ – good advice for watch buyers today!

The Jan – June Catolog of Copyright Entries, 3rd series, noted ‘Elgin National Industries, Helbros Watches Division‘. A 1970 Esquire advert gives as the Helbros address, ‘A Division of Elgin National Industries, Inc, 2 Park Ave New York‘.

AbslomRob on watchuseek.com states, ‘

‘According to the trademark registry, the trademark for “Helbros” was assigned to “The Elgin National Watch Company” in 1968, and was reassigned back to “Helbros Watches Inc” in 1974. There’s another trademark listed for “Helbros Regency” which was registered in 1947 by “Helbros Watch Company Inc”, that was also assigned to Elgin in 1968, and back to Helbros Watches in 1974. The last registration linked to “Helbros Watches” was in 1991, and it was canceled in 1998. All the “old” registrations for Helbros died (weren’t renewed or were canceled) by 1991 or 1998, with the exception of the registration for “Helbros Invincible”. That one was registered in 1981, and wasn’t cancled until 2002. A new trademark was registered by Jules Jurgensen in 2001, but was abandoned. Another one was registered in 2005 (again by Jules Jurgensen) and is the only “live” registration in the system.

The list of assignments shows an interesting blip though. In 1992, many of the trademarks got reassigned to something called “Congress Financial Corporation”, and and then reassigned to “Helbros International Inc” in 1993.’

Print Advertising

Numerous examples of their print advertising are available on line.English language advertisments are easiest to find, but there are examples of non-English language advertisements as well.

An early advert is on page eight of The Allen Monthly in 1927 for ‘Helbros-Fontain Wrist Watches‘. Also in 1927, Vanity Fair included an advertisement for Helbros, noting that ‘a rare degree of timekeeping accuracy and quiet beauty of design make Helbros a fitting watch companion. The three protective features pictured here are exclusively Helbros’. The advertisment continued invitingly that ‘raised gilt radium-encrusted numerals insure greater luminosity‘. Not perhaps an advertising point these days!

The Fontain name was used in another Allen Monthly advert in 1927, ‘HELBROS-FONTAIN WRIST WATCHES HELBROS— America’s Most Talked about Watch! No. 11351— Helbros-Fontain 6$i L. 15 J., cut balance. Star Scepter quality, permanent white finish case, $23.00‘.  Charles Lindbergh appeared in a Helbros advert in 1927. The advertisement is in French, and describes the company as ‘Helbros Geneve‘ so must reflect sales in different countries.

Boys’ Life in 1928 ran a competition with ‘hundreds  of wonderful awards given by the Dorfan company‘, who made model trains. First prize was an Atwater Kent Electric Radio, but the fourth and fifth prizes were Helbros watches. Fourth prize was valued at $40 and fifth prize at $35. Both were gold filled. The same competition also ran in Popular Mechanics. Helbros watched turned up as prizes again in Boys’ Life in 1928, as fourth prize in a ‘Popsicle‘ contest. Helbros watches frequently appear in news coverage as competition prizes.

1929 saw an advertisement in ‘The Saturday Evening Post‘ linked to the popular liners, noting, ‘for service, endurance and precision, beyond ordinary watch standards are very naturally the features of the watch worn by the master of the Mauretania. That watch is the Helbros . . . The Helbros is the choice of an ever increasing number..‘.

Helbros ran a War Bond competition during WWII, called ‘Time for Victory‘. You had to give the date and time the war would end, and 25 word reason, to be entered in to a competion to win a $2.500 first prize of War Bonds, or runners up prizes of a Helbros watch. Jeff’s Elgintime Watch Blog has a photograph of the launch dinner.

The Helbros advertisements available on-line must be a small fraction of the total print advertising output, let alone the radio and tv advertising. They seem to have left no market unpursued. In Cosmoplitan in 1945, for example, they ran an advert saying ‘HELBROS Some gifts there are that last a lifetime . . . others as ephemeral as a fading flower. You can make this Christmas memorable forever . . . for him . . . for her … with a truly fine watch … a Helbros Original. Illustrated above‘.

The Catalog of Copyright Entries 1946 lists a new Helbros slogan, ‘rubies that work for a living‘. Helbros returned to rubies in their advertising on numerous occasions. In 1947 in The American Magazine, an advert read, ‘cut and polished and pierced with almost incredible precision, they guard the heart of each Helbros Watch. Unseen, but vitally important, they contribute to the unfailing lifetime accuracy of the velvet-smooth Helbros Watch movement’. They also copyrighted two more related slogans – ‘Parts that turn in tiny cups of ruby‘, and ‘Rubies smooother than ice, harder than steel‘.

There were print tie-ins with the radio show sponsorship. The Spokesman-Review on March 27th, 1948, included an advertisement from ‘Better Jewelery‘ for a Helbros Chronograph. The watch appears to have been called the Helbros Oracle and featured a 12 and 6 sub-dial lay out. The text of the advert probably came straight from the Helbros advertising department, and is worth quoting:-

Here’s the watch that you’ve heard advertised on the ‘Quick as a Flash’ radio program – the famous Helbros chronograph that tells more than time!

Beautiful, rugged, streamlined – it is for every man who appreciates split-second accuracy. For sportsmen, students, aviators, racing and track fans, engineers, doctors, photographers, chemists, time and motion study men.

It’s a Telemeter

                  Measures distances in miles

It’s a Tachometer

                  Tells speed of moving objects

It’s a Stop-Watch

                   Gives split-second timing

It’s a Wrist-Watch

                   Dependable 17 jewel movement

• and all for $49.75 including Federal Tax.

They had a full page Christmas-themed advert in the 26 Nov 1951 issue of Life.This advertisement used the tagline ‘the watch of enduring accuracy – with 17 lifetime ruby jewels!‘.

The listed watches were far from cheap – the lowest priced was $29.75 for the ‘Champ‘, and the highest $225 for the ‘Helbron Regency W‘, with a ‘14K white gold case, and 18 genuine diamonds‘.  Their office address was given as ‘New York 19, NY‘.

According to an on-line calculator, this equates to $479 and just over $2,000. As the average family income was about $3,700,  $225 would have been a hefty price. By comparison, an advert for Westclox in the same issue showed prices ranging from $2.75 for a pocket watch to $11.95 for ‘Westclox finest!‘, the gold plated ‘Lance‘.

1952 saw Helbros embark on their part in the Damon Runyan Memorial Fund for Cancer, with a line of 12 watches, most proceeds of which were to go the campaign. According to Tide Newsmagazine, they used  ‘the slogan, “Be A Cancer WATCHman,” ‘.

They were back in Life in November 1953, this time with tjhe tagline ‘Give the Lifetime Watch…..Helbros….with 17 Lifetime Ruby Jewels!‘. They also used the description, ‘the watch of celebrities’. This was in quotation marks, so was presumably a recognised slogan. Their cheapest watch in this advert had increased to $49.75.

Another advertisement for Helbros watches in 1953, this time in the Classified section of Billboard, was by Standard Industries Inc, of 2118 S. Wabash Ave, Chicago 16. This company advertised combined watch and jewelery sets. ‘For the ladies – the lovely Sabina ensemble featuring the nationally advertised Helbros watch with expansion bracelet, Jeweled Earrings, Pennant Pin and Necklace Chain. For the men – the Stanton set of HELBROS watch, Tie Clip, Cuff Links and Key Chain‘.

It’s not clear if Helbros had any role in this other than in selling watches to Standard Industries, but the advertisement notes reassuringly, ‘THESE ARE NOT RECONDITIONED WATCHES‘. The suggested mark up on the sets was about 400%. The competition bar for sales, to modern eyes, does not appear high. Advertisements on neighbouring pages included adverts for ‘The New Sensational FUZZY WUZZY CRAZY SHAGGY STRAW HAT’, yours wholesale for $3.00 a dozen, or $33.00 a gross, Shetland Ponies and ‘Midget Mules’ for circuses, and aluminium florida flamingos.

A 1954 Rena-Ware Club Plan Catalog sold on eBay . The catalog offered ‘truly wonderful bargains, all made available to you as a special dividend of your Rena-ware club membership’. The booklet included a page advertising three womens and three mens watches. Each watch was being sold at about half the list price – see the entry on the trade case for the long term consequences of this! The prices were far lower than many of the directly advertised watches – the cheapest was $27.37, and the most expensive was $39.33, after the ‘exclusive discount‘ was applied.

Several other companies re-sold the watches. An anxious 1953 Billboard advert from the Casey Hofeller Corp of 208 S Jefferson, Chicago, noted, ‘CORRECTION! Our April 11th ad gave the impression that we were selling Benrus Gruen and Helbros watches for $3.99. THIS WAS INCORECT! THE AD SHOULD HAVE READ: ALSO PLUSH SETS WITH BENRUS, GRUEN, HELBROS WATCHES‘.

Billboard in 1956 included an advertisement for ‘The Stanford‘, ‘The Briana‘, the ‘Amity‘ and the ‘Flamingo‘. This advertisement included both retail and trade prices. The Briana, for example, was $23.50 trade, but retailed at $195! In the same year, Helbros watches were a competiton prize in Life in a Cameo copper cleaning product competition (first  prize was a trip to Paris on Pan Am).

There are numerous examples of catalog adverts for Helbros examples. See, for instance, Popular Science in July 1956 ‘HELBROS Watches: Jewelery 70% discount – catalog 25c. Dorrinda, Huntington Station 6, New York‘. This may relate to the sales roots discussed in the 1962 trade case.

In 1954 there is an example of Helbros watches being used as premiums, to reward sales for the Dallas-based Goodier company. ‘..for the month of November, Goodier will give you the choice of a man’s or woman’s Helbros watch which sells  regularly at $62.50, free with purchase of $100 worth of products shown on the folder….The offer is unlimited., If you buy $300 worth of products, you will get three products of your choice‘. This must have been a common use of some of the watches, given its prominence in Helbros advertising.

‘Printers Ink’ in 1957 included an advert for ‘ Helbros Wrist-Alarms and Standard Models‘. They advise merchants to  ‘add a brand new, SOUND appeal to premium promotions with this new Helbros Wrist-Alarm Watch for men‘. A very similar advert appeared in 1957 in ‘Coffee and Tea Industries and the Glavour Field, saying ‘The Big Plus in Premium Promotions Helbros Watches SOUND-OFF* WRIST ALARM -Wake up to it in the morning, set it for appointments. Gleaming chrome top, stainless steel case. Also available in yellow.’, indicating the volume of advertising that must have been directed at this premium or reward programme market, a recurring theme over the years.

Also in  1957, but in Life, the company was reaching for the sporting market with ‘Sportsmen Prefer Helbros Regency‘ which were ‘Graceful, Enduring. Masculine‘. They were complemented by the ‘Debbie‘ for women. The company address is given as ‘6 West 48th St, New York 36‘.

Other slogans used around this time, according to the ‘Catalog of Copyright Entries, 3rd Ed’ were ‘Boy, what a buy‘; ‘Budget problem? There’s a nationally famous Helbros watch for every premium program‘, and ‘If we say it once, we’ll say it 60 million times: Helbros, boy, what a buy!‘.

According to a Life advert in 1957, the price range of the watches was now ‘$24.75 – $2,500‘.

1958 saw a return to the old standby of being  competition prize, this time for Beautyrest beds, advertised in Life.

1961 displayed two new advertising wheezes. In Life on the 17 November, again presumably targeting the Christmas market, they quyoted their prices as ranging from $19.75 to $375. You could apply on approval to ‘Helbros, Dept 10, 6 W.48th St, NYC 36‘, for a pack of watches to pick the one you liked, and to return the rest. They also had a full-size cut out of a wrist watch for you to clip out and try for size on your wrist!

This advertisment must have worked, because they ran largely the same advertisement, with a different cut-out watch, in November 1962.

In 1965, the company stressed longevity. Alongside an article about the then Cassius Clay, their advertisement showed a 1922 and a 1965 watch side by side, saying ‘This Helbros watch was bought in 1922. It still keeps prefect time. This Helbros 17 Jewel calendar watch was bought in 1965. In the year 2008 it will still keep perfect time‘. This must have seemed unimaginably far away. I would’t be surprised if the 1922 watch is still going, let alone the 1965 product.

Life in December 1967 sees an advert for the ‘Helbros Day and Date Calendar Watch‘. The advert stresses its accuracy, and asks ‘exactly how did you get along without it?”Their top price has increased to $450, and their address is now given as ‘2 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016‘.This watch featured in a number of Life advertisements over three or four years, including in Ebony in 1968, and must have been an important product.

In 1969, they year of the first moonlanding, they had moved in to the electric power era and were advertising the ‘Helbros 403’ – ‘just once a year and less than two minutes to change this energiser battery. No skills or tools required‘. The advertisement, again in Life, noted that they had ‘over 200 styles for men and women‘.

The company must have had high hopes for this range. ‘Chilton’s Jewelers’ Circular‘ in 1970 reported ‘Series 400 can electrify your watch sales ! These remarkably simple electric watches— available in 8 styles, including calendars— are making news in color ads in Life, Look, Playboy, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Coronet …‘.

The entrepeneurial spirit had not abandoned Helbros, and in 1977 The Jewelers’ Circular reported that Mrs America (a contest aimed at married women) had won a ‘Helbros Collection‘, adding that ‘Mrs. America epitomizes changing values and …times‘. 

By 1980, quartz was in full swing. A Helbros advert in ‘Incentive Marketing’ noted, ‘Modern, electronic quartz watches created by a quality name like Helbros are premiums you can’t afford to ignore. And with prices starting under $35.00, there’s a style to fit every budget— and any wrist. Isn’t it time to reward a job well done?‘.

2008 saw a return to an old brand favourite – a Helbros watch as a prize in a competition in Practical Photography.

 

TV and Radio Advertising

In 1930, there is a reference in the ‘Jewelers’ Circular‘ to a programme that  ‘comprises three features: Larry and the Duke, the Helbros Baguettuners, and the Helbros Harmonizers. The first of these features is a dramatic skit that relates the riotous adventures of Larry, a young American college grad’. This must relate to early use of radio advertising. 

By 1944, Helbros was sponsoring a 30 minute US radio quiz show on the Mutual network, Quick as a Flash, which also featured the ‘Helbros Derby‘ game and the ‘Helbros Orchestra‘. At various times in the show’s run guests included Basil Rathbone, Gypsy Rose Lee, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, and Kirk Douglas.

They also sponsored The Abbott Mysteries, later called The Adventures of the Abbotts. Based on a series of novels by Frances Crane, this series also appeared on Mutual, as did the Pick and Pat show which they also sponsored (described as ‘minstrel-style variety‘. Billboard also mention a Helbros Watches show, but as ‘Pic and Pat‘ are noted as part of the ‘talent‘, this may be the same show.

Jewelers’ Circle – Keystone noted the radio advertising, commenting, ‘Quick As A Flash goes national in a big way for HELBROS dealers. Mutual Network Stations from … America’s fastest, newest, most exciting radio quiz show. . . for you and Helbros Watches’.

By 1946, the Quick as a Flash show was being broadcast on 250 stations on the 5.30pm – 6.00pm Sunday slot. Helbros continued to sponsor it in 1947, when it was maintaining a Sunday evening slot. In June 1948, Helbros were also sponsoring the appropriately entitled ‘What Makes You Tick?‘ also on Mutual. The show was a popular psychology programme.

According to Billboard, in 1949 Helbros dropped ‘Quick as a Flash’ and was in negotiation to sponsor a show on NBC, for a budget of $250,000 – over $2,500,000 now, according to an on-line inflation calculator.

Part of this budget was lined up for ‘Richard Diamond‘, a detective show. Billboard in October 1950 reports that Dorland, Inc, sold the show’s sponsorship to Helbros for $10,200 a week. This resulted in such publicity for the show, that NBC then sold it to Rexall Drug for an additional $5,000 a show, resulting in a lawsuit between NBC and Dorland.

By 1951, Helbros has expanded to TV advertising, and spend $50,000 dollars on a trial on 200 AM radio and 20 TV channels, again reported in Billboard. The same article reported that the trial had been so successful that the watch company Benrus had hired away the Helbros ad manager. Despite this annoyance, Helbros were to sepnd 70% of the folliwng years advertising revenue on TV and radio.

Stores

A poster on watchuseek commented, ‘My wife for 56 years worked in Omaha at Nebraska Savings &  Loan at age 16 near the Helbros store on best Omaha location. Helbros had stores in major cities 1950+ &- so had to sell wide range of prices thus also varying qualities’.

The same poster noted, ‘in my part of the world  – Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake  – Helbros had big dedicated watch and jewelry stores at central addresses. 1950+&- they sold a great variety of w.w. so the customer had choice from cheap to $100s. Famous diamond jewelry business Herzberg used Helbros.’ In a later post, he noted that Helbros had a large store in alt Lake City from 1947 – 1960.

Other Information

Helbros worked with Kenneth Franklin to develop a watch for use on the moon. In Esquire in 1970, Helbros were described as ‘the creators of the first moonwatch‘, As Dr Franklin’s obituary in the New York Times dryly notes, ‘the watch has not yet become a big seller‘.

Sources

General Information

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/short-history-helbros-295220.html

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helbros

1913 founding date –

http://tinyurl.com/grkxkms

http://tinyurl.com/zmbsajp

Photograph of case with ‘since 1913’ – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/sold-mint-helbros-royal-oak-jumbo-audemars-piguet-style-watch-490707.html

Nationality of brothers, 1913 founding date – http://electric-watches.co.uk/makers/helbros/

1944 Patent Application, showing William Helbein as a US citizen – http://tinyurl.com/jv4cvzz

President, Amrican Watch Assemblers Organisation – https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-qOxVSisTnKS01Zc2R3V09MM28/view

William Helbein obituary – Russian nationality – https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-qOxVSisTnKWFRMNy1iWHZpZjg/view

Death in 1960 – http://tinyurl.com/j74xdk6

Scholarship – https://archive.org/stream/brandeisuniversi6770bran/brandeisuniversi6770bran_djvu.txt

Watches for military and Red Cross in WWII – http://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/990103944/m/7943979767

Shipment of watches, 1944 – http://tinyurl.com/nfgkxha

Discussion on movements – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/helbros-top-brand-mid-low-496411.html

Possible end date for US production – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f71/when-helbros-made-2310474.html

Watch Movements

Helbein Fontain photographs –

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/short-history-helbros-295220-2.html

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/fontain-helbros-watches-828649.html

Fontain copyright registration to Helbros – http://www.mikrolisk.de/show.php?site=280&letter=F&searchWhere=trademark&searchMode=exact&id=17#sucheMarker

Photo of 820b movement –

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/helbros-top-brand-mid-low-496411-3.html

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/helbros-military-style-820b-555419.html

Import Codes – http://www.ranfft.de/uhr/info-uscode-e.html

MXH import code – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/helbros-wind-up-17-jewel-seeking-more-information-352474.html

German company photo – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/best-helbros-690958.html

ESA 9158 – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/helbros-electronic-help-grandfathers-watch-272500.html

AS1475 – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/vintage-helbros-897294-7.html

AS 1568 – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/helbros-alarm-118630.html

Arogno 128, AS 1255 – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/vintage-helbros-897294-8.html

FHF28, PUW 260, Mastertime M-112, Lorsa P62, Landeron 4750  – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/vintage-helbros-897294-7.html

Bidynator – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/vintage-helbros-question-49226.html

Enicar movement – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/swiss-made-helbros-invincible-883614.html

Enicar 980 – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f6/helzberg-watch-helbros-98-movement-621808.html

Landeron 54 – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f7/wwii-helbros-chronograph-wooden-box-473038.html

Helbros in Elgin case – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/found-junk-heap-frankenhelbros-authentic-military-helbros-elgin-case-2204065.html

Chronographs –

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/help-dating-helbros-chronograph-815890.html

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/two-new-acquisitions-helbros-chronograph-hamilton-809440.html

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/fs-helbros-chrono-valjoux-7733-a-541697.html

http://tinyurl.com/jqgmfdm

Electric watches – http://electric-watches.co.uk/makers/helbros/

Quartz Helbros mechanism from Hong Kong – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f2/grandmothers-old-watch-helbros-quartz-old-744134.html

Trade marks

1970 – http://tinyurl.com/zrro9sx

Movement of ownership – http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/short-history-helbros-295220.html

Shop network

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/helbros-top-brand-mid-low-496411.html

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/helbros-top-brand-mid-low-496411.html

Radio Show

1944, Pick and Pat – http://tinyurl.com/z7j66a3

1944, Helbros Watches – http://tinyurl.com/zbx9nmz

Quick as a Flash –

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quick_as_a_Flash

http://www.mwotrc.com/rr2005_12/quickflash.htm

http://tinyurl.com/gv35yuf

http://www.shadowsanctum.net/radio/radio_qaf.html

http://tinyurl.com/pzp2uxy

http://tinyurl.com/pmz7pem

Abbott Mysteries  – http://tinyurl.com/gpzgv2p

Abbott Mysteries, 1946 schedule – http://tinyurl.com/zpc7avu

1946, What Makes You Tick? – http://tinyurl.com/nu373r8

1950 Dorland deal on Richard iIamond – http://tinyurl.com/jv8cn35

TV Advertising

1951 – http://tinyurl.com/hxlf484

Print Advertising

The Allen Monthly 1927 – http://tinyurl.com/zcargku

Boys’ Life, 1928 – http://tinyurl.com/zl3ncox and http://tinyurl.com/nah6u87

Popular Mechanics Dorfan contest – http://tinyurl.com/nkb8nlr

Time for Victory launch dinner – http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dk19EyQpx8Q/VoLKaMdEjUI/AAAAAAAEXT4/0i8iVCZ-HSY/s1600/v-dinner.jpg

1946 slogan – http://tinyurl.com/qjch7lv

1947 copyright – http://tinyurl.com/gvuuzfp

1948 Spokesman Review Chrono advert – http://tinyurl.com/nbsk5qk

Life, 1951 – http://tinyurl.com/j76zgjg

Average wage 1951 – http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1951.html

Life, 1953 – http://tinyurl.com/hf2d6b5

Billboard correction, 1953 – http://tinyurl.com/zlgqxum

Billboard Standard Industries advert, 1953 – http://tinyurl.com/znkrv3b

Billboard 1954 Premium example – http://tinyurl.com/zlpeab2

Billboard, 1956 – http://tinyurl.com/zrg2vu9

Lfe competition, 1956 – http://tinyurl.com/z4aa3ny

Popular Science – catalog example – http://tinyurl.com/jzjgnbr

Life advert 1957 – http://tinyurl.com/out7gz9

Printers Ink, 1957 – http://tinyurl.com/pyfue97

Life, 1957 – http://tinyurl.com/zyzx3o5

Life, competition prizes 1958 –

http://tinyurl.com/jd2w5ty

http://tinyurl.com/jq25ylr

Catalog of copyright entries -http://tinyurl.com/hfrxsyd

Life, 1961 – http://tinyurl.com/zobfsw5

Life, 1962 – http://tinyurl.com/zev4b6h

Life, 1965 – http://tinyurl.com/jrtgmc8

Life, 1967 – http://tinyurl.com/gq47484

Ebony, 1968 – http://tinyurl.com/jpo4twx

Life, 1969, Electric 403 – http://tinyurl.com/gl86ypo

Popular Photography, 2008 – http://tinyurl.com/pt5oe3y

Miscellaneous

Inflation calculator – http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

Kenneth Franklin obituary – http://tinyurl.com/hl9xe8x

Popular Science 1970 Lunar Watch – http://tinyurl.com/gqqxtt7

1962 Federal Trade Committee case – http://tinyurl.com/hk5gbu2